This document discusses scaling agility in large organizations. It defines agility as the ability to change positions efficiently through a combination of skills. While individuals and small teams can be agile, large organizations struggle with agility due to their size and mass. The document explores scaling agility both "up" through vertical scaling within subsets of work, and "scaling out" horizontally across the entire organization and value stream. It provides examples of scaling agility through communities of practice, organizational structure, processes, and training across functions like R&D, product development, delivery, and operations. The conclusion is that agility at an organizational level requires a problem-solving approach rather than just mechanics in order to achieve desired outcomes.

1. Scaling Up Out
Agility
Tathagat Varma
VP, Strategic Process Innovation
[24]7 Innovation Labs

2. What is Agility?
Wikipedia: Agility or nimbleness is the ability to
change the body's position efficiently, and requires
the integration of isolated movement skills using a
combination
of balance, coordination, speed, reflexes, strength,
and endurance
Drucker: Large organizations cannot be versatile. A
large organization is effective through its mass rather
than through its agility. Fleas can jump many times
their own height, but not an elephant

4. Agility @ Scale?

5. Scale “Up”
• Vertical scaling
• Across product
• Subset of value
stream
• Cycle Time,
Efficiency, Outputs
• Agile fractals
Scale “Out”
• Horizontal scaling
• Across
organization
• Entire value
stream
• Lead Time,
Effectiveness,
Outcomes
• ???

6. Agile fractals
http://senexrex.com/scrum-fractals/

7. https://www.scrumalliance.org/community/articles/2013/june/scrum-of-scrums-running-agile-on-large-projects

9. Scaling-out?

10. Scaling-Out across R&D Org
Community
Internal community of
practitioners and
enthusiasts
Expert talk series –
bridge the gap between
theory and practice
External community
connect
Unconferencing
Lean Coffee
Org Structure
Roles and
responsibilities
Goal-setting
Performance
management
Compensation and
rewards
Professional
Development
Training
Intact team training
Role-specific training
Specialized Coaching
Executive Briefings
Process
Product Development
Process
Common Metrics
Strategy
Tools

11. Scaling-Out across Entire Company
Develop
Products
Product Management
Platform Engineering
Data Sciences
Design Studio
Program Management
Service Delivery, ProdOps,
Sell
Solutions
Pre-sales
Sales, Marketing
Program Office
Finance, Products, Design,
Engineering, Operations, Delivery
Legal
Deliver
Outcomes
Service Delivery
Optimization
NetOps
Operations
HR, OD, IT, G&A

12. Recap
Agility doesn’t obey
economies of scale.
At team level, outputs
might be enough. At
organization level,
outcomes matter.
Agility is all about the
approach to problem
solving, and not
about mechanics.

13. http://www.roofingsalesman.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/go-fast-go-far.png

14. References
• 8 reasons why Japanese workers are so slow at making decisions,
http://en.rocketnews24.com/2013/11/18/8-reasons-why-japanese-workers-
are-so-slow-at-making-decisions/
• Competing through Organizational Agility,
http://www.mckinsey.com/insights/managing_in_uncertainty/com
peting_through_organizational_agility
• Scaling Agility, http://www.ivarjacobson.com/resource.aspx?id=402
• Getting Agile to Scale Up, http://sdtimes.com/getting-agile-to-scale-up/
• Agile 2012 Keynote: Bob Sutton on Scaling Up Excellence,
http://www.infoq.com/news/2012/08/agile-2012-bob-sutton
• Scaling Agile Software Development for Digital Transformation,
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jasonbloomberg/2014/09/08/scaling-agile-
software-development-for-digital-transformation/