Rethinking	Agile	
Transformation
Jason	Little	|	@jasonlittle
leanintuit.com
PMO
Now	we’ll	know	what’s	
happening	with	our	
projects!
HR
Hey	wait,	we	need	
Performance	
Management!
Six	Sigma
Nah,	it’s	continuous	
improvement	that	we	
need!
Change	Management
The	problem	is,	no	one	
is	managing	the	change!
being Agile
doing Agile
Scrum Guy
Kanban Guy
evil PMI dude
biased for action
Agile mindset dude
Agile Installation
1 of 12
Spotify Installation Process
Please wait while the system copies the DNA of all Spotify employees, and
invents a way to replicate how people think and interact from a company
that is completely different from the utterly fucked company that is yours.
Renaming Communities of Practices to Guilds…
Purchasing enterprise JIRA because stickies don’t work here…
Implementing punishment scheme for squads that underperform…
Installing mandatory innovation time at 1pm every tuesday…
Renaming functional departments to Chapters…
done
Critical Error: Tried Doing Agile instead of
Being Agile. Installation will now revert.
done
done
done
Firing Agile Coaches…
Preparing bad performance reviews for managers and staff…
Preparing year end bonuses for executive team…
Unable to un-install Agile. Teams have gone
rogue. Run for your life.
Spotify Un-Installation Process
Please wait while the system exercises the demons…
Agile
An error has occurred. To continue:
Press Enter to download SAFe, or
Press CTRL-ALT-DEL to restart your organization.
The people who get agile will quit, and all the PMP
certified people will say ‘I TOLD YOU SO’
Press any key to continue _
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
2006 2007 2008 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Manage Changing Priorities Accelerate Time to Market
Align Business/IT Increase Productivity
Enhance Quality
Why Organizations are Choosing Agile
0%
25%
50%
75%
100%
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Failure to Change Culture Resistance to Change
Lack of Skill Lack of Management Support
What Barriers Exist?
DoneExecutePlan
RefreezeChangeUnfreeze
Future	StateTransitionCurrent	State
How	Change	Happens
What	kinda	hippie	
nonsense	is	that?
Emergence
Coalescence
Bureaucratization	
Decline
Failure Success Repression	 Co-Optation
let’s	go	agile!
side	of	the	desk	job
we	need	process
VP	of	Agile
Co-Optation
You
Model	the	change	you	want	to	see
leave	easter	eggs
do	the	opposite	of	the	norm
show	possibilities
celebrate	victories!
help	create	meaning
take	a	stance
Make	it	your	own
The	Canvas	Doesn’t	Matter.
IN	THE	PAST…
Story	Telling	Canvas
AND	WE	LIKED	IT	BECAUSE…
BUT	THEN	ONE	DAY…
AND	BECAUSE	OF	THAT…
SO	WE	WANT	TO…
WE’LL	SUPPORT	THIS	BY… WE	NEED	HELP	WITH… SO	FAR	WE…
REMEMBER WHEN IT WAS EASY TO GET STUFF DONE?
WHAT WAS THE ‘WAY THINGS WORKED AROUND HERE’
LIKE?
DESCRIBE THE EFFECT THAT WAY OF WORKING HAD ON
CULTURE, MORALE, AND CUSTOMER SATISFACTION
MAYBE IT WASN’T ONE DAY…MAYBE OVER TIME EVENTS
HAPPENED THAT CHANGED THE “WAY THINGS WORK”
AROUND HERE.
WHAT IMPACT DID THAT HAVE? LOSS OF CUSTOMERS?
LOWER MORALE? ‘BAD’ CULTURE?
MAKE THIS CHANGE…
COMMITTING TO THESE THINGS THESE UNCERTAIN THINGS ARE GETTING QUICK WINS…
show	people	things	are	happening
Tell	stories
Provoke	conversations
Provoke	conversations
Provoke	conversations
“All	mankind	is	
divided	into	three	classes	
of	people…”
“Those	who	DO	Agile…”
“Those	who	BE	Agile…”
“Those	who	think	SAFe	
is	a	good	idea…”
“Those	that	move”
“Those	that	are	moveable”
“Those	that	are	
immoveable”
where	does	your	
influence	end?
Andrew	Annett
You
Rethinking	Agile	
Transformation
means….
Stuff	to	Read
http://leanchange.org
Canvases, stories, tools and practical ideas
to inspire change.
Stages	of	a	Movement
Emergence	
Dis-satisfaction	with	the	
status	quo	
little	to	no	organization	
Doers	take	action,	
Inspirers	spread	
propaganda	,	Skeptics	
and	Protesters	leave	the	
organization
Coalescence	
Small	successes,	Doers	
and	Inspirers	become	
known	as	‘agile	people’,	
teams	start	bumping	up	
against	organizational	
boundaries
Bureaucratization		
Someone	with	power	
notices,	hires	a	VP	of	
Agile	or	centralizes	Agile	
to	‘get	it	under	control’,	
centralized	processes	get	
created,	Doers	and	
Inspirers	leave	the	
organization.
How	Movements	“Die”
Repression
Co-
Optation
Failure	
Success
Centralization	of	
control	goes	too	far	
Momentum	of	
successes	is	forgotten	
Change	agents	
conform	to	the	old	
values	of	the	
organization
The	desire	to	‘be	more	
Agile’	gets	in	the	way	
of	the	purpose	of	
‘going	Agile’	in	the	
first	place
A	smattering	of	Agile	
practices	make	
getting	work	done	
easier

Agile and Beyond 2016 Rethinking Agile Transformation