Remote Working - The Agile Lifeline
REMOTE WORKING - THE AGILE LIFELINE
I have always been an advocate of ‘Agile’ however, during these unusual times, with many of us working from home or our garden sheds (in some cases) it has positively been a lifeline for many of our clients.
Where some cultures have experienced a trepidation towards embracing new ways of working, Covid have expedited that tremendously (as Trump would say).
The benefits of teams embracing Agility are numerous when remote working and can clearly be seen in the productivity and moral of the teams. Here are some of my observations;
Teams and the portfolio as a whole are aligned to a common goal on a synchronised cadence
Transparency is maintained and team members know exactly what their colleagues are working on
Collaboration is promoted through synchronised ceremonies and events
Risks and blockers continue to be actively managed
Teams have an implicit trust
Customers remain central to decision making through integrated and cross functional teams
Innovation is fostered (I have even seen Covid apps developed in record time)
Delivery, in spite of all the disruption is continuing
In contrast, I have seen teams working in traditional ways where remote working is seeming to promote disfunction, mistrust and I have even seen paranoia sneak in.
Agile has not just allowed continued delivery but has helped to promote mental health and well being. These are aspects which I hadn’t reflected on so heavily previously however now I know Agile is not just a way of working, it is a lifeline.