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Copyright©2017byMikeBurrows.Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproducedortransmittedinany
formorbyanymeans,electronicormechanical,includingphotocopying,recording,oranyinformationstorageorretrievalsystem,withoutpermissionfromthepublisher.
TheAgendashiftValues-baseddeliveryassessmentiscopyright©2014-2017PositiveInclineLimited,adaptedwithpermissionfromKanbanfromtheInside©2014byMikeBurrows,incollaborationwithDraganJojic.
AgendashiftisatrademarkofPositiveInclineLimited.
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ContentsIntroduction..................................................................................................................................4Audience ............................................................................................................................................5Howtoreadthisbook............................................................................................................................6
PartI:Facilitatingthetransformationprocess............................................................................8
Chapter1. Discovery..............................................................................................................9TheCelebration......................................................................................................................................9Everyoneabletoworkconsistentlyattheirbest...................................................................................915-MinuteFOTO...................................................................................................................................11Review,revise,andorganise................................................................................................................13Behindthescenes................................................................................................................................15
Chapter2. Exploration.........................................................................................................18TheAgendashiftValues-baseddeliveryassessment,miniedition.......................................................18Debriefingasurvey..............................................................................................................................20Agreementonactionareas..................................................................................................................24Organiseyouroutcomeswiththefourpointsexercise.......................................................................25Agreementonscope............................................................................................................................32Behindthescenes................................................................................................................................32
Chapter3. Mapping.............................................................................................................37Thespineofourplan:Atransformationjourney.................................................................................37Visualisingyourtransformationmap...................................................................................................41Reviewandreconcile...........................................................................................................................42Choosewhat’snext..............................................................................................................................43Behindthescenes................................................................................................................................44
Chapter4. Elaboration.........................................................................................................47Optionsthinking...................................................................................................................................47Hypothesis-drivenchange....................................................................................................................48Alternativeapproaches........................................................................................................................54Behindthescenes................................................................................................................................55
Chapter5. Operation...........................................................................................................58Achangeoffocus.................................................................................................................................58Managingyourexperiments................................................................................................................60Towardscontinuoustransformation....................................................................................................65Wheretostart?....................................................................................................................................69Behindthescenes................................................................................................................................72
Epilogue:Fullcircle.....................................................................................................................75
Resources....................................................................................................................................76TheAgendashiftpartnerprogramme..................................................................................................76Resourcesmentionedinthisbook.......................................................................................................76Otherresources....................................................................................................................................76
Acknowledgements....................................................................................................................77
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IntroductionIfyou’vereadmyfirstbook(notthatit’saprerequisitetothisone)you’llbefamiliarwiththeline“ahumane,startwithwhatyoudonowapproachtochange”.Wholechaptersweredevotedtotechniquesforunderstandingwhatyoudonowfromarangeofdifferentperspectives.Clearly,Iwasveryattachedtothisprinciple.Istillam!
Contrastthatwithanotherwell-knownprinciple,habit#2ofStephenCovey’s7Habits:Beginwiththeendinmind.Thefunnything?That’sagreatprincipletoholdtoo.
Theapparentparadoxbetweenstartwithwhatyoudonowandbeginwiththeendinmindisactuallyquiteeasytoresolveifwecanacceptthatthelatterisn’taboutsolutiondesignbutisinsteadaboutoutcomes.Thiscanbealiberatingthought:
• It’soktohavesolutionsthatyouwouldn’treadinanytextbook• It’soknottohavealltheanswersrightaway• It’soktoletyoursolutionsevolveinresponsetoorinanticipationofchanging
conditionsandneeds• It’soktobescepticalofpeoplewho–withnorespectforyourparticularcontext–
showlittleinterestinunderstandingbutarestillquickwiththeirprescriptions
Allowingthisinterpretation,thetwoprinciplescomplementeachotherwell:
1. Startwithwhatyoudonowisabouttherealitiesexperiencedeachworkingday,whatmakesthemgood,bad,orindifferent,andhowtheydoordon’tmeetpeople’sneeds,insideoroutsidetheorganisation
2. Beginwiththeendinmindisaboutthefuture-orientedpurposeandambitionfromwhichflowsthedeterminationtofaceuptochallengesthatmightotherwisebeshiedawayfrom
Thisbookisaboutconnectingthetwoperspectives,bringingtolifeasharedambitiontomeetneedsbothinternalandexternalbetterthanyourorganisationiscurrentlyachieving.It’saboutdiggingdeeptogethertodiscoverwhatthoseambitionsare,identifyingobstaclestothoseambitions,findingagreementonjointly-ownedoutcomes,andfollowingthroughsystematically.Itissimultaneouslyanchoredinreality,forward-looking,andoutward-looking.It’srespectfulofbothcontextandexpertise,thelattertobebroughttobearontheformerwhenthegroundisatitsmostfertileandtheopportunityisgreatest.
