Abstract:Agile transformations are difficult. People must learn a lot of new things. They need to conform to new frameworks, new processes, new ceremonies, new artifacts and new approaches to their work. And while most of these make up the mechanics of Agile, implementing them may not make that big a difference in how a team delivers. To make a real difference, and to get to true Agility, we need to transform team members away from legacy cultural thinking to new Agile mindsets. We classified the most prevalent legacy mindsets to come up with a plan to change them. We made the decision to make the annual performance goals the new ‘Agile Mindset’ goals. We also came up with related goals for the people leaders such that we could reinforce the new mindsets from both bottom-up and top-down. Each of these goals tied directly into the corporate strategic themes, and is tied to merit increases. We believe by institutionalizing these behaviors in the annual goals, we aim to minimize the potential of introducing conflicting priorities between our new direction and legacy momentum of the past.
Lessons Learned from Your Experience:- Cultural issues and legacy behaviors can be more ingrained, pervasive and detrimental to Agile transformations than imagined. Organizations transforming to Agile need to be prepared to consistently and effectively deal with transforming from legacy to Agile mindsets and behaviors. Using annual performance goals to reinforce Agile mindsets and behaviors can be a valuable tool to prevent backsliding.
