BRAINS IN IT
The Mindset of an Agile Leader
Three mindset shifts to help leaders implement an Agile methodology within their teams.
BY: LAURA WOODWARD, CEO of The Disruptive Element
I n the tech world, Agile methodology is ancient. Created in 2001, seventeen software developers built this practice around the idea that traditional software development was (and, in many cases, still is) fundamentally flawed. Instead of spending months, or even years, following a long- term, complicated plan for developing new software, Agile encourages minor improvements, incremental developments, and tight feedback cycles. It emphasizes teamwork and collaboration and necessitates flexibility and rapid pivots when new information is available.
predicted that their system would evolve and sprout similar ideas over the years. But that’s what happened, and, amazingly, the core tenets behind Agile are still as relevant as ever. Adopting Agile, however, is not as easy as it may seem on the surface. The average company takes three years to transition to the system completely, and not every company fully embraces it. Why? For one, adopting the Agile methodology requires a significant mindset shift. Traditional workplaces are much more hierarchical and top-down. Long-term planning and predictability reign supreme, and task management is a significant focus. In contrast, Agile workplaces empower and embrace self-managed teams. Adaptability and quick corrections are essential, and the system emphasizes collaboration and team accountability. In summary, making the switch to an Agile-centered workplace requires nothing short of mental gymnastics! This mindset shift can be especially tricky for leaders. The system indoctrinates them to emphasize close management, hierarchical decision-making, and fixed goals. Leadership in most companies looks like this: The team carries out a prescribed task, reports their results, and then leadership decides how to proceed. However, in Agile workplaces, the leader is part of the problem-solving and collaboration, and they do not necessarily make a final judgment call. Instead, they are part of incremental growth, improvement, and experimentation.
The Agile methodology centers around four central tenets: Individuals and interactions over processes and tools 1
Working software over comprehensive documentation
2
Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
3
Responding to change over following a plan
4
When the original masterminds behind Agile wrote their famous “Manifesto for Agile Software Development,” they couldn’t have anticipated how their approach would revolutionize software development. Over 71% of software companies and many organizations outside the tech industry incorporated their methodology into their operations. They could never have
36 | Brains in IT
Powered by FlippingBook