WeliketodescribeAgendashiftasinclusive,values-based,andmethodology-neutral–threewaysinwhichitisindeedquitedistinctive.Tobegintounderstandwhatthismeans,herearefewthingsthatitisnot:
• ItisnotwhatIwouldcalla20thcenturychangemanagementapproach,whichistosayonethatconcernsitselfwithovercomingresistance
• Itisnottiedtoasingledeliverymethodology,concernedwithadherencetoaprescribedsetofpractices
• Itisnotover-reliantonmechanistic,process-basedviewsofhoworganisationswork
Insteadofbracingourselvesforresistancetoalienideasforwhichpeopleareinadequatelyprepared,Agendashifthelpsbothpractitionersandsponsorstoproceedwithgenuineopenness,givingpeopleplentyofopportunityformeaningfulparticipation.Insteadof
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prescription,Agendashiftisgenerative,stimulatingpeopletogeneratearangeofappropriateoptionsincontext,whethernovelorby-the-book.
Processisimportant(we’reundernoillusionsthere),butwe’reaslikelytofocusonthequalityandtimingofconversationsasweareonformalprocessdesign.
“Inclusive,values-based,andmethodology-neutral”aregooddifferentiators,butperhapsevenmoreimportantis“outcome-oriented”.Ofcourse,fewframeworksinthisspacewouldclaimotherwise,butoutcomesreallyarecentraltoAgendashift.I’mnotreferringtogeneralisedclaimsaboutitsresults(justifications,rationalisations,orhandwaving,ifyouhaveatendencytowardsscepticismaboutthesethings).Instead,outcomesareAgendashift’smaincurrency.Everyexerciseyouwillencounterinthisbookinsomewayelicitsorworkswithanoutcomeofsomekind–astrategicgoal,theimpactofsomeplannedaction,orsomeintermediatekindofoutcomethatconnectsthetwotogether.
Audience
IhailfromtheLean-Agilecommunity,adiversecommunitythatcelebratesLeanandAgilebothseparatelyandtogether.Manyofourmembershavedeepexpertiseinspecificdeliverymethodologies,butratherthanseeingtheseasrivals,thecommunityasawholeremainssteadfastlynon-factional(acharacteristicofmostofitsmembersalso,perhapsalmostbydefinition).Forallourpointsofsuperficialdifferenceorpreference,wemanage(byandlarge)toseethroughtotheunderlyingprinciplesthatunderpinsomuchofwhatwedo.
Agendashift’spointsofdistinctionresonatewithmanymembersoftheLean-Agilecommunity,butthetruthisthattoomanyLean,Agile,orLean-Agileinitiativesaren’tsocarefulintheirapproachtochange.Intheclumsiestexamples,weareleftwonderingwhathappenedtoLeanandAgilevalues.WhereistheRespectforpeople?WhathappenedtoPeopleandinteractionsoverprocessesandtools?Conversely,theresultsarehardlyanylessdishearteningwhentransformationeffortsaretimidordirectionless:teamsgoingthroughthemotions,lackinganysenseofenergyandpurpose,neverlikelytodiscoveranythingbetter.Eitherway,someoutcome-orientationissorelyneeded.
