What is agile management and how can it be implemented?

Although agile management has been in the news for several years, it is today becoming more and more necessary in the face of change, as the health crisis has proven. What is agile management and how can you apply it in your company? Here, we tell you all you need to know.  

What is agile management?

Agile management emerged at the end of the 90's in American IT companies, and has now become popular in all fields of activity. It is a way of managing organisations that advocates values such as responsiveness, rapid decision-making, flexibility, adaptability, collective intelligence of teams, as well as collaborative work and interaction. This management approach aims to optimise project management and reinforce a company's ability to react quickly, particularly in the face of change. Agile management includes a number of agile project management methods, including Scrum, Kanban, XP (Extreme Programming), Lean Software Development, Feature Driven Development (FDD), Rapid Application Development (RAD), Business Process Management (BPM) and the Lean method. Scrum is the best known and most widely applied agile method (by 58% of companies worldwide*). Like many agile methods, this framework is built on an iterative approach of short cycles, called Sprint. These agile methodologies aim to facilitate team collaboration, interactivity and the self-organisation of employees. They are opposed to more time-consuming, traditional project management models.

The Agile Manifesto: principles and values

In 2001, when agile management began emerging, several American developers and specialists converged to draft the Agile Manifesto. This document brings together four major values and 12 principles that define the main criteria for the agile management of IT projects. Although these concepts were specifically written for the IT and new technologies (NTIC) domain, they can, however, be applied to a large number of sectors.

The four values of agile management

According to the Agile Manifesto, we should value:

• People and their interactions before processes and tools.
• Operational software rather than exhaustive documentation.
• Collaboration with customers before negotiating contracts.
• Adapting to change rather than following a plan.

The 12 principles of agile management

1. Prioritise customer satisfaction by delivering value-added features rapidly.
2. Welcome changes in customer needs and demands in a positive way, whatever the moment.
3. Deliver frequently, with short cycles of a few weeks.
4. Agile teams work hand-in-hand with users throughout the project.
5. Motivate, trust and support teams in managing the project in an agile organisation.
6. Prioritise face-to-face dialogue for communication.
7. Working software is the primary measure of progress.
8. Maintain a sustainable pace; together, sponsors, developers and users must be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely.
9. Reinforce agility through a continued focus on technical excellence and good design.
10. Minimise the amount of unnecessary work; simplicity is essential.
11. Self-organising teams generate the best results.
12. Agile teams regularly reflect on how to become more efficient, and adjust work accordingly.

 

How can you introduce agile management in your company?

To implement agile management in your company, it is imperative to:

• Understand the stakes and the functioning of an agile company.
• Question the culture of the company and its management and work methods, in order to strengthen its agility.
• Involve all teams and departments in the transformation and ensure that everyone is on board with the common vision.
• Adopt close, transparent and transversal communication with employees, and break with possible silos through meetings, informal gatherings, and innovative internal communication tools.
• Train teams in agile methods and tools (internal training, coaching with an external provider, etc.).
• Define and implement agile tools and methods and integrate them into daily life.
• Outline clear objectives and performance indicators for each project.
• Regularly evaluate the effectiveness of agile practices and adjust them if necessary.
• Integrate agility in a continuous improvement process, and take the time to gradually implement the new philosophy in the company's culture.
• Anticipate and accept change, future risks and challenges (new competitors, crises, internal upheavals, drops in activity, departure of a key employee or manager, etc.), so as to be able to bounce back quickly when they arise. This requires constant surveillance of the evolution of supply, demand, trends and tools.
• Trust, encourage and empower teams by closely accompanying them on a daily basis and training them in self-management.
• Prioritise the end customer's satisfaction.
• Favour delegation and call on collective intelligence.
• Set up short and efficient iterative development cycles.
• Learn to spot the signs of change and seize the opportunities that arise to strengthen the company's competitiveness.

The implementation of agile management takes time and requires very specific managerial qualities and skills. If a company has long been anchored in obsolete values and habits, the challenge will be even greater. Indeed, the main obstacles to adopting agile practices are a resistance to change, weak leadership, or a corporate culture that is at odds with agile values. To facilitate the transformation, it can be worthwhile calling upon an interim manager, specialised in agile management. At WAYDEN, an interim manager with 15 to 20 years of experience in agile management, will assist you on a daily basis to deploy or reinforce agility in your company.

What are the skills needed to become an agile manager?

Several managerial skills are necessary for becoming an agile manager. A good agile manager must show leadership to unite teams, demonstrate pragmatism and display confidence to make quick decisions. They must also exhibit obvious human qualities such as dynamism, charisma and benevolence to gain the trust of teams and inspire them. Humility is essential for accepting criticism, questioning old inefficient practices and delegating on a daily basis. Interpersonal skills such as active listening and a strong sense of pedagogy to provide constructive and benevolent feedback are also crucial to be agile. A sense of creativity and innovation are major assets, too.  

Why should you adopt agile management?

Agile management offers a large number of advantages for a company compared to traditional management methods. The two main benefits of implementing agile management are a better ability to manage change (70%) and greater visibility on project execution (65%)*. Companies that implement an agile model also see an increase in productivity and operational efficiency, an acceleration of processes and product delivery (and thus greater customer satisfaction), as well as improved team morale. In short, agile management is a perfect fit with a growth strategy that seeks to improve performance and strengthen a company’s competitiveness.   * Source : 14e rapport « State Of Agile » sur l’application de l’agilité en entreprise, published in 2020.