Is it really possible to scale agility?

Is it possible to scale agility without losing its essence?

In the realm of digital transformation and business agility, a debate arises about the feasibility of scaling agility without losing its essence. Some advocate for the implementation of agile values and principles throughout the organization as a path to maturity, while others argue that it can only be achieved in small teams. In this article, we will analyze this fascinating dilemma and examine different perspectives on this challenge.

The spirit of the Agile Manifesto

To better understand this discussion, it is crucial to remember the original purpose of the Agile Manifesto. This key document advocates for a people-centered approach, collaboration, adaptability, and continuous value delivery.However, when reinterpreting the spirit of the Agile Manifesto, we must avoid contradictions that arise when trying to implement it rigidly and dogmatically. For this, we recall the following value from the Agile Manifesto:

"Individuals and interactions over processes and tools." - Agile Manifesto

Agility as a mindset

Instead of considering agility as a final destination, we must understand it as a mindset, a way of thinking and working that promotes adaptability and resilience. By establishing a maturity reference supported by agile coaches, organizations can set conventional parameters that challenge and measure behaviors.From the philosophy and beliefs of agilists, the relevance of applying agile principles to real contexts is emphasized, having a framework of non-negotiable values when applying those principles.

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Naturally, this must align with the beliefs of each organization seeking to implement agility.It is important to note that the goal is not to replicate the success of renowned digital companies but to adopt behaviors that enable the organization to adapt and thrive in a changing environment.

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Although agility remains top of mind in many companies, according to the State of Agile Report 2022, 89% of the responses indicate that high-performing agile teams have people-centered values, a clear culture, tools, and empowered leadership.

This means that the success of agility in its "successful" scenario benefits not only those who practice it but also the entire organization.

The fallacy of total agility

Some approaches promote scaling agility throughout the entire company, aiming to achieve "Business Agility" where lean-agile principles are present in all areas. However, this expectation can create illusions that agility is a step-by-step project toward a fully agile company.

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Therefore, is it relevant to measure agile maturity? Is the ultimate stage of maturity achievable?It is essential to recognize that neither Meta nor other digital companies can claim to be 100% agile. Consequently, striving to be the absolute leader in agility can result in a guarantee of nothing.

Agile frameworks at scale as an operating system

When talking about agility, we may still hear it being referred to as a particular methodology. Agilists often have to clarify that this is incorrect, and in fact, there are abundant methodologies, disciplines, and tools that allow practicing agility in an organization. The compilation of these is referred to as an agile framework.The authors of these frameworks focus on connecting a living ecosystem of agility so that it can be adopted, and sometimes adapted, by companies as a transformational enabler.

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Therefore, they draw upon a wealth of historical knowledge available in books, articles, academic studies, use cases, and other sources to develop a conceptual framework that seeks to have an applied approach.

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This is the specific case with Scrum, which is also mistakenly referred to as a method or methodology. Scrum is a framework that helps teams and organizations generate value through adaptive solutions for complex problems. These teams are also known as agile cells, squads, pods, crews, among others.

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So why do we talk about scaling an agile framework? The vision is even more ambitious. It is about extending the benefits of team-level frameworks (like Scrum), incorporating more lean and agile approaches, to encompass the entire company. The whole organization.There are different scaled frameworks, such as:

• Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe)
• Large Scale Scrum (LeSS)
• Scrum@Scale (SaS)
• Disciplined Agile (DA)
• Nexus Framework
• Enterprise Kanban

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Also, mentioning the "do it yourself, according to your context" model unFix, which aims to design organizations and organizational structures using a library of patterns to achieve adaptability and flexibility.

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According to César Machado, scaling agility depends on the factors and context of each organization. There is no single formula that works for everyone. Instead of focusing on using an agile framework, it is essential to constantly facilitate and design the way of working to meet the organization's goals.

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In the same vein, Olina Glindevi emphasizes the importance of defining each company's own success when addressing the scaling of agility. This definition may not necessarily be comparable between two or more companies.

Bi-modality enables change, right?

Ignacio Sanz Espinosa proposes the need to articulate bi-modality that allows organizational change and acknowledges that a 100% agile approach may not be viable. This is also reaffirmed by the latest State of Agile Report, where 80% of respondents answered that they operate by combining agility with the waterfall approach (sometimes criticized as "wagile").

