Flexible Change Processes, How To Adopt Agile With An Agile Approach | Robert Finan

Summary

Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast: Agile Storytelling from the Trenches

Episode: Flexible Change Processes, How To Adopt Agile With An Agile Approach | Robert Finan
Host: Vasco Duarte
Release Date: January 1, 2025

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Introduction

In this episode of the Scrum Master Toolbox Podcast, host Vasco Duarte engages in a deep discussion with Robert Finan, an experienced Agile practitioner, about the nuances of adopting Agile methodologies through flexible change processes. The conversation delves into pragmatic approaches to Agile transformations, highlighting common pitfalls and effective strategies to navigate organizational and team-level changes.

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Understanding Agile Transformations

Robert Finan begins by sharing his extensive experience with mandated Agile transformations, where organizations implement frameworks like SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework) or Kanban. He distinguishes between two primary levels of change:

1. Organizational Level: Broad implementations aiming to overhaul processes across the entire company.
2. Team Level: Specific changes within individual Scrum or Agile teams to enhance functionality and collaboration.

“I've been involved in a lot of mandated Agile transformations... On the organization level, something that I find that I'm going to say it's a common mistake, but the change is treated like it's just a complicated undertaking and there's a roadmap for change.”
— Robert Finan [03:32]

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Common Mistakes in Agile Implementations

A significant common mistake Robert identifies is treating Agile transformation as a rigid, one-size-fits-all roadmap. This inflexibility often leads to resistance and failure because it doesn't account for the unique challenges and variations within different teams and departments.

Vasco Duarte echoes this sentiment by sharing his personal experience where testers resisted Agile adoption because it threatened their established workflows and professional autonomy.

“So, when we are in a change, we are both with a foot in the old world and in the new world and everyone is, we are, they are, everyone is right... it's not an easy thing to go through.”
— Vasco Duarte [08:33]

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Embracing Flexibility in Change Plans

To counteract rigid transformation plans, Robert emphasizes the importance of flexibility:

1. Inspect and Adapt Points: Incorporate regular check-ins to evaluate progress and make necessary adjustments.
2. Incremental Implementation: Start with smaller, manageable subsets of change (e.g., lighthouse projects) to test and learn before broader application.
3. Background Advocacy: Introduce new ideas subtly and build support one-on-one rather than confronting resistance in large meetings.

“How flexible is this plan? Are we willing to change this plan?... Are the change that you're bringing into the company. Where is it we're going to stop, take a look, review where we are and change.”
— Robert Finan [03:32]

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Strategic Tools and Models

Robert introduces the SCARF model by David Rock as a valuable tool for evaluating the impact of change from five dimensions: Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness, and Fairness. This model helps in understanding and mitigating the emotional responses of team members during transformations.

Additionally, Robert references the book "More Fearless Change", which offers patterns for introducing and managing change effectively within organizations.

“I really like the SCARF model from David Rock, where you kind of evaluate what a change means from these five dimensions... status, certainty, autonomy, relatedness and fairness.”
— Robert Finan [08:33]

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Managing Resistance and Fostering Collaboration

A recurring theme in the conversation is the challenge of managing resistance, particularly from key individuals who may feel threatened by Agile transformations. Examples include:

• Superhero Programmers: Developers who resist collaboration and knowledge sharing to maintain their sole expertise within a team.

Robert suggests that addressing these issues requires:

1. Open Communication: Engaging with resistant individuals to understand their concerns and motivations.
2. Cultural Shifts: Promoting a culture of T-shaped skills where team members have both deep expertise and collaborative abilities.
3. Empathy and Support: Providing comfort and assurance during transitions to ease anxiety and build trust.

“You have to take the threat out of it in some way... that's one of the biggest challenges. It's always on a people level.”
— Robert Finan [10:39]

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Practical Strategies for Agile Change

Both Vasco and Robert agree on several practical strategies to facilitate smooth Agile transformations:

• Pilot Projects: Implementing changes on a smaller scale to gather insights and adjust strategies accordingly.
• Continuous Feedback: Leveraging regular feedback loops to monitor progress and make iterative improvements.
• Inclusive Leadership: Ensuring that leadership is involved and supportive throughout the transformation process to guide and motivate teams.

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Key Takeaways

1. Flexibility is Crucial: Agile transformations should remain adaptable to accommodate unforeseen challenges and diverse team dynamics.
2. People-Centric Approach: Addressing the human aspect of change through empathy, communication, and support is essential for successful adoption.
3. Incremental Implementation: Starting with small-scale projects allows teams to learn and adjust without overwhelming the entire organization.
4. Utilize Proven Models: Tools like the SCARF model and insights from "More Fearless Change" provide structured approaches to managing change effectively.

