So, we want to transform parts of the organisation. There’s a consensus about that at least, but what often happens at this point in the process is there emerges lot of ‘woolly edges’ around the scope. Suddenly, every change activity and project that has been sluggishly not moving along has been thrown into the pot.
Aside from the lack of clarity that ensues, it results in an overload of work to tackle. And this, in turn, inevitably generates anxiety in the Transformation Team about where, and how, to start.
Arguably, this dumpster-tipping is not the worst thing that can happen at the start of the programme. After all, it signifies an exasperation with business-as-usual change, and the desire to get things moving. This feeling can be harnessed and utilised to argue the case for resources and capability support for the challenge, but it needs tempered with some honesty. After all, there are unlikely to be any Marvel Superheroes in the Transformation Team (Iron Man and Thor seem to be busy saving the world these days).
In our experience, the T-shaped people you’ve managed to gather together to deliver your Transformation ambitions, need a clear structure, focus and – frankly – protection. Great change agents are a rare breed. They also need agency and autonomy, and as many quick wins under their belt to maintain motivation and pace.
So Agile delivery approaches help; multi-disciplinary teams, the development of clear epics, breaking down the work into manageable chunks, continuous release, testing and refining as you go.
But importantly, especially amongst the higher echelons of the organisation, a recognition that transformation is a long journey to embark on – and these days possibly even a permanent state of affairs. Once you get the train moving, it will gather pace and deliver what you need. But be careful about how much you throw at it right now – it might just stop it in its tracks.
So, what’s our advice?
- Be realistic about what you can achieve with the Team members you have. Don’t try to be a hero. This isn’t the Marvel Universe therefore success for heroes isn’t guaranteed!
- Look after the Team. As we discussed before, Transformation is a tough gig so team members need to be (and feel) protected. Work out how you are going to achieve this whilst still pushing hard on delivery and performance.
- Use shared approaches, tools & techniques to ease delivery but ensure that everyone is well versed in how these are deployed in your organisation.