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And from the same report, a counter-view is that when asked if the focus of adopting agility in companies is on improving processes, efficiencies, or a holistic view of digital transformation for the entire company, 61% of the responses were for both focuses. Only 26% opted for a holistic approach, and 13% for improvement.

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This is the reason for the relative success of scaled frameworks; they seek a convergence of lean-agile operational modality that, when combined from the mindset and ways of operating, proposes a new way of working that can be perceived as bi-modal, with the objective of enabling change.

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Elliot Wolf contrasts the idea of the dual company in agility, one in which a hierarchical model and another cellular model coexist, both inclined towards agility to drive the desired transformation.But what nobody says is that, according to John Kotter himself, this only succeeds in 0.001% of cases. Especially in once-famous "hybrid projects," where even today, the role of "Agile Project Manager" can be observed.

So, what are the references we should keep in mind to grow healthily in agility in a more traditional organization?

Adaptability and resilience as goals

49% of companies with agile practices manage to incorporate agility throughout the value delivery lifecycle. In other words, adoption is a challenge in itself. So, what is it that is truly sought after?Instead of obsessing over the scale of agility itself, organizations should focus on developing their ability to adapt and be resilient. This involves adopting an agile mindset at all levels, promoting experimentation, continuous learning, and fostering autonomy and collaboration among teams.

Agility is a means to achieve these objectives, not an end in itself.

Adaptability (infinite) itself seeks that the array of methodologies and continuous learning are adopted and practiced with discipline to ensure they bring health to the organization, for its growth and cultural enrichment.This knowledge is rather dynamic, and the exercise requires simplicity, preparing the organization not only for moments of embracing opportunities but also for being resilient in times of crisis.

The accountability: the greatest challenge when scaling agility

Scaling agility implies driving from vision, strategy, and portfolios with lean and agile principles. This is when Value Stream Management comes into play, synchronizing different teams or even the entire organization, and it always sounds attractive from a business management perspective, as it allows increasing predictability and governance of the company.

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In the journey towards achieving goals in this approach, it is not enough to sow unwavering conviction of being an agilist or using trendy practices and tools to try to reach agility beyond one or two teams. Elliot Wolf emphasizes that it is necessary to build an agile work architecture towards "accountability."

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When talking about this agile work architecture, it means having different constituents who are "accountable" to the organization and, above all, to understand whether different agile practices effectively generate value for the business and end customers.

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Marcio Sete argues that this perspective is based on governance transparency, which implies having operational visibility and value streams that allow self-validation and availability of decision criteria, objectives, and metrics.This allows gaining the necessary accountability to generate transformations in the way of operating, integrating lean-agile principles.

On the evolutionary challenge

Melissa Beckmann presents the evolutionary challenge of scaling agility, recognizing the complexities of human issues and the need to address aspects such as emotions, relationships, and satisfaction in adaptation processes.This leads us to question whether agility, with its accelerated pace, may be leaving out relevant aspects in organizational evolution.

When adopting the mindset and said principles, how disruptive can it be?

Respecting and changing culture at the same time is prioritizing people. - Melissa Beckmann

It also involves being consistent with the agile mindset. It also involves taking responsibility for human debt.

Final thoughts

The dilemma of scaling agility without losing its essence poses interesting questions in the realm of digital transformation and business agility.

By reinterpreting the spirit of the Agile Manifesto and adopting an agile mindset, organizations can develop their capacity for adaptation and resilience.Scaling agility does not imply seeking total agility, but rather focusing on achieving goals of adaptability and resilience.

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Each company must define its own path to scaling agility, considering its context and particular characteristics. By doing so, they can face challenges and seize opportunities on their path to business excellence in the digital era.Never forget that at the center of transformation are people, and in the process of change, we must be consistent with the message.

💡Contributors:

• Olina Glindevi - Agile Coach & Director of The Visual Agile Coach
• Ignacio Sanz Espinosa - Operation Manager at Evolve Up
• Melissa Beckmann - Consultant & Coach at Evolve Up
• César Machado - Trainer Scrum & Scrum@Scale
• Marcio Sete - CPO & CEO Flomatika
• Elliot Wolf Caddeo - CEO & Co-Founder SKALLING / SAFe SPC
• Rod Bermudez - Co-Founder SKALLING

✨Design by:

• Harold Chacón - DesignOps Lead SKALLING

Collaborative Sources

• SKALLING LinkedIn
• Evolve-Up