This content originally appeared on Telerik Blogs and was authored by Amy Reichert
This guide describes how establishing an ACoE provides education, guidance, support and leadership for a successful and permanent change to an Agile methodology.
Change is rarely ever easy. Transforming to an Agile development methodology requires time, patience and perseverance. Any flavor of Agile development requires changes in established work habits and management styles. Establishing an Agile Center of Excellence (ACoE) provides a foundation for changing and adapting to new processes.
During any significant change, organizations quickly realize that the processes and rules may change, but changes are almost never fully adopted. Changes may be adopted in part or temporarily until employees fall back into old habits. Agile is a change in mindset for management and the software development team. Providing an ACoE enables changes to stick and become part of the work culture.
This guide describes how establishing an ACoE provides education, guidance, support and leadership for a successful and permanent change to an Agile methodology.
The Purpose of an ACoE
An ACoE is a group responsible for getting everyone on board and making a successful cultural change. Members educate others about the Agile mindset, processes and techniques and see that they are adopted over time to become part of the work culture. Members become the go-to resource for all things Agile, including the why, when, where and—most importantly—how.
ACoEs frequently start by creating training programs for employees transforming to Agile. Development teams impact how Agile is adopted by changing processes to meet the organization’s needs. For example, rather than having standups daily, it may make more sense to have them biweekly. When teams are remote, organizations let go of the in-person requirements and adjust Agile patterns to meet their needs.
An ACoE defines Agile and how it’s used. Once training is complete, then the support and maintenance phase begins. ACoE members check that every employee and team uses Agile in similar ways and follows the established patterns for consistent adoption. The ACoE makes decisions and provides answers as teams work through process changes.
An effective ACoE builds collaboration between teams and across leadership levels. The ACoE provides solutions and leads the organization to a consistent and effective Agile adoption. Think of an ACoE as the driver of your Agile transformation.
ACoE Tasks, Roles and Responsibilities
ACoE members typically have skills in Agile Coaching or as Scrum Masters. Rather than embedding a scrum master on every team, many organizations opt to include Agile Coaches within an ACoE. Members are not only coaches but must also have leadership and decision-making abilities. Skills in management, human resources and training are essential.
Three prominent roles in an ACoE:
- Lead
- Leadership Coach
- Agile Coach
The ACoE Lead role leads the team and makes strategic decisions on how the team provides support and training. The Lead meets with company leadership to create the Agile strategy and how changes are implemented. The ACoE Lead is typically a company executive or leader who is familiar with the business and its operations, including teams and the functions they provide. The ACoE has an existing background in Agile and can foster change.
The Leadership Coach role guides and supports the ACoE and the Agile Coaches. Leadership Coaches review Agile processes and how teams are using Agile. They work with teams and managers to keep the transformation moving forward. If there are conflicts within a team, the Leadership Coach helps to resolve them and make final decisions on process questions and differences. Leadership Coaches also take employees’ ideas for Agile improvements to the ACoE for consideration.
The Agile Coach is the core of the ACoE team. Agile Coaches develop and present training classes on Agile. They answer questions and provide ongoing support for Agile process questions. Think of an Agile Coach as a Scrum Master. The only real difference is the Agile Coach is the Scrum Master for all teams. Agile Coaches are also responsible for assessing a team’s Agile progress and determining if additional training is needed.
As a team, the ACoE supports the Agile transformation through continuous improvement. The team keeps the processes consistent between teams and measures the result of the Agile change to productivity and business goals.
Setting up an ACoE
Are ACoEs necessary? Depends. It’s not mandatory for Agile transformation to create an ACoE. The advantage of creating and supporting an ACoE is establishing a single source of truth. The ACoE provides training, direction and ongoing support for the Agile transformation process. It facilitates the adoption of Agile over time through continuous improvement.
An ACoE isn’t necessary, but it does provide employees, managers and leadership the same background of how business processes are changing. ACoEs can take the pressure of team managers to drive Agile adoption and focus on software development tasks and release schedules. ACoEs assist employees in transition by providing training and answering questions that arise during Agile adoption.
An effective ACoE reduces the strain on employees to take on additional roles. For example, instead of adding Scrum Master duties to a developer, manager or other team member, the ACoE handles it with an Agile Coach. The more consistent the Agile implementation across teams, the easier for teams to continue their work with less interruption.
When setting up an ACoE, consider the following options:
- Select a development team and do a pilot launch of Agile. The pilot team becomes the ACoE.
- Populate the ACoE from existing employees with an interest in learning a new skill set or who are experienced with Agile.
- Hire external professionals with qualifications and experience organizing and running an ACoE.
The advantage of creating an ACoE with existing internal employees is they are already known and identified with specific skills and knowledge. They likely have developed a rapport with other employees and know how the organization operates. The disadvantage of creating a team from within is that pulling people away from their positions can be difficult. Many will keep working in both positions until a replacement is found and up to speed. The problem is their attention is on work tasks and not the ACoE. Working multiple positions often results in attrition through burnout.
Consider what works best for your organization and development team members. You want them to get quality Agile training and knowledge to select and refine the Agile processes in the most productive pattern for the business.
ACoE Challenges
Making major work process changes like moving to Agile will always present challenges. The first challenge with an ACoE is creating the team. Once you assemble the team, the following may also need addressing:
- Clear and defined purpose
- Leadership and socialization of changes
- Governance and continuous improvement
When creating an ACoE, be sure to define a clear purpose and direction. The ACoE lead also needs the authority to make decisions. Keep the team focused on their function—providing best practices, training and support for teams moving to Agile. An ACoE is both the leader and champion for Agile and an active listener willing to hear other ideas and make process decisions that reflect the needs of the organization and the team.
ACoEs will need executive support and championing. The best way to encourage the use of an ACoE is to actively use it. Let employees see the results of management levels moving to Agile and how they use the ACoE for support and training. Employees learn by example. Make sure everyone is on board with the ACoE and supports its purpose.
One essential practice an ACoE must instill is transparent governance. An ACoE defines Agile base rules and guidance. Many times, rules and guidance stifle innovation and creativity. It’s essential to ensure the ACoE provides all employees the chance to present new ideas or participate in activities. A successful ACoE balances the need to control with active collaboration.
An effective ACoE provides critical support for Agile transformation and creating a smoother transition for employees and processes. With support and direction from a collaborative ACoE, teams lose less time chasing tools and process changes and continue to be productive. Changing work habits and mindsets is not easy, and it takes time and repetitive effort to make a permanent change in the way teams work. An ACoE can help ease the process while creating an Agile knowledge base and control center that supports continuous improvement initiatives across the organization. ACoEs help keep employees and management focused while transforming to Agile.
This content originally appeared on Telerik Blogs and was authored by Amy Reichert
Amy Reichert | Sciencx (2024-09-13T15:31:12+00:00) The Purpose and Promise of an ACoE. Retrieved from https://www.scien.cx/2024/09/13/the-purpose-and-promise-of-an-acoe/
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