Whateveryourbackground,readthisbookifanyofthefollowingapply:
• You’veaninterest–whetherasapractitionerorpotentialsponsor–inLean-Agilechange(perhapsunderabannerof“Agiletransformation”orsimilar)
• You’dliketoseewhata21stcenturychangemanagementapproachcanlooklike,andhowthatmightinformyourworkascoach,consultant,orsomeotherkindofchangeagent
• You’dlovetoseeamodelforLean-AgilechangethatproperlyreflectsLean-AgilevaluesanddemonstratesLean-Agileprocessandthinkinginoperation
Furthertothatlastpoint,whilstit’shardtoseparateAgendashiftfromLean-Agilethinking,there’snothingparticularlyIT-specificordevelopment-specificaboutit.IthasbeenusedoutsideofIT,withparticipantsasdiverseaseventplanners,trainingmaterialdesigners,C-suiteexecutives,andnewjoiners.Ithasbeenusedatorganisationsinindustriesasdiverseasfinancialservices,electronicsmanufacturing,andthenon-profitsector.Ifyou’renotfromITyourself,feelfreetoskipoveranythingthatdoesn’tapplyinyourfield;youshouldneedtodosoonlyrarely.
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Howtoreadthisbook
ThefivechaptersofPartI,TheAgendashifttransformationprocess,aremodelledonthefivemainsectionsoftheAgendashifttransformationmappingworkshop(forclientorganisations)andtheAgendashiftfacilitatorday(forpractitioners):
1. Discovery2. Exploration3. Mapping4. Elaboration5. Operation
NotthatAgendashiftisonlyforbigworkshops.Youwillfindexercisesthatcanbeusedstandalonewithmostteamsregardlessofwheretheyareintheirjourney,anddemonstrationsoftoolsandtechniquesyoucanusetoenrichyourcoachinginteractions.Inroughlytheorderoftheirintroduction,you’llseeelementsdrawnfromCleanLanguage,Cynefin,Agile,LeanStartup,andLean,andKanban.YoucaneventhinkoftheprocessdescribedinPartIasamodelforcoachingengagements,anideawe’llrevisitinchapter5.
Foraquickintroduction,readjustchapters1and5.Foraslightlylongerread,youcangetaparticipant’sfeelfortheprocessbyreadingallfivechaptersbutskippingtheBehindthescenessectionsofchapters1-4.Thesearealwaysattheendofeachchapter–I’mastrongbelieverin“experiencebeforeexplanation”.Ofcourse,ifyou’resomeonewholikestounderstandhowitallfitstogether,you’llwanttoreadPartIfromstarttofinish.
Allowmetomentionthreewordsthatcaneasilybemisinterpreted:transformation,change,andimprovement.Eachofthesecansuggestdifferentmeaningstodifferentpeopleandtriggersomeverydifferentreactions.
ItisimportanttosayfromtheoutsetthatLeanandAgilebothcomewiththestrongexpectationthatsystemsshouldcontinuetoevolve.Forthosewhoworrythattransformationmeanslimitingourselvestotime-boundprojects,let’sforthepurposesofPartIagreethattransformationisbutshorthandforourgoalofcontinuoustransformation,whichIwoulddefineastransformationthatis:
• Respectfulofpresentandpast,thecurrentcontextandthejourney• Appropriatelyambitiousforthefuture–notgrandiose,butwithgoalsmore
ambitiousthantypicallyimpliedbycontinuousimprovement,inspectandadapt,andthelike
• Notjustreactive,butproactiveandanticipatory• Happeningallthetimebecause–bydesignandbyhabit–theorganisation’score
systemsnowdemandandsustainit
Anothertrickywordischange,andnotjustforthereactionsitprovokes.Itcanrefereithertoaverybroadconcept,ortoaspecificquantumoftransformation.Inthelattersense,theindividualchangeswerefertoareoftensmallandrelativelyeasytoimplement,butwemustn’texcludechangesthataresubstantialordifficult.
Finally,animprovementisjustachange–smallorlarge–thatmadethingsbetter.We’rehumbleenoughtoadmitthatwecanknowthisforsureonlyinretrospect.
PartII,StoriesofLean-Agiletransformation,isn’twrittenyet!Whenit’sdone,you’llseereal-worldexamplesofwhatcanbeachieved.Itwillcontainillustrationsofthevarietyof
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waysinwhichAgendashift’snon-prescriptiveassessmentpromptshavebeenrealisedwithexcellence.Ifyou’refamiliarwiththeAgendashiftassessmentandhavestoriestoshare,getintouch.
[email protected],ifyou’relikingwhatyou’rereading,anappreciativetweettohashtag#agendashiftwouldbeawesome.Thankyou.
