Agile Leaders are software development team members who typically have the following job titles:

  • Scrum Master
  • Kanban Manager
  • Product Owner
  • Project/Program Manager (combined with Agile responsibilities)

What distinguishes these jobs from managerial roles is the requirement for Agile leaders to lead their teams without managerial authority. In other words, they must lead by influence rather than having motivating factors such as hiring/firing and promotions to influence behavior and compliance.

But are those lead-by-influence skills taught in Agile certification classes? No, not at all. That leaves Agile leaders to fend for themselves, learning on the job mostly without guidance or support. And if the team members they're leading don't have formal Agile training, then the work is complicated by lack of understanding of Agile, and differing expectations of how the team should operate. This creates ongoing friction, and slows the delivery of product.

How Popular is Agile?

  • Agile methodology is used most in software development (86%) and IT departments (63%). 
  • Scrum continues to be the most popular team level methodology with 63% of Agile users using Scrum.
  • 71% of surveyed organizations use Agile in their software development lifecycle, across all sizes.

(Source: Digital.ai’s 17th State of Agile Report)

With That Level of Usage, Who Still Needs Training?

Many organizations train, but ongoing investment is uneven. Digital.ai’s latest State of Agile report shows only 41% of surveyed organizations increased investment in Agile.

That low or uneven investment means you might possibly have minimally trained full-time employees (FTEs) on your development team. The ratio of FTEs to contractors can be as low as 4:1. In other words, you may not know the training status of as much as 25% of your staff.

Restoring Your Agile Practice

Agile is a human-centric practice that empowers the team members to decide on the best approach based on business requirements. Somewhere along the line we forgot that principle. To restore your Agile Practice you need two separate but equally important types of training: leadership skill mentorships for the leaders, and Agile certification-level training for the entire team, including stakeholders. Here at Corporate Agile Mastery, we offer both.

This Is Not the Time to Hesitate

Get your “Agile house” in order now. Investing in artificial intelligence (AI) and other forward-thinking tools won’t fix a team that is already struggling to deliver. Solving the problem starts with a one-on-one conversation, just you and me.

Let’s discuss your exact situation and talk about what’s next. Click the Talk to Toolie button at right to book a strategy session with Toolie.