Agile might mean different things to different people but that is usually the case with most popular technologies. Everyone might define agile differently based on their use case. Let’s say, you are a project manager, you might look at agile differently as compared to a software developer.
A project manager might be more inclined toward agile methodologies for managing their projects, while software developers might be using agile development to accelerate and streamline software delivery to Deploy MLOps. The benefits of agile will remain the same in both cases. Both can reap the rewards of increased customer satisfaction through continuous improvements, flexibility to change and reduce risks.
Just like every other technology, agile also has its fair share of challenges. Sadly, no one talks about them. According to a State of Agile report, 30% of respondents said that they have faced ten or more challenges while implementing agile in their organizations. This can range from resistance to change to cultural clashes, lack of stakeholder involvement to ever-changing user requirements.
So, how can you enhance the efficiency of your team while implementing agile in such a situation? That is exactly what we are going to discuss in this article. In this article, you will learn about six ways to enhance the efficiency of your team while implementing agile processes.
6 Ways To Increase The Efficiency of Your Agile Team
Here are six ways in which you can enhance the efficiency of your agile teams.
Make Agile an Integral Part of Your Organization’s Culture
If you study the principles of agile, you will realize that it prioritizes humans over tools and technologies such as cheap dedicated servers. Agile can only be beneficial for your business if you can make it an integral part of your company’s culture. Companies that use agile as a one-off exercise fail to benefit from it as compared to companies that have made agile an important part of their company culture.
Implementing agile is not all about technological or digital transformation, it is also about human transformation. Making a cultural shift might not be easy, as it goes well beyond the scope of making changes to your workflows. In order to do it successfully, you will have to embrace agile values that are more goal-oriented and customer-focused.
Once these agile values become a part of the day to day operations, this will not only revolutionize how your organization. Instead of adopting traditional methodologies, you will be conducting scrum meetings, adopting Kaizen and performing sprints, which will boost the overall efficiency and productivity of your organization.
This can not only boost collaboration between team members but can also minimize wastage. It can also help you ensure transparency and assist your team in focusing on goals. Think of agile as a mindset and when your organization adopts this mindset, everything starts to fall in place.
Put Coaching Ahead of Certifications
If you think that enrolling in an agile course or earning a badge or certificate of completion is enough to implement agile successfully then, you are wrong. These things can certainly help but agile demands constant attention. Instead of focusing too much on certification, I would recommend you invest in coaching especially if your team is inexperienced and just starting out. That would be much more beneficial for them.
One of the biggest advantages of hiring an agile coach is that it will help your team learn about common agile mistakes that they need to avoid. Moreover, they can also get an idea about how they can get over early hurdles that come in their agile journey.
Update Your Agile Toolbox
When agile was first introduced two decades ago, it comprised a handful of simple guidelines and steps. Fast forward to today, it has turned into a complex discipline as new rules and guidelines get added to the mix and things evolve. Today, there are hundreds if not thousands of different agile practices and processes that can help your team achieve more with less.
Let’s say, your agile approach is not working as well as you want it to, you can easily replace it with other approaches. The same goes for tools and strategies as well. Your goal should be to invest in the latest tools and methodologies that are working well in your industry.
Know Your Maturity Level
One size fits all formula does not apply to agile. If it is working for someone else does not mean it will work for you. That is why it is important to understand your specific organization’s requirements before implementing agile. More importantly, you should be aware of your company’s current maturity level.
Evaluating the maturity is not as easy, you need to go in-depth and breadth for that. Ask yourself, how often do your organizations adhere to agile principles and how often do they divert from them? This will give you a better picture of where your organization currently stands on the maturity scale.
Scaling Agile Is Key
Probably the most difficult part about adopting agile is scalability. Most businesses adopting agile tend to struggle with it. Yes, you should first implement agile to a single functional unit but the real benefits would only come when you extend it to all the departments of your organization. When you implement agile throughout the organization, it can turn your company into a customer-focused and goal-oriented business.
Look At Metrics From A Human Eye
As mentioned above, agile puts people over processes and technologies so it should also reflect from the benchmark you set. Even if you adopt traditional metrics to measure progress, it is important for businesses to look at them from a human-centric mindset.
Instead of focusing on hard numbers, look at how agile processes are impacting your employees. How much time they are taking to complete a task? How many tasks is your employee completing every day before and after the agile implementation? Answering questions like these can help you visualize the impact of agile processes on your employees.
How do you improve your team productivity with agile processes? Share it with us in the comments section below.
Read More : Core values of the Agile Manifesto
