These days, it can seem that adopting agile development is more a fashion statement than a thoughtfully planned undertaking. Consultants sell agile as a solution to all the problems of a company. At LODE, we begin at a fundamental level. Our mission is to create a place where the individual or the team—not a complex organizational chart—is the central element of your business.
Agile coaching spans organizing your project, your team, and your work processes, and having tools at hand to simplify planning and execution. Central to the process is gathering information about the market. Your focus is on (1) getting feedback from your customer to ascertain whether the product works according to his or her needs and (2) conducting regular testing to prevent any technical glitches.
At the core of agile are courage, the ability to reflect, and trust:
- Courage to show your work before it is fully finished;
- Self-reflection and a willingness to admit when you are wrong; and
- Trusting your co-workers, which reduces administrative overhead.
The task of an agile coach is to help you along the way by teaching you principles of agility. A coach will help you to look at your work's entire value chain. To the extent that your activities connect to customer value, your process of working will be optimized. If you are working on your own, our coaching would be focused on the project and your personal work style. If you are working in a team or your goal is to improve your organization, our focus would be on process visualization, promoting agile values, and reshaping the hierarchical structure that slows down so many organizations. (Visit our other services if you are interested primarily in organizing meetings, brainstorming your product idea, or modeling your processes.)
Topics in agile coaching include:
- Agile values
- Project management methods
- Conflict resolution skills
- Team building
- Building trust
- Moderation techniques
- Processes
- Tools for tracking your work
- Stakeholder management
- Product planning
- Lean management
