The Agile Mindset and Organizational Agility

The Agile Mindset

For the PMP Exam you will now need to know and understand the Agile mindset. “Being agile” isn’t
simply a matter of using a certain set of tools or practices, or following a specific methodology.
Agility really involves adopting a new mindset—way of thinking—that is based on agile values and
principles.

The most essential statement of these values and principles is in the four values and 12 principles
of the Agile Manifesto (found at agilemanifesto.org). Beyond that, here we’ll look at some of the
general characteristics of the agile mindset, starting with the “Declaration of Interdependence”
(DOI). This was written in 2005 by the cofounders of the Agile Project Leadership Network (now the
Agile Leadership Network). This document outlines six precepts:

1. We increase return on investment by making continuous flow of value our focus.

2. We deliver reliable results by engaging customers in frequent interactions and shared
ownership.
3. We expect uncertainty and manage for it through iterations, anticipation, and adaptation.
4. We unleash creativity and innovation by recognizing that individuals are the ultimate
source of value, and creating an environment where they can make a difference.
5. We boost performance through group accountability for results and shared responsibility
for team effectiveness.
6. We improve effectiveness and reliability through situationally specific strategies,
processes, and practices.

Since the DOI is aimed at leaders—it focuses on the management side of agile projects—these six
principles can serve as a kind of topline summary to introduce you to the agile mindset.

Here’s another way of summing up the core principles of agile:

 Welcoming change
 Working in small value-added increments
 Using build and feedback loops
 Learning through discovery
 Value-driven development
 Failing fast with learning
 Continuous delivery
 Continuous improvement

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As you think about this list, remember that agile isn’t just a matter of adopting practices designed
to achieve these outcomes. We actually have to take the agile mindset to heart and use it to guide
our approach. Applying agile values and principles to how we use agile methods changes not only
our approach, but also the effectiveness of the practices. This is the difference between “being
agile” and “doing agile,” as illustrated below.

Figure 1: Being Agile versus Doing Agile

Image copyright © Ahmed Sidky, Santeon Group, www.santeon.com

This is a critical understanding. Being agile starts with internalizing the agile mindset, then using
that understanding to select and implement the correct practices, tailoring them to different
situations as needed. Doing agile involves using agile practices without embracing the agile mindset
that allows us to understand how to select the right balance of practices and tailor them
appropriately.

Let’s break down this diagram.

 The correct way to adopt agile is shown by the green arrow on the left . Here we start by
internalizing the agile mindset (welcoming change, small increments, etc.), and then we use
those principles to guide our selection and implementation of agile practices. We start with
a good understanding of why we are using the practices, which in turn helps us understand
how to use them most effectively.
 The gray arrow on the right represents a team that decides to adopt agile practices (such as
daily standup meetings and short iterations), without taking the time to understand what
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 these practices are designed to accomplish. Here, we jump directly into the how of agile
without first understanding the why. This is a common problem in agile adoption. Based on
this diagram, people sometimes use the term “left -to-right adoption” as a shorthand way
of saying “teach agile values first.”

Personal, Team, and Organizational Agility

Within an organization, people will develop an understanding of the agile mindset at different
rates. To some, agile values will be intuitively easy to grasp—they seem to describe familiar beliefs
and behavior patterns. To others, these values will have to be consciously learned and then actively
practiced before they can be understood and accepted. Regardless of how this understanding
develops, the more people there are in an organization who embrace and act upon agile principles,
the more effective agile practices will be.

 If just one member of an organization adopts an agile mindset, it can help that person
become more effective. However, they will feel continually frustrated that others in the
organization don’t seem to realize what is important or are focused on the wrong goals and
metrics.

 If one team in the organization adopts agile principles and practices, it can help the team
members become more effective at delivering their project work. However, they will feel
inhibited or misunderstood by other groups or systems in the organization, such as the
project management office (PMO) or functional silos.

 If the entire organization adopts the agile way of thinking, then everyone will be working
together to improve agility and the delivery of value. By adopting common goals and values,
such as continuous improvement and welcoming change, everyone’s effectiveness will be
enhanced.

Although organizational agility is the ideal goal, today most organizations are not there yet. So how
can we help our organizations get there? The way organizations change is through influence
exerted by individuals. The diagram below depicts the steps involved in this process as the layers of
an onion skin.

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 Figure 2: Creating Organizational Change

Let’s look more closely at each of these layers:

Think
First, we need to think—this means individually learning and internalizing agile principles. Only
once we fully understand the agile mindset can we move on to the next step.

Do
Doing is the practice of agile. For example, this might involve visualizing work items, using short
iterations, or building in feedback and improvement steps. Once we understand and can practice
these steps ourselves, we can move on to the next step, where we begin influencing others.

Encourage Others
This final step involves encouraging others to become agile. Although this may appear to be
exponentially harder to achieve than the first two steps, it is also the most worthwhile when
accomplished. That’s because persuading others to adopt the agile mindset and practices will
magnify agile learning and effectiveness across the entire organization. Also, the more people in
your circle of work you can successfully educate about the merits of agile, the more allies you will
have in advocating the cause. The end result of this process can be a complete transformation of
the organization based on agile principles.

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