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PartI:Facilitatingthetransformationprocess
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Chapter1. Discovery
TheCelebration
Picturethescene:It’ssomemonthsfromnow,andyou’recelebrating!Isn’titwonderfultoseeeveryonetogetherlikethis?Andyoudeserveit:overthisperiod,you,yourteams,andyourentireorganisationhaveachievedfarmorethananyonewouldhavethoughtpossible.Youdaredtoaimhigh,andstillyousmashedit!
Whatmakesthiscelebrationsospecial?Let’sexplorethat.
Q:Lookingbackfromthatcelebration,whataccomplishmentsseemthemostmeaningful?
Startwiththeaccomplishmentsthatwouldberecognisablefromoutsidetheorganisation:significantdeliveries,newproductdevelopments,completedprojects,serviceimprovements,financialandcustomersatisfactiontargetsmet,andsoon.Whatmadetheseimportant?Whatwasthelevelofchallengeinvolved?
Afterthosepublicsuccesses,identifyaccomplishmentsthatweremoreinternal,lessvisibletotheoutsideobserver.Whatimpact(directandindirect)didtheymake?
Q:Whoshouldbeatthatcelebration?
Whodeservestobethere?Asimpleenoughquestionyoumightthink,butdon’tstopat‘theteam’orlimityourselftopeoplewemightcall‘contributors’.Whosupportedyou?Whoinfluencedyou?Whohelpedyousimplybygettingoutoftheway?Whatpartdidyoursuppliersandcustomersplayinyoursuccesses?Whoseneedsdidyoumeet?
Youmightfindithelpfultodraworrefertopicturesofsomekind–forexamplediagramsofyourprocessflow,chartsofyourorganisationalstructure,networkmapsshowingwhoinfluenceswhom,perhapsevenvisualisationsofmarketstructureifyouneedtothinkthatbig.
Nowthatyou’veidentifiedeveryone,whatwouldtheybesaying?Fromtheirdifferentperspectives,whatwouldbetothemthemostmeaningfulofyouraccomplishmentsoverthesespecialmonths?Howwouldtheydescribetheirinvolvement?Inwhatwayshasyournew-foundsuccessbeenbeneficialtothem?Andthebigquestion:Why–whydoesitmatter?
Everyoneabletoworkconsistentlyattheirbest
Irecallsomeofmycareer-definingaccomplishmentswithmixedfeelings.There’sapositivesenseofpridetherecertainly–that’sonlynaturalwhenIlookbackonagenuinelymission-criticalprojectgettingdeliveredearly,forexample.Irememberthecamaraderie,thebondsforgedwithcolleaguesinthefaceofstruggle.Buttherewasadarksidetoo:longstretchesofseverepressure,relentlesseffort,interruptednights,separationbothphysicallyandmentallyfromlovedones.Thesealltookatoll,andnotjustonthosethatsigneduptothework.Wasitworthit?
Fromtheunusualvantagepointofthecelebration(apossiblefuturewhen),we’vehadtheopportunitytoexploresomeofyourwhat,who,andwhy.Foryourhow,insteadofunsustainablelevelsofheroiceffort(20-hourdays,eatingonlypizza,sleepingunderdesks),
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let’simaginesomethingmoreradical.Whatifyourcollectiveaccomplishmentshavebeenachievedbecauseconsistently:
• Everyoneisabletoworkattheirbest–individually,withintheirteams,andbetweenteams,acrosstheorganisation
• Therightconversationsinvolvingtherightpeopletakeplaceatthebestpossiblemoment
• Needsareanticipatedandmetatjusttherighttime
Q:What’sthatlike?
Whatisthatlike?“Fantastic!”youmightsay(Igetthatansweralot).Diggingdeeper:
• Whatisitlikeforindividualstobeabletoworkconsistentlyattheirbest?Whatisitlikeforteams?Betweenteams,acrossthewiderorganisation?
• Whatistheeffectofthose“rightpeople,rightmoment”conversations?Whatcausesthemtohappen?
• Whatisitliketohaveneedsanticipatedandthosefrustratingdelaysremoved?• Whatelseareyouobservingnowthatyouweren’tobservingbefore?Whatisno
longerhappening?Whatareyouseeingmoreof?Lessof?• What’stheexternalimpactofthesechanges?Whatwouldyourotherstakeholders
(thepeopleyoupreviouslyidentifiedthataren’ttheonesdoingthework)makeofitall?Didtheyhelpyoubymakingchangestoo?
