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Interplay of different dimensions

Dimensions of a transformation

Quick-Check

Estimated reading time 13 min
DIMENSIONS OF TRANSFORMATION PROCESSES IN THE QUICK CHECK

The agile transformation of a company is individual, multifaceted and always complex. The transformation process often aims to increase responsiveness and adaptability in order to further develop the company and increase competitiveness. However, it is not enough to train all employees exclusively in Scrum. Failure to take structural framework conditions into account harbours numerous risks for transformation projects in a business context.

In today's article, we present the Quick Check. A tool that provides valuable insights at the start of and during a transformation. It looks at various dimensions that are relevant to business agility and supports transformation teams in planning and aligning the change.

Challenges of a transformation

‘We are planning an agile transformation. We would like to train all employees in Scrum and switch our product development to agile as quickly as possible’.

We often receive such or similar enquiries via the LEITWERK Academy.

The use of Scrum as a framework, Jira as one of the agile project management tools, or even the reorganisation of a department are the first steps that come to mind for many managers when it comes to an agile transformation. However, many organisations only realise that the transformation of a company is a very complex project in which a large number of other framework conditions of the organisation need to be examined and adapted when they are in the middle of the process.

Training and the use of tools are important, but not enough.

The methodological empowerment of employees is an important component of change. But it should be seen as just that: An element or a building block on the path to change. At the same time, existing structures need to be fundamentally reviewed and prepared for new challenges. Questions such as: How is value defined in the company? Are projects and products prioritised? Where are decisions made? Does the incentive system promote cross-team collaboration? help to critically scrutinise existing structures and present organisations with new challenges as part of the transformation process.

Challenges of a transformation
An inspiring vision, an internal transformation team and empowering leadership provide the basis for successful change.
Luisa Elsesser
Senior Consultant

Initial questions for preparation

Once the following questions have been answered, a basis has been created and transformation initiatives can begin.

  • Icon Motivation & inspiring vision

    Motivation & inspiring vision

    First and foremost, fundamental strategic questions need to be answered. A tangible target image and a motivating vision (see also our blog post ‘Success factors of a company transformation’) help to structure the change process, unite the company and align individual initiatives together in a results-orientated manner.

    Supporting questions are:

    • What are the reasons for the change?
    • What specifically is the change intended to achieve?
    • What are the expectations of agility?
    • Is the organisation ready for the effort of the joint journey?
  • Icon Internal transformation team

    Internal transformation team

    Sustainable change must come from within the organisation and be driven internally. In this case, a representative transformation team takes on the responsibility of finding the right initiatives for the organisation. The following questions can be used to check whether the team is correctly staffed:

    • Can the team represent the entire organisation across disciplines and hierarchies?
    • Is there a mandate to decide on changes for the organisation, for example from a sponsor in top management?
    • Is there sufficient capacity to fulfil all roles and tasks of the transformation?
  • Icon Supportive and encouraging leadership

    Supportive and encouraging leadership

    Managers are not only role models, they are in a position to enable or slow down change. Especially when we talk about empowering teams, it is necessary to hold managers accountable. Important prerequisites for this are

    • Do managers recognise their role as drivers of change?
    • Are they prepared to scrutinise and change themselves and their leadership approach?

The beginning of a transformation
Initiatives for organisational development

A transformation is a shared journey of the company in which various dimensions of the organisation must be considered with a systemic approach in order to effectively align measures and thus enable iterative and sustainable improvement. There is a strong interaction between the dimensions, which means that the development of one dimension can prevent or drive the further development of another.

An understanding of organisational interrelationships makes it possible to define initiatives with the greatest leverage.

In order to make the complexity of a holistic transformation more concrete and tangible, we have visualised all dimensions on our Quick Check: Maturity Assessment. The dimensions are derived from both scientifically based findings and our accumulated practical experience.

Agile Quick Check

Work with the Quick Check in 5 steps

The Quick Check consists of six dimensions, each with three sub-dimensions. The agile maturity of an organisation can be determined and assessed with the help of the sub-dimensions. The scale comprises the values 0 (= not agile) to 10 (= agile). It should be noted that it is not necessarily the goal of every transformation to achieve a score of 10 on each sub-dimension. The application and benefits of the Quick Check are described in more detail below:

Create awareness

The first step is to familiarise yourself with the various dimensions, sub-dimensions and their characteristics and to understand implicit dependencies. This can be done in the course of a kick-off workshop with the client and transformation team, for example. After a more detailed presentation of the dimensions, examples from day-to-day work help to identify connections in your own organisation.

