This document summarizes the experiences of the London Federal Pensions Service in transitioning to agile development and self-organizing teams. Key points: - They started with two pilot teams of 6-8 people each that were cross-functional and self-organizing. This empowered teams to plan their own work and continuously improve. - Transitioning to this model required the director to shift to a supportive leadership style focused on improving the organization rather than direct control. - Benefits included increased ownership, speed, decision making and motivation among teams. Attention was needed on changing roles, skills, and ensuring transparency between teams. - The experience showed that starting small, learning through experimentation, and

1. 23/04/2018
Agile leadership with
self-organising teams
our experiences
higher value creation
continuous growth
motivated teams
Luc Vander Donckt - Director ICT Projects
IT & Digital Leader’s Dialogue UK
London Federal Pensions Service

2. Content
Context
Agile development
How did we start?
Self organising teams
As an agile leader
What we learned
Take away
2

3. Context
ICT @ FPS:
• 300 collaborators
• 10 development teams core business
application Theseos
• mission of FPS: attributing pension rights
and paying them on a monthly basis
• director ICT projects (2010)
3

4. Agile development
2007:
• scrum
• short iterative
development cycles (2 w)
• ‘ceremonies’: stand-up,
sprint planning, retro, kick off
Later:
• regular value delivery
• shorter feedback loops
4

5. Agile teams?
Impediments:
• function separations
• collaboration between teams difficult
• lack of common focus
• no e2e commitment
• … top down remained
5

6. … Agile 2.0
more than just processes or
development practices …
about the organisational culture
IT as pilot
6
Autonomous
Teams

7. How did we start?
● 2 pilot teams (small: 6-8)
● self-organising / roles / team lead
● cross-functional: ana / dev / tst
● backlog for improvements:
teams / community / management
● issue = opportunity experiment
● coaching (~ hierarchy)
7
Safe
enough
to try
(and to fail)

8. Self-organising teams: empowerment
● alignment with stakeholders
● team objectives focus & commitment
● planning & organisation of work (pull)
● co-creation of the best solutions
● feedback & continuous improvement (I&A*)
● self-reliance
● selection & training & team evaluation
● mergers / splits
* Inspect & Adapt
8
Empowerment
= Continuum
~ context

9. Self-organising teams:
new challenges
• foster initiatives to lead
« emergent » leadership
• team focus team succes
or failure mourn / learn to improve
• decisions in team
• (team) evaluation cycle + promotions (roles)
• teleworking
• ask support from management
9

10. Cross-functional collaborators:
from I-shaped to T-shaped
10
BREADTH OF EXPERTISE
DEPTHOFEXPERTISE

11. Our organisation
11

12. As an agile leader: a 180° turn
Supportive leadership: work on improving the
organisation to deliver more business added value
• remain available: connect & support
• communicate: vision / goals / frame
• invite / challenge / encourage /trust
• support capability development
• walk the talk (cfr. board)
• more lateral & strategic management
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Management is too
important to be left
to the managers.
Jurgen Appelo

13. Our agile vision
13

14. What we learned: benefits
● more (team) ownership
(problems / solutions)
● team focus
result / value orientation
● speed / flexibility
● better (local) decisions
● energizing
● more connectedness
14

15. What we learned: benefits
● active communities
● growth (qualitative & quantitative)
● with « business » involvement
shared ownership & reliable value
● participation
motivating & inspiring workplace
15
We decide
= We matter

16. What we learned: attention points
Agile leadership:
• balance steering / delegating
• be patient
• issue command & control
• LBQ
• less managers ≠ (budgetary) goal
• changing roles & new skills
16
Change
starts with
yourself

17. What we learned: attention points
Teams:
• new responsibilities / roles
• small is beautiful (focus, communication)
• cross-functionality
• learning to decide: impact + expertise
• transparency & feedback = gift!
• organisational evolution: involve collaborators
• scalability (inter-team, portfolio)
17
Carefrontation

18. Takeaway …
Self-organising teams with agile leadership
• start small, experiment, adapt (PDCA*)
• clear frame + team focus
• cross-functionality
• soft skills + (team) coaching
• culture > strategy
* Plan, Do, Check, Adapt
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Our way
Why =
What & How ≠
Context ≠
Transparency
Decision
making
Initiative
Trust
Courage
Continuous
improvement

19. Want to know more?
19
Tools and
practices
Servant
leadership
New ways to organise
“To become an able and successful
man/women in any profession,
three things are necessary:
nature, study and practice.”
Henry Ward Beecher

20. 20
Questions?

22. Thanks for your interest!
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