Q:Whatobstaclesstandintheway?
Clearly,muchhaschanged.Inordertoachieveeveryoneabletoworkconsistentlyattheirbest,whatobstaclesdidyouneedtoovercome?Theexercisethatfollowsthisonewilltakealistofobstaclesasinput,sowritethemdown.Ifithelps,switchoffyourtimemachine(it’sok,youwon’tbeneedingitagain)andworkinthepresent,thehereandnow.Whatobstaclesmustyouovercome?
Whenyou’redone,reviewyourlist.Trytophraseyourobstaclessothatthey’renotwrittenintermsofsomething’sabsence.Forexample,insteadofthese:
• Peoplenottalkinguntilit’stoolate• Slack(themessagingsystem)notrolledoutwidelyenough
Trythese:
• Peopleholdingontoinformationuntilscheduledmeetingstakeplace,orwaitinguntilsomethinggoeswrong
• Over-relianceonemail,whenmoreimmediateformsofcommunicationwouldbemoreeffective
Recastingyourobstacleslikethiscanhavetwoimportantbenefits.Thefirstisthatitencouragesyoutobespecific.Specificobstaclesaremucheasiertoovercomethanover-generalisedones.Thesecondisthatithelpsyouavoidacommontrap,thatofdescribingaproblemonlyintermsoftheabsenceofsomeprematurely-favouredsolution.Notonlydoesthislazythinkingdenypeopletheopportunitytoconsideralternatives,ittendstohidethefullextentofunderlyingproblems.
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15-MinuteFOTO
Injust15minutes,we’regoinggotofromobstaclestooutcomes.It’sasimpleteamgameorcoachingexercise,inwhichyoutakeobstaclesfromyourlistoneatatimeandfromthemgenerateasmanydesiredoutcomesasyoucan.Ofcourse,Icouldjustaskyoutowritesomedown,butwherewouldbethefuninthat?Asinanygoodgametherearesomeconstraints:it’splayedagainsttheclock,andtherearerules.
Inthefullversionofthegametherearethreeplayerroles.Itispreferabletohavethemfulfilledbydifferentpeople,butifyou’replayingsoloyouwon’thavethatluxury.Theresponsibilitiesofeachroleareasfollows:
1. Client:presentsobstaclesandspeaksfortheorganisation2. Coach:guidestheconversation3. Scribe:takesnotesontheconversation,listeningtotheclientforanythingthat
mightbeanoutcome(howeverweakorvague),whilstsupervisingthecoach
Clienthereofcoursemeanscoachingclient,notcustomer.
Thegameproceedsasaseriesofconversations,eachinitiatedbytheclientpresentinganobstacle.Eachconversationthenalternatesbetweenclientandcoach.There’sacatchhowever:underthescribe’ssupervision,thecoachisrequiredtosticktoamenuofjustfivecleanquestions:
1. Whatwouldyouliketohavehappen?2. (WhenX)Thenwhathappens?3. WhathappensbeforeX?4. WhatkindofX?5. IsthereanythingelseaboutX?
Thecoachusesonlythesequestions,replacingtheX’swithwordstheclienthaspreviouslyspoken,repeatedverbatim.Thequestionscanbeusedinanyorderandit’soktokeeprepeatingaquestion.Inthedemonstrationbelowthecoachusesrepetitiontogoodeffect.I’veunderlinedanywordsorphrasesthescribemightrecogniseasoutcomesanduseditalicswherevercoachhassubstitutedtheclient’sownwordsforeach‘X’inthequestiontemplate:
Client: Ourstandupmeetingsarerubbish!
Coach:Whatwouldyouliketohavehappen?
Client: Theytakefartoolong
Coach:WhatwouldyouLIKEtohavehappen?
Client:Well,shortermeetingswouldbegood
Coach:Thenwhathappens?
Client:We’llallgetbacktoworkmorequickly
Coach:Thenwhathappens?
Client:We’llbealotmoreproductive
Coach:Whatkindofproductive?
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Client: Thekindofproductivewhereourtimeisn’twastedbyconversationsofnodirectinteresttous
Coach:Whatkindofconversationsofnodirectinteresttous?
Client:Gossipsometimes,butalsoproblem-solvingconversations
Coach:Isthereanythingelseaboutproblem-solvingconversations?
