Agile Transformation Training

What Is Agile Transformation Training?

Agile transformation training is an important milestone in the agile transformation journey. An organization embarks on many significant changes that not only affects the structure of the organization, but will also introduce new processes. An agile transformation is a cultural change and can be difficult for some members of an organization and the lack of understanding could create a perception of resistance. Communicating the agile transformation strategy, the vision and expectations through training or presentation is a proactive approach in ensuring everyone understands expectations and goals of the transformation.

While an agile transformation ppt can be created and published to support and help communicate the agenda and provide visualizations for changes to organizational structures, it should not be the only format used for communication. A training session should also be one that encourages two-way communication and an open, in-person discussion is a recommended approach.

There is not a “one size fits all” approach to transformation which also means there is not a “one size fits all” approach to agile transformation training. Since each organization has specific needs, training will consist of content that is customized to the organization. Involving the right agile consultant or expert will assist an organization is developing the right transformation training program according to best practices and the unique needs of the business.

The following is a suggested list of items to be considered for training content:

• Why the Need for Change
• Vision
• Benefits
• Action Plan (i.e. roadmap)
• Will there be a pilot team or full transformation?
• Aggressive or conservative approach?
• Organizational Measures of Success (KPIs, etc.)
• Organizational Changes
• Program and Portfolio Management
• Which method, (SAFe, Lean, Scrum, Kanban, XP, etc.) will be implemented
• If a method has not yet been chosen, has there been a recommendation made and will it vary by team or department?
• Coaching – on-going support
• Formal Training and Education
• Appropriate role based training for all members of an organization
• Workflow Tools (if selection has been made)
• Team Measures of Success
• Function point or feature completion, software quality, predictability
• Key Contacts
• Who are the organization’s agile champions, consultants, advocates?

Most importantly, there should be frequent opportunities to inspect and adapt the progress of transformation, which may result in changes to the overall transformation plan and additional future training sessions or presentations may be conducted. Training, like transformation, is not a one-time event. Regardless, if changes are perceived as small or insignificant, the organization should still ensure that the changes are communicated. Creating an opportunity for continued feedback is a great to ensure that new ideas and that an agile transformation training plan evolves to fit the needs of the organization.

How CAST Can Help

• CAST provides measurement solutions to organizations undergoing agile transformations. These metrics are reported through a set of audience-tailored dashboards that provide visibility for managing complex transformation initiatives.
• Establish a baseline for measuring quality and productivity of application development process prior to agile transformation. The baseline creates factual understanding of the existing state of development process, teams and output to serve as the benchmark for improvement.
• Baseline the key applications along the most important application health parameters to ensure they don’t deteriorate over the life of the agile transformation. This protects critical systems during transformation process.
• Govern and manage risk and quality based on established management criteria and metrics.
• Support continuous improvement through automated, sustainable measurement of application development process output.
• Measure quality and productivity of development process post agile transformation to document improvement and serve as the basis of return on investment