Most discussions of Agile start with methodologies like story points, cyclical planning, sprints and stand-ups. We start talking so quickly about nuanced practices that we miss the big questions of context. It's a narrow focus that misses the larger and more relevant story leaving many confused and playing catch up.
Ask 10 people in your organization what Agile is or why it's important and you'll get 10 different answers. There's often little unity of thought around what we are actually trying to accomplish or the goals and vision of an Agile transformation. Worse yet leaders are often confused about how best to support an Agile adoption, or even more troubling, apprehensive about whether to spend political capital on what they perceive to be the latest flavor-of-the-month methodology.
But Agile is not a methodology. True there are many methodologies that fall under the large Agile umbrella, but Agile itself is an approach and a mindset. It is not a method.
If we are to reap the benefits of this Agile mindset we need to have a view of the landscape. In Agile Business: A Leadership Perspective I'll offer an holistic perspective on what it means to be Agile. We'll start with foundational concepts of a whole-systems approach to business, place the specific practices and concepts of Agile within this larger framework, and end with specific next steps leaders can take to improve your organization's product quality, morale, and time to market.
