How to Make Agile Easier for Your Team

Agile is a project management approach that is meant to simplify things for a team. This meaning that things get launched faster and easier. However, just because the core purpose of Agile is to make things run smoother, doesn’t mean that it lacks a learning curve.

Agile isn’t just a planning process; it’s a philosophy. Here’s how you can make Agile adaptation easier for your team.

1. Education is Key

The Agile process isn’t something you can start by handing everyone a guidebook and diving into your next project. You need to set aside time to properly train your team about how it differs from other approaches you’ve taken in the past, what your goals are, the jargon, and so on. Enrolling your team in Agile training courses can provide structured learning and hands-on experience, ensuring a smoother transition to Agile methodologies.

Changes are often an important trial for the team dynamic. With proper education and open lines of communication, your team can overcome these changes and become stronger because of them.

2. Use Visual Collaborative Tools

Regardless of what process you take for project management, being able to visualize what’s happening can make things easier for all involved. To create a visual project plan, use a kanban tool for an immersive project plan that shows due dates, who a task is assigned to, where bottlenecks are forming, and ultimately gives in-depth insights without hours of extra work.

For teams that are in one central location or like to have in-person brainstorming sessions, sticky notes on a wall are a great way to outline everything that will happen before translating it into an online tool.

3. Slow Implementation

Don’t make the mistake of completely switching to Agile for your ongoing projects. It’s better to finish your projects as they started (perhaps taking on a few Agile philosophies to finish up) and start fresh with a new project. Furthermore, rather than having all projects in the future using the Agile process, you may choose to start with a few, tweak your approach, and then make it a company standard.

Another way to implement the Agile approach slowly is to pick and choose which aspects of the process you’ll start with. For example, you may start by implementing the Agile development cycle for a few projects before drilling down and assigning Scrum Masters and Stakeholders.

4. Restructure as Needed

The idea of restructuring sounds scary, but it could help your organization adapt to Agile with ease. Don’t think of restructuring as a way to get rid of underperformers and eliminate jobs. This process will put people in clearly defined roles that play to their strengths and tie into the Agile process.

Like the rest of the Agile implementation process, this will require open lines of communication with your team. Before introducing a restructuring plan, hype up your team and get them excited for what’s to come. Show how these changes will create growth opportunities rather than focusing on fear of the unknown.

5. Adapt Agile to Your Organization

Don’t make the mistake of thinking that there’s only one way to approach and implement Agile. A lot of businesses rightfully take the time to learn how similar companies are approaching the implementation process. Conversely, they make the mistake of trying to follow the exact steps of organizations in their own Agile implementation.

While an organization should be open to change for effective Agile implementation, the process and principles should be made to fit the business. Agile is meant to be a versatile way to streamline projects; forcing a square peg through a round hole will only cause disruption and discontent.

6. Set Performance Metrics and Manage Expectations

Having set goals and performance metrics for all members of your team will not only give them something to focus on and strive toward, but it will also help manage expectations across the board. For example, suppose you know that your colleague is expected to deliver x by a specific date rather than continuously asking for updates and creating tension. In that case, you have a timeline on which you can base your own workload.

Having performance metrics also helps create leadership buy-in, drastically increasing the chances that Agile implementation will be successful. In many organizations, leadership struggles to understand some of the minutiae that make a business run successfully on the ground level. Performance metrics and tangible measurements will give leadership a better understanding of what is and is not working, even if the finer points are beyond their hands-on knowledge.

7. Offer Continuous Support

Whether you implement Agile slowly or all at once, the learning process is never complete. Rather than having support available during the implementation process and the immediate weeks following, plan on having continuous support and resources available for the team. Not only will the team feel better knowing that if they have a question a year down the road, someone will have an answer, but they’ll also develop an appreciation for continuous learning.

One of the best ways to offer continuous support is to work with an expert for an extended period to help implement an Agile mentorship program. Ideally, within two years of launching Agile, external assistance will no longer be a normal requirement; the implementation team should become thought leaders within the organization and offer assistance to their peers. This creates self-sustaining growth.

8. Practice Change Management Strategies

As with any significant organizational change, it’s essential to have a change management strategy in place when adopting Agile. Consider working not only with an Agile expert but also with an HR consultant who has extensive knowledge in organizational restructuring and change management. These experts can use their sociological and business knowledge to implement a significant change while minimizing disruption.

Change is challenging for everyone. If you’ve determined that Agile is right for your organization, then you know it will have a lot of positive long-term impacts. You eliminate the variables by educating your team and giving them clearly defined roles and guidelines. Use the right tools to keep everyone on the same page and take your Agile implementation one step at a time.