Change is hard. You can expect resistance if you introduce change. Adapting Agile is no exception. You will get resistance from all levels -- developers, business partners, managers and clients. First step in overcoming resistance is to get the buy-in from senior management before even announcing your intention to adapt Agile. If you can't get that buy-in, all bets are off. Do not even try making the transition to Agile. The transition will invariably fail if there is no support from senior management.
Team members will resist the change because of various reasons. It could be due to lack of job security, lack of awareness or just plain old political reasons. If someone is going to lose his/her hold on the team, that person will possibly resist. This is why support from senior management is vital.
We can categorize the people who resist Agile into two categories. Skeptics and Saboteurs. Skeptics are easy to manage. However, Saboteurs will try every day to make sure your transition to Agile fail miserably. One example of Saboteur -- Developer who is afraid that daily scrum will let people find out how slow (and unproductive) he is.
It's better to listen to the arguments from both skeptics and saboteurs. Make sure that their valid concerns are addressed. Training is essential to make sure that there are no misconceptions about Agile or Scrum process. Skeptics may bring some good points to consider. If you are new to the company, Skeptics may point out potential traps. They may discuss why previous attempts to adapt Agile failed. If you listen patiently, you will gain good insights from Skeptics. In case of Saboteurs, you need to be more patient. Try to address their concerns. If Saboteurs continue to make attempts to derail the transition, you have few choices.
1. Take it to senior management and let them deal with Saboteurs.
2. If you work in big organization, transfer Saboteurs to different departments
3. If you work in start-up, make sure that Saboteurs understand they have no option other than following Agile. If all of your efforts fail, fire Saboteurs.
Once you change or get rid of Saboteurs, convincing Skeptics is easy. Do a pilot project to implement Agile. Success in that project will get everyone on-board. Success in one project will influence the whole company to adapt Agile. When you introduce Agile, you will hear objections like "It may work in Salesforce. But, it won't work here". Once you succeed in pilot project, all those objections will disappear into thin air.
You should also get the help from people who support Agile in your company. Identify the decision makers and influencers in your company and convince them about the benefits of Agile. If you get few key managers to support your cause for Agile, you should be able to easily handle Saboteurs.
You should also get the help from people who support Agile in your company. Identify the decision makers and influencers in your company and convince them about the benefits of Agile. If you get few key managers to support your cause for Agile, you should be able to easily handle Saboteurs.
No comments:
Post a Comment