We’ve seen significant changes in the past years, and companies have had to adapt quickly. With data becoming more available and easier to access, companies are using it to improve their customer experience as well as interactions with other businesses. Tools like Slack or Zoom have allowed employees to work from anywhere and still maintain high levels of productivity. Lastly, IT functions within a company are moving towards a product-based mindset instead of simply being a service provider.
Businesses are starting to become more agile, but there’s always room for improvement. In order to keep up with the changing world, companies need to evolve quickly and continuously. With global challenges like energy shortages and economic instability, business leaders want to know how they can launch new products faster, provide better services and prioritize their goals.
Making Your Business More Agile
For companies to continuously grow, leaders need to treat agility as more than an IT function. By transforming their entire organization into an agile one, businesses will be able to quickly adapt and respond to any future challenges.
Acting like a startup isn’t feasible for an established company, but business leaders can adopt agile principles and put them into practice throughout their organizations (for example, in departments such as marketing, supply chain, operations, etc.).
To build a more agile organization, follow these five steps.
1. Determine the meaning of “being agile”
Keep in mind that there is no one right way to implement the agile methodology. You will need to tailor your approach based on the specific needs of your business, and this begins with taking the time to define what “being agile” means for your company. This definition should take into account things like organizational structure and culture. Doing so will help you create a blueprint for success that is unique to your organization.
2. Measure your organization’s level of agility.
If you want to know how “agile” your company is, start by evaluating how well it already uses agile principles and techniques. You can look for agile methods in use among technology and product teams, as well as any suppliers or partners who might be working in an agile way. These successful smaller examples can give you a foundation to build on.
3. Develop a plan for how your organization can operate in an agile manner.
Defining precisely what being agile means and how it will function is crucial for success. You need to select how you want your teams to operate, what duties will be pivotal, and how people and functions need to cooperate to guarantee that initiatives can be executed nimbly without leading to misinterpretation or problems. It’s also vital to determine which aspects of your business may become more agile and which ones cannot.
4. See how well agile methods work for your project.
Use one key element of your organization, like supply chain or marketing, to test how well you can execute the agile vision. By trying out your plans with this part first, you’re more likely to find and fix issues quickly. Also, stakeholders will see that you’re invested in making things work sustainably which builds trust.
5. Keep building on your successes.
After you trust your vision and have the plan to put it into action, you can develop your successes and extend your agile methodology throughout your entire company.
Factors to Guarantee Success
Overcoming potential skepticism and confusion, building trust across your organization, and getting buy-in from your people is key if you want to successfully transform into an agile organization. To make sure you’re on the right track as you move forward with your transformation journey, focus on these key success factors:
1. Speed
Startups tend to move quickly. To become an agile organization, you must ensure that your organization is capable of making rapid decisions, executing change, and pivoting if required. Simply get started; listen and alter as needed. This demonstrates that your company is constantly evolving and progressing forward.
2. Momentum
Startups build on their previous accomplishments. Consider how you may promote momentum in the market and with your consumers and staff as you move through each stage of your change. Turn your employees into advocates of your agile way by involving them during change initiatives, celebrating victories, and learning experiences, and reporting on progress and future actions.
3. Upskilling
Startups ensure that they have the necessary skills. You must make certain that your staff is appropriately trained to take part in an agile setting. Design Thinking, problem-solving, and service design principles, for example, might need to be taught.
4. Empowerment
Startups liberate their employees. How will you empower your workers? To be nimble, figure out how you’ll delegate decision-making authority. Develop a solid governance structure that assures adequate support and coordination in your firm. Revise the standards for evaluating and measuring performance so that they inspire desirable actions.
In order to be agile, an organization must move quickly and have a plan in place. They also need buy-in from their people and the ability to overcome skepticism and confusion. Focusing on speed, momentum, upskilling employees, and empowerment will help guarantee success as you move forward with your transformation journey.
