Over the last 3 years, we have worked with organizations across South Africa that are realizing the benefits of implementing an agile approach to transform their business. The most cited reason we have encountered to embark on a Digital Transformation is improved speed to market. Today’s successful companies innovate on the fly and recently we have been coaching an AI-powered Chatbot division at a Telecommunications company that has successfully embraced an Agile enabled Digital Transformation.
A digital transformatin requires agile at scale as this allows companies to innovate fast, learn from mistakes and successes, and then innovate further based on feedback received. Defects are fixed as they go along and not at the end of the process. Key to success is the ability of business and IT to work together and communicate openly, this is where the obstacle often lies.
VersionOne’s annual State of Agile 13th Survey (2019) cited these top 4 benefits of introducing agile:
Throughout a Digital Transformation, it is important to manage the organizational shift to Agile from strategy and business adoption to success metrics. Businesses need to realize the benefits of agile as they engage in the transformation. It reduces paperwork substantially, it simplifies processes, you don’t need to commit a massive budget and make big decisions upfront, you just need to know enough to start as the solution will be tested as it goes along to ensure it’s the right one for the business. Teams are no longer siloed, they work closely together and collaborate for the good of the whole. No one person owns all of the information, it’s shared and it’s visible.
“From a business perspective, they’re always responsive when they see how well the process works and once they understand it, they almost lead it. When we see our leadership and teams embracing and spearheading Agile thinking, we know the Digital Transformation has strong roots. This is our passion – seeding the thinking behind a new and better way of transforming companies and watching it grow and become sustainable.