Client: I’dliketoseethem[problem-solvingconversations]happeningassoonastheproblemarises,butforstarterswecanatleastkeepthem[problem-solvingconversations]outofourstandups
Coach:Whathappensbeforewecanatleastkeepthemoutofourstandups?
Client:We’llneedsomeworkingagreementsonhowourstandupsareconducted,withthoseconversationsparkedandrescheduledrightaway
Coach:Thenwhathappens?
Client:We’llhavemoredisciplinedmeetingsandweshouldbeconfidentthatissueswillbedealtwithproperly
Coach:Thenwhathappens?
Client: Issuesgetresolvedsooner,workgetsdeliveredmorequickly,happiercustomers,…
Imakethat13outcomesfromasingleobstacle.Notbad!
Whatwouldyouliketohavehappen?
Thisisthecoach’squestionofchoicenearthestartofeachconversation.Rememberthateachconversationisinitiatedbytheclientwithanobstacle,somethingtheywishwasn’tthereordidn’thappen.“Whatwouldyouliketohavehappen?”tendstohavetheeffectof‘flipping’obstaclesintooutcomes,theclientrespondingwithsomethingmuchmorepositive.Notalwaysthough!Asinmydemonstration,thecoachmayneedtorepeatthisquestioniftheclientseemsdeterminedtooffloadmultipleobstacles.
(WhenX)Thenwhathappens?
Thisquestionexploressequence,consequence,andimpact.Givenanoutcome,askingthisquestionislikelytoresultinanotheroutcome.Askitrepeatedly,andyoumightgetawholechainofoutcomes.
“Thenwhathappens?”onitsownistypicallyallyouneed.Youcanprecedeitwiththeoptional“WhenX”partifyouneedtoreferbacktoanearlierpartoftheconversation,likethis:
Whenwe’llallbealotmoreproductive,thenwhathappens?
Don’tworryifitsoundsslightlyodd–it’sonlyagame,remember!
WhathappensbeforeX?
Perhapsyoudon’tunderstandtheleapoflogicthatleadstotheoutcomeyou’vejustheard.Noproblem–justreeltheconversationback:
Whathappensjustbeforeeveryone’samillionaire?
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WhatkindofX?
Askthisverypowerfulquestionwhenyouhearsomethingabstractandyouthinkitcouldbeusefultoidentifysomethingmorespecific:
Whatkindofproductive?
Whatkindofcollaborative?
Occasionallytheansweryoureceivetothisverypowerfulquestionwillbehighlyunexpectedandveryilluminating.Ifitfeelsliketheconversationismovingintometaphor,don’tworry–afreshinsightmightberevealingitself.Goexplore!
IsthereanythingelseaboutX?
If“WhatkindofX?”isacleanwaytoask“Canyoubemorespecific?”,then“IsthereanythingelseaboutX?”isacleanalternativeto“Canyouelaborate?”.It’salsoahandywaytogobackandexploresomethingthatwassaidatsomeearlierpointintheconversation.
Let’splay
Getorganisedwithalistofobstaclesinfrontoftheclient,themenuofcleanquestionsforthecoach(seeFigure1),andpaperandpenforthescribe.
Figure1:Cleanquestionscuecard
Setatimerfor15minutes,invitetheclienttostarteachconversationwithanewobstacle,andseehowmanyoutcomesyoucangenerate.
Don’twaitfortheperfectly-formedoutcome.Scribe,writethemalldown,howeverweakorvaguetheymaysound.Quicklymoveontothenextobstacleifyoufindthatyouaregettingboggeddown.Rotaterolesifithelps.
Review,revise,andorganise
Takesometimetogethertoreviewthelistofoutcomesyou’vegenerated.Ifyouhavefewerthan15,tryplayingforafewminuteslonger,tryinvolvingmorepeople(itisn’treallyasologame),orconsidergettingsomehelp.Yourfriendlyneighbourhoodcoach,consultant,orfacilitatorshouldbeabletopickthisexerciseupquicklyifthey’renotalreadyfamiliarwithit.
Withagreement,feelfreetoeditordiscardanyoutcomesofdubiousquality.Rephraseanythatreadlikeactionsorsolutions.Iftheyallseemtooabstracttobeactionable,usethe
A proud member of the
(When X)Then what
happens?
