I am never sure how to answer someone who says “What is agile?” After all, my mind is racing so fast that my ultimate, simple explanation – “A way to innovate and deliver products more effectively” leaves me wishing I could kidnap people for a 3-day course on lean-agile and continuous delivery.

What I can simplify (for someone who has a basic understanding of agile) are the steps in a true transformation, so that they can let me know where they are in the process.  Note that I have ordered these quite logically, while the real world is full of resistance, grey area, and co-evolution.

1. Establish a cadence of synchronization (typically, this is scrum). Hypothesize the results of every change ahead of making it, test it, and validate or invalidate the hypothesis.  Inspect and adapt.
2. Change from a human resource allocation mindset to a well-formed team mindset.
3. Change from a finite project mindset to a living product mindset.
4. Sell who you are, not what you plan to have on a shelf in X months.
5. Change from a P&L and ROI mindset to an Economic Value Flow across the organization mindset (including upgrades in equipment, training for knowledge workers, benefits that raise barriers to exit).
6. Change from centralized (top-down) market research, innovation planning, and risk assessment to distributed control over prudent risks.  This requires a framework for self-validation of discoveries, exploitation of opportunities, and communication of results.
7. Change from performance tracking and formal leadership to systems optimization and organic leadership.

Hit Contact if you’d like to discuss your scenario or any of these points – I’m always available.