Will Choi is the President and CEO of VerticalApps, an IT consulting company focused on facilitating the agile transformation of the federal government. He shares strategies and advice for creating momentum in product development. This forward movement requires breaking down the norms, not just in the way they work but down to their fundamental culture

1. Agile Transformation
& The Government
Changing Culture & Process with Will
Choi

2. #StrategicMomentum

3. Facilitating agile transformation requires a
cultural transformation, especially within
the public sector.

4. Why Agile Transformation?
September 2017 Agile Transformation & The Government with Will Choi | Flywheel Associates 4
1. Organizations and government institutions need to be more agile
if they want to keep up.
2. Whether they’re in the public sector or the private sector,
organizations should embrace a shift towards agile processes.
3. The world changes quickly, especially tech and how people
interact with it, and you will need to be flexible to keep pace.

5. What’s Holding Institutions Back?
• People are usually hesitant to
embrace agile because of culture
or mindset.
• Especially within the government,
the existing culture may be
actively resistant to iteration and
change.
• You need to show (not tell) the
benefits of being agile.
5September 2017 Agile Transformation & The Government with Will Choi | Flywheel Associates

6. Addressing Their Fear of Change
• First is understanding, identifying,
and agreeing there is a need to
change.
• Getting others to believe in this
new way of working means less
talk and more action.
• Demonstrate how your
technology or your processes
help a client meet their
organizational goals.
7September 2017 Agile Transformation & The Government with Will Choi | Flywheel Associates

7. #StrategicMomentum

8. Agile is All About Speed
September 2017 Agile Transformation & The Government with Will Choi | Flywheel Associates 9
• Agile is about speed both in thinking and doing, and doing things
that are of high value.
• Prioritize what delivers the highest value and show them
something tangible in a matter of weeks that the organization can
relate to.
z THE TAKEAWAY
To realize change, you have to prove agile processes will be
better for them.

9. #StrategicMomentum

10. Be User-Centric vs. Organization-Centric
• Agile processes also entail that
everything needs to be designed
with users in mind (the person
who is actually going to be using
the system).
• So design for them but also
realize that not all of your users
are the same.
1September 2017 Agile Transformation & The Government with Will Choi | Flywheel Associates

11. Ensure ‘Business’ Representation
• The business perspective needs to be represented at all times.
– This business owner is product owner, can put together the business case,
and is able to determine importance and value against potential capabilities,
features, or functionality.
• Product requirements need to reflect business needs, which
should be aligned to the user needs.
– The business owner and the team should be in-tune with your user needs in
order to assess what is high value.
12September 2017 Agile Transformation & The Government with Will Choi | Flywheel Associates

12. It Takes Dedication from the Top
September 2017 Agile Transformation & The Government with Will Choi | Flywheel Associates 13
• Agile organizations have to be committed to the process, from
the business owners down to the developers and designers. This
is also what creates velocity throughout the organization.
• It’s not just on the development side or on the business side. It
needs to be across all of the organizations in the federal
government (e.g. legal, contracting, policy, public affairs, etc).
• They all need to change their thinking and mindset to support
this for the skids to be really greased.

13. #StrategicMomentum

14. Tune in to STRATEGIC MOMENTUM PODCAST to hear from more guests like Will!
About Will Choi
Will Choi is the President and CEO of
VerticalApps, an agile transformation
consultancy focused on helping federal
agencies thrive in today’s rapidly changing
environment. Will took a risk by leaving the
private sector to launch his own business in
2010, but he is an entrepreneur at heart.
Resources:
● Connect with Will on LinkedIn
● Learn more about VerticalApps

15. To learn how we can create momentum for your
business, contact us at info@flywheelassociates.com
STRATEGICMOMENTUM.CO/EPISODES/5

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