Agile working is a concept primarily used in software development, but a way of working that is being adopted by an increasing number of businesses worldwide. There is tons of information out there about Agile working that uses complex jargon to try and explain the key benefits of introducing Agility into the workplace. In a nutshell, though, it encourages strong communication, collaboration, adaptability and ultimately growth.
Here is a simple rundown of the benefits of incorporating Agile transformation into your workplace.
What Is Agile Transformation?
Essentially, Agile transformations involve a company making the move from being a traditional, hierarchical and static organization to one that is far more flexible and fluid. Agile organizations have a network of teams that work collaboratively rather than under each other. Instead of those ‘at the top’ ultimately making decisions about the business, Agile working offloads this responsibility onto the relevant people and teams, leaving those who are experts in their field to make educated and innovative decisions without fear.
Agile transformation allows teams to be creative and therefore innovative by steering away from typical styles of management that are quickly becoming outdated and inefficient. Done right, Agile transformation should affect all areas of a company, not just one, such as the people, the internal processes, goals, technology and communication mediums and the overall structure. Companies that have money and time to invest in a transformation may want to make the move to Agile working all in one go with a large scale strategy, whereas others may choose to adopt an Agile transformation gradually to mitigate risk.
If your business is need of an Agile transformation but you’re unsure how or where to start, you can work Fractal Systems offer expert Agile consulting for organizations and consultancies of all sizes at all stages of growth. The team can provide you with a lean change management approach prioritize transformation goals and ensure high value is delivered at all stages.
Benefits Of Agile Working
Collaboration and morale Agile transformations encourage a step-up in communication within a company, where teams communicate regularly and ideally daily about current projects to ensure everyone is on the same page and other teams can step in to offer support where needed. Ultimately, Agile companies have complete transparency across departments and teams so each employee knows exactly what is being worked on at each time and the goals for that day, week, month, year and so on. By keeping in regular contact and having daily catch-ups, everyone is on track, feels valued and seen which helps to hugely boost morale and motivation.
Agile transformations also encourage time for teams to be creative and reflective rather than piling on large workloads and deadlines, so each employee has a chance to think and be innovative without the worry of falling behind a tight schedule.
Adaptability And Flexibility
Daily communication means that any potential risks to the end value of a product are identified at the early stages and mitigated before they have the chance to affect the quality of the delivery. It also means that the network of teams can adapt their priorities easily and collaboratively through discussion as and when needed without this affecting timeframe or business growth. By removing the need for those at the top to approve decisions, teams can act quickly and be depended on to make decisions efficiently and effectively.
End Delivery
The internal processes of a company can become more efficient over time as a result of improved communication and employee development, which in turn will have a huge benefit for the quality of the end result delivered. The regular communication, risk mitigation and collaboration means that the overall value of the end result will be greatly improved; any issues along the way are identified and diffused before they end up having an effect on the work delivered to the client.
Conclusion
As well as agile transformation meaning businesses can improve the quality of their end products, they can also complete projects far quicker too by letting teams get on with their workloads rather than being checked up on and micromanaged. Allowing staff to excel in their roles and take on the responsibilities that would have previously been left with those above them in the hierarchy means employee morale will be improved and there will be far fewer obstacles to delay a project along the way.
