What is important not to forget when implementing Agile in a large company

Initially, Agile was associated exclusively with the IT industry and startups. A flexible development methodology is ideally suited for IT products and it easily fits into the foundation of young projects that are just entering the market.

And what about the big traditional companies that have lived in WATERFALL projects for years and in order to agree on a new button on the site are seven circles of bureaucratic hell?

Now we are witnessing the spread of Agile in new areas: banking structures (and we are not just talking about fintechs), transportation services, etc.
Some companies apply the new methodology to individual products, some transfer entire units to this format.

What should not be forgotten and what can help with the implementation of Agile in a large company?

Not all at once

The most important thing is to maintain balance. In any large company, there are limitations that you should not forget about when introducing flexible methodologies. You need to understand that some units will continue their usual work and will not move to Agile. It is important for managers to set priorities and a sequence of actions.

You need to answer your question: how many flexible teams can we launch and support?

Where is the middle ground between the interests of employees and the limitations of the company?

The number of agile teams will increase the flexibility of the company, but do not forget about how teams interact with the rest of the organization.

Begin with yourself

Great responsibility in the implementation of new methodologies lies with the management of the company. All leadership skills come in handy here. Only by setting a personal example and changing his attitude to doing business and business processes, the manager will be able to cascade the significance of the changes and their necessity to all employees.

It's simple, if you want to change something, start with yourself.

If the leader goes to Stand Up in one of the teams and deathly silence hangs in the room, then something is wrong here.

Strengthen the team

The team in this story is perhaps the most important point. And you should think about it from the very beginning.
Full immersion training is required. Now in the education market there are enough strong players who specialize in the topic of implementing Agile.

Accelerators, in which companies send their employees, are also gaining great popularity. Accelerator allows you to make several important measurements for managers. For example, how much an employee is motivated, to look at practical tasks, and not just give a theory, to understand with whom is not on the way, but who should be encouraged and developed.

Hiring the right people is not the most important thing for success. It is more important to dismiss the wrong ones on time.

If the company currently does not have employees who are necessary for the full work of the team, you need to strengthen the team.

If a part of employees in a company has a toxic effect on the work of others and impedes change, you need to say goodbye to such people.

Learn to Delegate for Real

The big problem of large companies is to recheck someone else's work. Dozens of coordination circles, endless revisions ... as a result, a person does not feel responsible for his work. What problems? I’ll be double-checked anyway!

An important task for management is to learn how to truly delegate.

Managers are fully responsible for business results, but rely on more client-oriented agile teams.

The manager says WHAT to do, not HOW.

All the waterfall in my head

Often the result of the work of employees in large corporations is measured by milestones in roadmaps.
A roadmap of the product is drawn up with milestones for 5 years in advance and you need to follow it, report on each milestone. And the main goal of creating a product is not profit from the product, its usefulness, goals in terms of important metrics for the product, etc., but strict adherence to the roadmap.
What do employees do if they fail a task? Right, carry the milestone.

What do employees do if they complete a task in 2 weeks, and not in a quarter? That's right, they report overfulfillment at the end of the quarter.

Over the years, a certain way of thinking is created. It is with him that we must fight when introducing flexible methodologies.

Correct values, learn to take responsibility and share responsibility, have common understandable goals.

“Why doesn't Agile work for large companies?
Stickers peel off after 6 months. ”

Let this thing not be about your business.

Become flexible, create more adaptive solutions, hear the needs of our customers and develop at a new pace in the modern world - these are the challenges we receive every day.