What does it mean to work agilely?

Smidig er et buzzord som har vært i omløp lenge nå. Det er trendy å jobbe smidig, og det nevnes jevnt og trutt i alle møter: "Vi må jobbe smidig". Men hva betyr det egentlig?

"Agile" is a buzzword that has been circulating for quite some time now. It's trendy to work agilely, and it is frequently mentioned in all meetings: "We need to work agilely." But what does it really mean?

If you take a look in Cambridge Dictionary, you will find many examples of what agile means.

When it comes to what an agile business is, it states the following: able to deal with new situations or changes quickly and successfully. Most agile corporations have flexible management systems that can quickly accommodate global change and exploit opportunities.

Agile organizations have significant advantages in today's constantly changing society.

Enterprise agility

This type of "agile" is about transforming the entire organization to work agilely. Often, in such contexts, terms like enterprise agility or business agility are mentioned. The difference between the two is that enterprise agility has a more holistic approach to changing the ENTIRE organization. It involves a structural and cultural change that encompasses all departments. Business agility focuses primarily on improving the teams that work with products and the business itself. If one wants to ensure that the organization truly works agilely, it is beneficial to send people for certification, such as SAFE.

What Characterizes an Agile Organization?

In a 2018 report by McKinsey, they outline what an agile organization looks like. A crucial guide and framework for such organizations is having a "North Star" that sets the direction, both in terms of what the organization is and what it does. The North Star is especially important in high-level strategic discussions and in daily tactical decisions on the front line, where responses are needed for customers and similar situations.

Here are some of the key points mentioned:

• They have a "North Star" embedded throughout the organization.

• They operate through a network of small, competent teams.

• They use fast decision-making and learning cycles.

• They have a dynamic staffing model that ignites passion.

• They use next-generation enabling technologies.

What about scrum - isn't that agile?

Most people who have worked on project teams are familiar with Scrum as a methodology. Scrum is an iterative method often used for product development, which breaks down a project into smaller segments. These segments are executed by small, cross-functional teams within a defined time period. The method focuses on a rhythm of deliveries and relies on cross-functional teams. Additionally, it has specific supporting roles and depends on following the process to complete the project's delivery.

While Scrum is often called "agile," it is still very different from working agile with the SAFE methodology. The latter, as previously mentioned, is used to organize the entire organization. Scrum is more an agile way to manage software development.

Position your company for the future

To sum it all up; consider where your company stands in the landscape of "agility". Are there many misunderstandings regarding this field? If you are not working agilely, how can you start? There is no doubt that organizations that work agilely are better positioned for the future than other companies.

If you would like to have an informal conversation, feel free to reach out.