Agility vs. Agile Frameworks: Why Frameworks Are Not Enough!

The term agility has gained popularity in the business world over the last decade, often associated with keywords such as Scrum, SAFe, Chapters and Guilds, and other governance frameworks and organizational models.

These frameworks promise to bring corporations into a world of fantastic MVPs and MLPs that perfectly cater to customer needs in a matter of a few sprints.

However, the truth is far more complex than that. Simply reorganizing a company into a matrix and hiring a few product owners and Scrum Masters will not necessarily result in agility. It's like putting on a ballerina costume and expecting to dance like a professional. Unfortunately, it doesn't work like that.

So, what is agility, and how can we achieve it in the context of business? Agility means the ability to respond quickly to internal and external changes. It implies having the capability to actively and constantly monitor market and organizational conditions, make timely decisions about the best course of action, and mobilize people and resources to carry out the newly established direction.

There is no mention of Scrum, SAFe, or any other framework, method, or tool. The reason is that these are insufficient on their own, and in some cases, may not be appropriate for the situation at hand.

To achieve agility you need to address the three abilities mentioned earlier.

Firstly, you need to have the ability to constantly and actively monitor market and organizational conditions. Does the organization have the necessary data to make decisions at all levels? Are you able to understand both market trends and internal company changes and constraints? If not, what can you do to make it happen?

Secondly, you need to have the ability to make timely decisions about the best course of action based on the data collected.

Are there clear boundaries in terms of autonomy and decision-making authority? Do you have single-threaded leaders for the topics that are important to our organization?

Lastly, you need to have the ability to mobilize people and resources to carry out the newly established course of action.

Are you able to prioritize, initiate, and terminate initiatives quickly? Or are you using a waterfall approach to project delivery, going from business case to execution? And are you fostering a culture of collaboration and accountability?

Answering these questions should take precedence. And only then, focus on methodologies.

Moreover, to increase the chances of success, each team should have the option of using Scrum or another methodology.

The adoption of methodologies can help but alone means nothing.