Laying the Foundation: Defining Your "Why" Before Embracing Agile (or any other initiative)

In our previous blog post, we uncovered the power of your business origin story – the "why" that fuels your organization's existence. Now, let's uncover the critical steps you must take before embracing Agile methodologies to ensure they truly propel you towards sustainable success. Agile, with its promise of flexibility and rapid iteration, can be a powerful engine for growth. However, without a solid foundation of purpose and measurement, it can easily become a runaway train, leading to a flurry of activity without a clear destination. It's crucial to solidify your foundation by clearly defining your core purpose and core business measures upfront. Think of it as setting your compass before embarking on a journey; without a clear direction, even the most agile traveler can get lost.

Defining Your North Star: Why Purpose Precedes Process

Agile is not just about adopting new processes or frameworks; it's about transforming your organization's mindset and aligning its actions with its core purpose. As renowned management consultant Peter Drucker wisely stated, "There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all." (Drucker, 1967) Before diving into sprints and stand-ups, take the time to define your "why" – the fundamental reason your organization exists beyond profit. This core purpose acts as your North Star, guiding every decision, every project, and every team member towards a shared vision. Once the core purpose is articulated in the form of a vision, sing it out loud for every employee to embrace, creating a solid foundation of focus on your ‘why’.

"Once the core purpose is articulated in the form of a vision, sing it out loud for every employee to embrace, creating a solid foundation of focus on your ‘why’."

Think of Patagonia, a company whose core purpose extends beyond selling outdoor apparel. Their mission statement, "Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis," (Patagonia, n.d.) is deeply embedded in their culture and guides every aspect of their operations, from sustainable sourcing to environmental activism. This strong sense of purpose not only resonates with customers but also empowers employees to make decisions that align with the company's values.

The Success Compass for Your Agile Journey

Once you've defined your "why," it's crucial to establish clear, measurable outcomes that reflect momentum toward your core purpose. These metrics act as your compass, guiding your Agile journey and ensuring you're on the right track. As the renowned physicist Lord Kelvin famously said, "If you cannot measure it, you cannot improve it." (Thomson, 1883) Identify core business metrics aligned to your purpose that will gauge your organization's health and growth, whether it's customer satisfaction, employee engagement, social impact, or financial performance. These core business measures provide a tangible way to track progress, assess the effectiveness of your Agile practices, and ensure you're delivering value that aligns with your core purpose.

Consider the example of Etsy, an online marketplace for handmade and vintage goods. Their mission is "to keep commerce human," (Etsy, n.d.) and they measure their success not just by revenue but also by metrics like the percentage of sellers who derive their primary income from Etsy and the platform's overall environmental impact. These metrics reflect their commitment to supporting small businesses and fostering a sustainable marketplace. This approach gives Etsy their compass and a guide to decision making.

Agile as a Pathway to Value Delivery (Re-emphasized)

With a clear understanding of your "why" and well-defined metrics in place, Agile methodologies can truly shine. The iterative nature of Agile allows you to continuously adapt and refine your approach based on data and feedback, ensuring that every step you take contributes to your overarching goals. This resonates with the concept of "kaizen," a Japanese philosophy of continuous improvement that emphasizes small, incremental changes over time. (Imai, 1986) By incorporating feedback and data into your Agile sprints, you create a continuous loop of learning and improvement, maximizing value delivery and staying aligned with your core purpose.

How Coach What Matters Can Help

Navigating the complexities of defining your core purpose, establishing meaningful metrics, and integrating these foundational elements into your Agile practices can be challenging. This is where Coach What Matters can provide expert guidance and support. We'll help you:

• Uncover your "why": Through facilitated workshops and in-depth discussions, we'll help you articulate your organization's core purpose and core measures, ensuring they resonate with your organization and guide your actions.

• Define Your core business measures: We'll work with you to identify core business measures that truly reflect your organization's success and align with your core purpose.

• Align new initiatives against your core business measures: Enable the ability to evaluate a new initiative/model against your core business measures.

• Integrate purpose and metrics into Agile: We'll guide you in weaving your "why" and your chosen metrics into your Agile practices, ensuring that every sprint and every decision contributes to your long-term vision.

• The Journey Ahead: Building a Foundation for Agile Success

  
  

In the upcoming posts, we'll delve deeper into specific Agile frameworks like Scrum and Kanban, examining how they can be tailored to support your unique "why" and drive measurable progress towards your goals. We'll also explore real-world examples and case studies, providing actionable insights to help you navigate the complexities of Agile implementation and achieve lasting success.

Conclusion: A Call to Action

Before you embark on your Agile journey, take the time to build a solid foundation. Define your core purpose, establish your core business measures, and partner with experts who can guide you in aligning these foundational elements with your Agile practices. By doing so, you'll transform Agile from a mere methodology into a powerful engine for achieving sustainable growth and fulfilling your organization's true potential.

Engage with what matters most…

References:

• Drucker, P. F. (1967). The effective executive. Harper & Row.

• Patagonia. (n.d.). Our mission statement. Retrieved from [invalid URL removed]

• Etsy. (n.d.). About Etsy. Retrieved from https://www.etsy.com/about/

• Thomson, W. (Lord Kelvin). (1883). Electrical units of measurement. Popular Lectures and Addresses.

• Imai, M. (1986). Kaizen: The key to Japan's competitive success. Random House Business Division.