This survival guide (based on book) will provide you with essential mental models and a framework to navigate safely through the treacherous jungle of Agile adoption and transformation. As much of the Agile adoption failure is a result of not understanding organizational culture, you will learn how to use the Schneider model to assess your organization.

1. Agile 2012
Grapevine, TX
@MichaelSahota

2. About Michael
STRATEGIC
PLAY®

3. Session Outline

4. http://www.flickr.com/photos/akeg/2230862848/

5. Quick Survey – What Agile Adoption
Success have you seen?
• 5 = Every time a
success
• ...
• 0 = Every time a
failure
• Raise your hand
when your number
Photo CC
comes up… http://www.flickr.com/photos/lindsey
_catherine/5808320129

6. XP Toronto Mtg 2011
Agile Tour Toronto 2011
Agile New England 2011

7. Causes of Agile Failure

8. Barriers to Further Agile Adoption
Copyright VersionOne 2011

9. http://www.flickr.com/photos/lokner/4164251472

10. Why is Culture Important?
“If you do not manage
“The only thing of culture, it manages you,
real importance and you may not even be
that leaders do is to aware of the extent to
create and manage which this is happening.”
culture.”
Edgar Schein
Professor MIT Sloan School of Management
Photo courtesy: http://leadership-tdoerffer.blogspot.com/2010/11/enjoy-interview-with-prof-edgar-schein.html

12. Agile Tour Toronto 2011
Agile New England 2011

14. Example Survey Question
When all is said and done, the way we
accomplish success in this organization is to:
1. Create an organization that has the highest possible
level of competence and capitalize on that
competence.
2. Get and keep control.
3. Provide the conditions whereby the people within
the organization can develop and make valuable
accomplishments.
4. Put a collection of people together, build them into
a team, and charge them with fully utilizing one
another as resources.

15. Graphic ©
Jurgen
Appelo

19. Kanban Principles (Anderson)
First adopt the Then (use the 5 Core
foundational principles Properties)
• Start with what you do 1. Visualize the workflow
now 2. Limit WIP
• Agree to pursue 3. Manage Flow
incremental, 4. Make Process Policies
evolutionary change Explicit
• Respect the current 5. Improve Collaboratively
process, roles, (using models & the
responsibilities & titles scientific method)
http://agilemanagement.net/index.php/Blog/the_principles_of_the_kanban_method/

21. http://www.flickr.com/photos/lenore-m/2515800654

23. Working with Existing Culture

24. Kanban is Like an Oreo Cookie!
Outside:
Crunchy
Control
Inside: Sweet White
Agile Goodness
(collaboration,
cultivation and
craftsmanship)

25. Craftsmanship as a starting place

26. http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalavinka/4617897952

27. What are your goals?
My main focus is
to stop companies
from doing Agile.
Pascal Van Cauwenberghe
Namiya.be
Photos©http://www.flickr.com/photos/pascalvancauwenberghe/3053517274

28. http://www.flickr.com/photos/tza/3214197147

29. Adoption of Agile Practices in
a Mismatched Culture

30. Agile Transformation

31. http://www.wanderingthought.com/2012/01/squishy-balls.html

32. Adoption Transformation

34. Adoption of Agile Practices in
a Mismatched Culture

36. Adoption - Practices  Doing Agile
When culture is not compatible with Agile
 Incremental Adoption
 Look at Context
 Pain  Practice
 Avoid
 Scrum
 Agile Manifesto
 See
 “Agile Adoption Patterns: A Roadmap to
Organizational Success” by Amr Elssamadisy
 “Becoming Agile in an Imperfect World” provides a
lot of practical advice on adopting Agile [Smith &
Sidky].

37. Agile Transformation

39. Agile Is Not Enough

40. http://www.wanderingthought.com/2012/01/squishy-balls.html

41. Plan for Hard Conversations
Agile is about people,
and as such they will
tend to be largest
obstacles, we will need
to have serious
conversations at some
point if we really want
to go Agile.
Johnny Scarborough
Photos©http://www.flickr.com/photos/pascalvancauwenberghe/3053517274 and The Innovation Games Company

43. Some Interesting Patterns of
Transformation

44. http://www.flickr.com/photos/exothermic/2547162058

47. WARNING: This will fail eventually*

48. #2 Incubate Transformational
Leadership
Leaders go
first!
• Live the values
• Lead by example
• Seek to truly understand their culture
• Be as transparent as the teams they lead
See presentation: Agile From the Top Down:
Executives & Leadership Living Agile by Jon Stahl
http://www.slideshare.net/LeanDog/agile-from-the-top-down

49. #3 Develop Transformational Leadership Team
 Deep alignment
between leadership
teams’ personal visions
and organizational
compelling shared
vision
 Continued commitment
to maintaining
integrity and
sacredness of
leadership team
See Temenos retreat
@Siraju
Ref: http://adaptivecollaboration.com/2012/04/23/temenos-retreat-a-journey-of-change/

50. http://www.flickr.com/photos/_brilho-de-conta/400937249

51. Transforming the World of Work

52. Session Outline

53. Resources
• These slides are available on
slideshare
• Free eBook:
http://www.infoq.com/minibooks/agi
le-adoption-transformation
• Videos, Blog
Postshttp://agilitrix.com/2011/04/a
gile-culture-series-reading-guide/
CC @MichaelSahota