A Holistic Approach to Agile Leadership

When you discuss the subject of Agile Leadership, opinions and theories in the software development world begin to churn.

There are myriad topics to cover and problems to solve, but few are more encompassing than Agile Leadership and its role in Agile’s overall success.

In the past, I likened Agile to playing in a large symphony orchestra. Without the coordination and focus of every instrument, the music won’t have its intended impact. In that way, Agile is like a very complex piece of music. If you focus on just one or two aspects of the overall concept, Agility won’t work. You may have all the right Agile and Scrum pieces in place, but the right framework and direction needs to also be present to manage them. Just as, for example, any great symphony orchestra is accompanied by an equally great conductor.

Over time, I’ve found that companies must simultaneously focus on direction, speed, quality, and sustainability/predictability. If they’re unable to do that, they risk going off the tracks, much as an orchestra might if its strings and woodwinds were unable to stick to the music.

Earlier this year, I attended a course titled “An Integral Framework for Leading Agile/Lean Capabilities.” It was hosted by the New England Agile Bazaar and led by speakers Bud Phillips and Michael Hamman, who focused the course on Agile development methods that go beyond product development.

Phillips and Hamman put together a holistic framework for approaching organizational Agile transformation. Their experience was bred at bigger companies, particularly the information technology department at Capital One. But I think there are relevant points that expansion stage software companies can absorb and implement.

The framework identifies four overarching areas of concern for any organizational transformation.

Companies that want to do Agile and Scrum right must consider the questions that Phillips and Hamman posed at the New England Agile Bazaar course. If you’re able to answer and address those questions, your Agile finished product will be much more sound and it will undoubtedly trickle down to each of Agile’s complex ingredients.

Leadership

Companies must first understand the variety of leaders it possesses. How do they lead and manage their teams? What are their strengths and weaknesses? How do the managers interact and interplay with each other?

Marketplace

If Agile and Scrum are going to be useful, you need to truly understand your target market. What is going on in your market? Where do you fit in to the value chain? Can you do anything about it? As you determine the answers to those questions you’ll be much more efficient in how you deploy Agile and Scrum.

Culture

All too often, a company can have the perfect leaders in place and a clear understanding of its marketplace, but its culture gets in the way of progress. What are the cultural elements within your company that can impede or propel transformation?

Structure

Breaking down Agile holistically means grasping the structural makeup of your company, too. What’s the organization’s hierarchy? What are the government regulations or processes that may affect your business? What other structural aspects are relevant to your company?

At the Agile 2010 Conference in Orlando, Florida, in August, SalesForce.com’s Steve Greene and Nicola Dourambeis put together a great Power Point presentation on the holistic approach they used to scale Agile at their company. I think it summarizes some of the problems every company faces.

Agile organizational development and leadership is a complex problem. But I think Phillips and Hamman’s (and SalesForce.com’s) holistic framework hits the nail on the head. Like my symphony example above, every Agile process must work in harmony and it often takes strong leadership to make that happen.