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Notable Quotes

• Robert Finan [03:32]:
  “I've been involved in a lot of mandated Agile transformations... how are we going to handle this?”

• Robert Finan [08:33]:
  “I really like the SCARF model from David Rock, where you kind of evaluate what a change means from these five dimensions...”

• Vasco Duarte [08:33]:
  “So when we are in a change, we are both with a foot in the old world and in the new world and everyone is, we are, they are, everyone is right...”

• Robert Finan [10:39]:
  “You have to take the threat out of it in some way... it's always on a people level.”

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Conclusion

This episode offers valuable insights into the complexities of Agile transformations, emphasizing the need for flexible change processes and a people-centric approach. By understanding common pitfalls and leveraging strategic tools, Scrum Masters and Agile Coaches can facilitate smoother transitions and foster environments where Agile methodologies thrive.

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Listen to the full episode here to gain deeper insights and actionable strategies for your Agile journey.

Transcript

[Vasco Duarte]

Hey, how are you doing? I'm Vasco Duarte, your host on the Scrum Master Toolbox podcast. And I've got some exciting news. So right now, as I record this, I'm holding in my hand the signed contract for our very first Global Agile Summit. We're all in and I couldn't wait to share this news with you. So mark your calendars. May 18th, 20th of 2025 in Tallinn, Estonia. We're gonna have a transformative experience. We're putting together an event that is all about real life Agile. It's not theory or buzzwords. It's practitioners sharing what's working, what's making an impact, and how they've overcome challenges that you too will have to face, or maybe even facing. Right now we're bringing together the best stories in Agile. From product leaders to engineering wizards to business, these will be stories that will inspire you to action. This isn't just another conference. It's a chance to connect with the people that are shaping the future of Agile. And here's the best part. Right now we're in our super early bird phase and that means you can grab tickets at just 25% of the final price. Look, that's not just half off, it's half off of the half off. It's an incredible deal for our dedicated community members, just like you listening to this right now. So at the summit, day one will be all about hands on workshops. And days two and three, we'll dive into leadership, product strategy, coding, testing, and everything that makes Agile thrive in organizations. Right now remember, these are all first person real life stories. Now whether you're a leader, a developer, or part of a consulting company, this event is built to take your Agile game to the next level. So don't wait. Go to globalagilesummit.com and grab your ticket. Today, let's all make 2025 the year agile truly transforms your teams, your business and our industry. I'll see you all in Tallinn. And Remember, go to globalagilesummit.com and get your super early bird ticket right now. It only be available until the agenda is announced, so don't wait. Grab it right now, right now that that's out of the way. On to the episode. Hello everybody. Welcome to our Wednesday the Leading Change episode, also known as Change Leadership episode. I like to call it Change Leadership. And this week we have with us Robert Finan. Hey, Robert. So when I think about change, I really want to understand the context and I want to understand what were the difficult things, but also kind of the tools, the tips, the tricks and techniques you used. Because we have a lot to learn from very pragmatic approaches to change. So share with us a story of a change process that you were working with and walk us through those different steps, like the steps of that change, and then we'll dive into the details and explore that further. But tell us that story first. Robert.

[Robert Finan]