What happens before X?
What kind of X?
Is there anything else about X?
What would you like to have happen?
#cleanlanguage www.agendashift.com
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WhatkindofX?orIsthereanythingelseaboutX?questionsonthemostmeaningfulonestogeneratemoreforyourlist.
Asimplewaytoorganiseyouroutcomesisunderthesethreeheadings:
• Goals(orAspirations)–whereyou’dliketogetto• Opportunities–outcomesyoucanrealisesoon• Intermediateoutcomes–signsofsignificantprogressonyourwaytoyourgoals
Nowyouhavesomethingyoucankeepandreferbacktolater.Here(Figure2,inamixtureofEnglishandNorwegian)isanexampleproducedatapractitioner’sworkshopinOslo:
Figure2Outcomes,organised
Youcouldtakethisfurther,collectingtogetheryourhopes,priorities,andrationaleforyourtransformation.Andit’sonlychapter1!Don’tletmestopyou,butmyusualadviceherewouldtocreatesuchaplanonlyafteryouhave:
1) workedalittleharderfirsttoengageothersintheprocess,repeatingtheexercisesofthischapterwiththerightpeopleintheroom,and
2) workedalittlemoresystematicallytowardsfindingoutwherethetrueopportunitieslie,obtainingsufficientdetailforyoutomakeinformedjudgementsaboutscope,objectives,andapproach.
Point1Ileavewithyou.Seriouslyconsidergettinghelpfromsomeoneimpartialtothespecificsofyoursituation,experiencedinthetransformationprocess,andskilledinfacilitatingtheseexercises.Point2isaddressedinthenextchapter,Exploration.
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Behindthescenes
RediscoveringDiscovery
TheAgilemanifestobeginswiththesewords:
“Weareuncoveringbetterwaysofdevelopingsoftwarebydoingitandhelpingothersdoit.”
Idon’tknowwhatguidedthechoiceoftheword“uncovering”,but“discovering”mighthavedonethejobequallywell.It’sawordthatisquitefamiliarinAgilecircles;it’sappliedquiteoftentothemost‘upstream’activityofthedeliveryprocess.
AlreadyweseetwodistinctkindsofDiscovery:
1) Process/operationaldiscovery:Finding(“uncovering”)opportunitieslargeandsmalltochangehowthingswork
2) Product/servicediscovery:Understandingtheneedsthatspecificproductsandserviceswillseektofulfil,especiallytheneedsthathelptodefinewhatthoseproductsandservicesarefor
There’sathirdkindofDiscoverythat’slesswidelyrecognisedbutisjustasimportant:
3) Organisational/strategicdiscovery:Rediscoveringandreaffirmingwhattheorganisationisabout–itspurpose,itsvalues,the‘strategicneeds’itseekstoaddress,howitservessociety,andsoon–theultimatereferencepointsfortheorganisation’salignmentmechanisms
Thethreediscoveryactivitieshelptoorientprocess,product,andorganisation(thecornersofthetriangleinFigure3)towardsfuturepotentialand–wehope–lastingsuccess.
Figure3TheOrganisation/Product/Processtriangle
Organisation
Product Process
Capability(adaptability)
Delivery(performance)
Mission(fitness)
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YoumayrecognisesomethingofGreenleaf’sServantLeadershipinmydescriptionofOrganisational/strategicdiscovery.StudentsofLeanwillcertainlyrecogniseaspectsofit:alongwiththeorganisation’smorecontextualcorevalues,itsmission,andsoon,conceptssuchasTrueNorthandRespectforpeopledefinitelybelonghere.Arguably,asanenduringorganisationalgoalthatremainsalwaysjustbeyondreach,Just-in-timebelongsherejustasmuchasitdoesintheprocesscorner.
BothLeanandAgile–andtherebyLean-Agile–areexplicitabouttheneedforProcess/operationaldiscovery,withawiderangeofapproachesandtechniquesonoffer.Thereisagreatdealofcross-fertilisationhappeninghere,asmuchbetweentheproductandprocesscornersasbetweenbodiesofknowledge,withprocessideasbeingappliedtoproduct,andviceversa.Thisproduct/process‘duality’ismostobviousinLeanStartup,whichtook20thcenturyprocessimprovementideasandusedthemasthefoundationsforavery21stcentury-soundingframeworkfortheproductspace(moreonthisinChapter4).
