Enterprise Agility with Strategy Deployment

What is the course?

Many organisations implement Agile as an isolated initiative with no explicit connection to any overall strategy. This often results in a Cargo Cult Agile implementation, which makes some local improvements, but delivers no overall company benefits. What is needed is alignment of an Agile transformation with the organisation’s key goals. Thus, Agility becomes an explicit strategic intent for the whole organisation, with Agile methods such as Kanban or Scrum being be used to guide potential tactical solutions.

Strategy Deployment is a style of organisational improvement that engages the entire workforce in figuring out how the business can survive and thrive. This course will introduce Strategy Deployment using a framework called the X-Matrix – an A3 format which concisely visualises the alignment of results, strategy, indicators and tactics on a single sheet of paper. With this approach a transformation can be viewed as a form of Catchball, a Lean process where ideas are passed around an organisation as teams collaborate to experiment and discover solutions. In this way, solutions emerge from the people closest to the problem, rather than being defined and dictated by management.

This is a 2-day, interactive class, during which participants will explore how their transformation helps them meet their strategic goals, and how they can communicate those strategies such that everyone in the organisation is involved in discovering how Agile can help to achieve desired results. Games, exercises and discussion will be interleaved to explore key topics in more detail.

What are the benefits?

This course will enable participants to grow resilient organisations, able to deal with the uncertainty and complexity of the modern business landscape. By aligning everyone to a clear purpose and strategic goals to achieve that purpose, employees can be given the autonomy to use their skills and creativity to respond quickly to emergent risks and opportunities.

What will you learn?

Participants will learn why Strategy Deployment is beneficial, how it can help an Agile transformation, and what they can do to put it into practice.

At the end of the 2 days, they will be able to:

  • Describe their transformation in terms of Strategy Deployment
  • Prepare an X-Matrix to visualise their transformation
  • Get started using Strategy Deployment for their transformation

What topics will be covered?

The following topics will be covered.

  • Summarising the need for Strategy Deployment
  • Distinguishing Strategy Deployment from traditional styles of organisational improvement
  • Explaining how and why Strategy Deployment works
  • Relating Strategy Deployment to an Agile transformation
  • Defining the anticipated results of the transformation
  • Relating the transformation to organisational strategies
  • Appraising the progress of the transformation with leading indicators
  • Establishing concrete initiatives as transformational tactics
  • Identifying where to start
  • Defining experiments
  • Creating a feedback cadence

Who is the course suitable for?

This course is suitable for anyone who wants to be successful using Agile within an organisational transformation. As such, it will benefit anyone who is sponsoring, leading or coaching an organisational transformation using Agile principles and practices. It will be helpful to those just starting a new Agile transformation as well as those who are seasoned with Agile transformations and want to reinforce their experiences with new perspectives.

In terms of roles, the course is suitable for Executives, Managers, and Team Leaders from all areas of the organisation and Agile Coaches and Consultants who want to enhance their ability to support a successful Agile transformation.

If run as an in-house course, then attending the course as a full team offers a real opportunity for the entire team to experience and learn Strategy Deployment together and creates an excellent foundation to move forward with an Agile transformation.

What will you receive?

  • 2 days of training, interactive work and facilitated discussion with Karl Scotland
  • For public classes, refreshments before and during the course, including lunch
  • Course materials

Are there any prerequisites for this course?

There are no formal pre-requisites for this course, however participants should be familiar with the concepts of Lean and Agile. It would be useful for those with any prior experience of Agile transformations to reflect on any specific areas they would like to explore.

How can I book?

There are no currently scheduled public classes. If you would like to help put one on, or if you would be interested in a private class with your organisation, please contact me.

 

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