I've been involved in a lot of mandated Agile transformations. Probably the best way of putting it, where the change has been, you know, we're basically going to going to roll Safe out, or we're rolling Kanban out, or we're doing something like that. So I've seen change basically on two levels. On the organization level where they're trying to bring it out, and then there's within the team itself, or on the level of the scrum team itself, where we are, where we're trying to basically get this thing to take off and to do something new. And so on the organization level in particular, something that I find that I'm going to say it's a common mistake, but the change is treated like it's just a complicated undertaking and there's a roadmap for change. And if you've had a good experience, you know, this is a complex undertaking that is going. There's going to be bumps on the road, there's going to be diversions, there's going to be things that happen. How are we going to handle this? And so one of the first things if I get, if I ask to be involved in a change process, is to ask about the flexibility of the plan. How flexible is this plan? Are we willing to change this plan? Is it okay that things may not happen according to this, where are your inspect and adapt points in this roadmap of the agile transformation that you're making? Are the change that you're bringing into the company? Where is it we're going to stop, take a look, review where we are and change. And so this invariably also is something that I'm a fan of. I'm sure you're familiar with the book More Fearless Change, where there's a bunch of patterns about how to kind of subtly bring up issues and to address things and to bring in new ideas. And it's something. I was talking about this recently, of course, yesterday. It's a good idea to talk people one on one if you want to bring in a concept or an idea that's not part of the official plan at the moment. Because if you bring this in the middle of a meeting, a lot of People are going to feel we're back to feeling threatened by this and sort of say, hey, no, this wasn't part of the plan, and you're probably going to get pushback. If you work people in the background first, bring in your idea. Whether this might be, hey, we need some inspect and adapt points. How about we make sure this is a flexible kind of a change? Then there's more likelihood to be acceptance or openness to the idea that you're bringing in at the time. The other thing about change that we've often tried, I wish they would do this more often. They don't is, can we take a subset? Can we take a smaller part? Can we take a, you know, to call it the Lighthouse project and stuff like that. But is there somewhere we can try this out and learn? I mean, this is agile thinking, right? I mean, is there somewhere we can take this kind of change we want to make, we can learn about it so that we can do it better for everybody else? So often I've seen transformations where it's one size fits all and we roll it out in one big go, which invariably backfires. Okay. Because it's not taking account of the fact that one size fit all, fits all does not generally work. So I think there's a lot of that. You know, if I'm brought in early enough, it's great to kind of like plant some ideas about how we could do this slightly differently. Sometimes you need to wait for them to see it's not working, for them to kind of come back to the idea and say, oh, you mentioned something about maybe we should bring this in. Maybe we could try this, maybe we could do that. So working in the background very often with ideas, if you see how the change is working, rather than trying to confront people in meetings when they might, you know, they might resent this or feel threatened by it. I quite like, when it comes to change, I really like the SCARF model from David Rock, where you kind of evaluate what a change means from these five dimensions in the scarf. And now I'm on the spot to kind of say it's status, certainty, autonomy, relatedness and fairness that you kind of view it from this point of view and see, okay, when we bring this change in, how is this going to affect certain people on certain levels? And then it's not surprising that very often managers feel threatened by something and resist it. Okay, so I actually do this. I've done this talk a few times. My alter ego is Connor McConnor, a management guru. And basically what he said all these anti patterns that we get upset about as agilists when we look at an organization, look at all these anti patterns that are there from a management point of view, these are super patterns. These patterns save their job. I mean agile in the old days when I started off, God, we hated managers. They were the enemy, we didn't need them, we were self organizing. Now we're self managing. Who needs managers? Of course they felt threatened. So you know, if you're bringing something in, there's more dimensions to look at the change when it's coming in and ask yourself how are people going to be affected by this? How do they see this from their point of view? So that's why I kind of did rather than the boring talk about anti patterns I wrote about from a manager's point of view, how it's a great pattern to give a scrum master three teams and asking for a bunch of JIRA reports at the end of every split and just keep it busy. So there is no time to actually do any scrum mastering.

[Vasco Duarte]

So there is a lot of topic there. No, no, I don't think we did at all. Because actually the relationship of Agile transformation and the, the organizational structure and how managers are in that organizational structure is actually a key point. And you raised the point with which I agree that some things that from an agile adoption perspective might be considered anti patterns might be for the managers of those organizations, you call them super patterns. So patterns that are to be kept, that are to be respected and one of the really difficult changes is to handle that personal involvement that every one of us has. Right? Because on the other hand, I remember when the first Agile transformation I went through, the biggest resistance came from testers because testers were happy to be in a separate team because they could explore the product on their own, they could plan their own work, they would not be interfered to, interfered with by the team, the developers, only at the time. And it was a really big change to actually bring the testers into the team. Not because there was nothing wrong or anything wrong with bringing the testers into the team, but it because it threatened something that they had developed and held dear to their profession from the previous world. And this is the key thing because when we are in a change, we are both with a foot in the old world and in the new world and everyone is, we are, they are, everyone is right. And that acceptance that there will be uncertainty, there will be fuzziness, there will be discomfort, it's not an easy thing to go through. So I think that anything that we as Scrum masters, agile coaches or just change agents. Plainly anything we can do to bring comfort to that transition is a plus in the end, even if it does set back the change for a little while.

[Robert Finan]

Yeah, and the other example very often is, for example, we decide we want to have a more resilient team or a bus team that can take an OC or two and then you've got your superhero programmer or as I like to call them sometimes they're God grumpy old developer and he's like, doesn't want to pair a program, he doesn't want to share his knowledge, his status is completely bound up and being the only person who can fix this and you're coming in and saying, oh no, we need to kind of, we need T shaped people and stuff like this and there's a lot of conversations to be. You can't just say, oh, he's all, you know, I want to ignore this or I just, you know, this isn't. You've got to talk to these people, you've got to work with them. You've got to make the change palatable. You've got to take the scare, you know, the threat out of it in some way. And that has to, that's one of, one of the biggest challenges. It's always on a people level.

[Vasco Duarte]

You have to take the threat out of it in some way. I think that's a beautiful summary of this conversation, Robert. Thank you very much for sharing that with us.

[Robert Finan]

Cheers. Vasco.

[Vasco Duarte]

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