DysfunctionariseswhenanyofthesethreeDiscoveryactivitiesaredonepoorlyormisalignmentsbetweenthemgounaddressed:theorganisationlacksasenseofdirection,productsandservicesdon’tseemtofit,andsourcesofinefficiencyandfrustrationareallaround.
Ontheotherhand,whenDiscoveryisdoneproactively,skilfully,andwithhonestandopenengagementofpeopleinsideandoutsidetheimmediatecircleofthesponsororteam,it’sthebeginningofatrueresolutiontotheapparentdichotomybetweentop-downandbottom-upchange.It’sonlyastart,butit’saverygoodstart.
CleanquestionsandCleanLanguage
Whatalotofquestions!Withrareexceptionsmyquestionssharedthesecharacteristics:
• Theyweren’tbinary,butopen.Inotherwords,Iaskedquestionsthatdidn’tinviteayes/noanswer.
• Theyweren’tleadingquestions,butgenuine–genuineinthesensethatIdidn’talreadyhaveaparticularanswerinmind.
Cleanquestionstakethisupanotchortwo.ThefiveweusedinthegamearejustasmallsubsetofthequestionsmaintainedbytheCleanLanguagecommunity,acommunitybuiltaroundtheworkofconsultingpsychologistthelateDavidGrove.ForthepurposesofthisbookIchosequestionsmostsuitedtoexploringoutcomes;othersquestionscanbeusedtoexploretimeandspace,relationshipsbetweenthings,andmetaphor.
Thequestionsare‘clean’inthesensethattheyarestrippedofassumptions,promotingastateofgenuineenquiry.WhenyoupracticeCleanLanguage,youheightenyourawarenessofwhenyou’rejudgingoradvisingbeforeyou’veproperlylistened.Ifyouhaveanyinterestatallincoaching,Iwholeheartedlyrecommendexploringitfurther.
MyownexperienceofCleanLanguagestartedwiththesethreebooks,inthisorder:
• TheFiveMinuteCoach:ImprovePerformanceRapidlyLynneCooper&MarietteCastellino(2012)
• CleanLanguage:RevealingMetaphorsandOpeningMindsWendySullivan&JudyRees(2008)
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• FromContempttoCuriosity:CreatingtheConditionsforGroupstoCollaborateUsingCleanLanguageandSystemicModellingCaitlinWalker(2014)
Viawww.agendashift.com/resourcesyoucanobtainaPDFforthecuecardshowninFigure1.IrecommendthatyougetageneroussupplyoftheseprintedonA5-sizedcard,enoughthatyoucanlet‘coaches’(oranyoneelseinterested)keepthemafterplayingthegame.
Notethatthecardsincludeasixthcleanquestionnotcoveredinthischapter:
• IstherearelationshipbetweenXandY?
We’llintroduceitproperlyinthenextchapter.
Workingconsistentlyatyourbest
Inthelastofthosebooks,CaitlinWalkerbuildsfromfoundationsofCleanLanguageasetofrelatedtechniquesshecallsSystemicModelling™.Amongtheseareexercisesexploringwhatitisliketoworkatyourbest,andthesearetheinspirationforAgendashift’sEveryoneabletoworkconsistentlyattheirbestexercise.
Weaddedtheseelements:
• Therightconversationsinvolvingtherightpeopletakeplaceatthebestpossiblemoment
• Needsareanticipatedandmetatjusttherighttime
“Rightconversations,rightpeople,rightmoment”isoneimportantsignthatAgileisgoingwell.ItcouldbesaidthatAgileframeworksdon’tguaranteethisoutcomebuttheydoatleastestablishpatternsoffrequentandregularconversation,thebeginning(onehopes)oftruecollaboration.
Inasimilarvein,“…metatjusttherighttime”isahumanisedformofLean’sJust-in-time(JIT)principle.Thementionofneedsisdeliberate–itwillberecurringtheme.Agendashiftmightbenon-prescriptive,butthatdoesn’tmeanthatitcan’tbeopinionated!
Whenfacilitatingthisexercisewekeepinmindthatitspurposeisnottoaskforbuy-inoridentificationwithAgile,Lean,orLean-Agile;neitherisittoteach.Itsjobistoengagetheimagination,anditdoesthatverywell.