Chapter 78. “That Won’t Work Here!”
Derek Davidson
I recall the story of an organization that embarked upon an Agile adoption and engaged a team of six Agile practitioners with proven experience to help. This Agile team was immediately presented with the challenge of using the experience of other organizations to come up with an idea to boost this organization’s adoption of agility.
The team took some time to look around and, from all possible improvements, decided to give utmost priority to stable teams. They found accompanying data that supported their view on how to improve. The idea was proposed to the senior leadership team, who appeared underwhelmed and immediately responded, “That won’t work here!”
Despite this initial rejection, the suggestion remained an important topic of conversation. It seemed this was somewhat to the annoyance of those in the senior leadership team, who were telling the Agile team, “Stop working on the idea of stable teams. That won’t work here. You are wasting time that we are paying for.”
But the Agile team believed absolutely that stable teams would benefit the organization. It addressed the challenge they were presented with, and they wanted to stick to their commitment to meeting the ambitions of the organization with regards to Agile, regardless of the resistance met.
Clearly, however, an open mind was needed for investigating a different approach, as was the courage to stick to their belief. So, the team collated data on staff used in the prior quarter and the work they had done. They constructed a simulation to test whether it was possible to deliver the work of that quarter with stable teams. The Agile team tried it multiple times and proved time and again that it was possible, even in this organization.
Buoyed by this discovery, they asked others in the organization if they could repeat their outcomes using stable teams. Upon their agreement, the Agile team began demonstrating that stable teams actually did “work here.”
The Agile team arranged another meeting with the senior leadership and attempted to overcome the feelings of discouragement from the previous management meeting.
They proposed the simulation to prove the case. The response from the senior leadership team came as a complete surprise, boiling down to, “Go! Let us know how it works out.”
This was one response the Agile team had not expected. But they were to be surprised even further. Remember the prior meeting where they were told, “Stop working on this”? Some of the senior leadership became their biggest advocates. The new phrase became, “Why aren’t we doing this already?”
I enjoy describing this experience to others because there are so many learning points in it. For me, the main learning point was the importance of trying a different approach. It’s no good having all the facts and data that convince you and your peer believers if they don’t convince others. Sometimes, you have to respect their perspective and find a connection with them.