Mapping the current status

What follows is an initial self-assessment of the current situation by the transformation team. Where are we on the scale from 0 = ‘non-agile’ to 10 = ‘agile’? This is done, for example, with the help of planning poker logic, i.e. by simultaneously revealing a number between 0 and 10 in order to obtain an unbiased view of the individual participants. By revealing the individual assessments, opposing assumptions become visible. In many cases, focus topics for the transformation can already be derived from the discussions. (Structural) framework conditions or possible obstacles can also be identified and visualised. The self-assessment can be expanded to include other perspectives - for example through interviews, questionnaires or a dedicated workshop with representatives from different hierarchical levels of the company. This approach is more time-consuming, but enables a holistic picture of the current situation based on different empirical values.

Outline the target state

Based on the findings, an initial target state is defined together with the transformation team, which is aligned with the vision of the transformation and agreed with the client. The following questions are answered: Where should the organisation be heading - based on current experience? How do we recognise that we have achieved our goal? The target state is documented and recorded directly on the Quick Check template and also in a formulated form, such as a concretised vision. The target state sets the direction of the transformation, forms the basis for the future prioritisation of all possible measures and is reviewed repeatedly during the change project and adjusted as necessary.

Define concrete interim results

Once the target state has been defined, the first interim results along the way are defined in order to make the change tangible. Helpful questions for defining the next key intermediate results are How do we recognise that an important step towards the target state has been taken? Which obstacles can be removed without major effort? What changes will enable us to achieve a stable state in the near future? The dimensions of the quick check serve as inspiration and points of reference.

Examples of interim results could be

Projects and products are prioritised at regular intervals.

A format for the comprehensive exchange of knowledge has been established.

Teams are organised along the value stream.

Defined interim results are presented along a transformation roadmap. In contrast to traditional projects, this is not a rigid plan with fixed milestones, but a dynamic implementation aid that is used for communication, orientation and the visualisation of successes and obstacles. It is reviewed and adapted at regular intervals.

Derive individual measures

The transformation team can now use the transformation roadmap to develop specific measures. The focus here is on the immediate interim results, as the transformation team should also work in iterative planning cycles. In turn, the quick check helps to identify and take into account all dimensions that contribute to the desired interim result. Only through coordinated interaction can the full potential of the measures be utilised and the change effectively anchored.

Possible measures:

(1) Definition of a common understanding of customer and business value,

(2) Establishment of incremental product and project work (MVP approach),

(3) Introduction of a regular prioritisation round in the management circle.

The implementation of the measures developed is the actual transformation work. Specific tasks can be recorded in a transformation backlog, for example, which forms a basis for the operational collaboration of the transformation team. A backlog creates transparency about current activities, facilitates coordination and helps the transformation team to focus and prioritise through its structure.

The dimensions in detail

  • Icon - Strategy

    Strategy

    The strategy dimension examines the joint alignment of activities and forms the basis for consistent prioritisation decisions. Is the customer taken into account in decisions? To what extent is the further development of the organisation targeted? This dimension can be seen as the centrepiece of a successful transformation. Agile collaboration at various levels of the organisation will only function sustainably and be successful if it is clear where the path should lead.

  • Icon Doing Agile

    Doing Agile (processes & practices)

    This dimension examines whether the established practices enable flexible and value-driven collaboration. How long do development cycles take and are feedback-based adjustments possible? Is there an overarching and networked framework along the value stream? Even though this dimension is very often the focus of transformations, measures can only be effective in conjunction with other dimensions.

  • Icon Being Agile

    Being Agile (Values & Culture)

    The ‘Being Agile’ dimension analyses whether and to what extent values such as transparency, communication at eye level and willingness to change are anchored in the corporate culture. How is personal feedback used and accepted? How are mistakes dealt with? Do teams take responsibility for their actions? A change in culture requires the right structural framework and usually takes much longer than any other type of reorganisation, but it is also the most sustainable.

  • Icon Leadership

    Leadership

    As in the preparation phase, leadership personalities play a major role in organisational development. The framework conditions they provide for the team are analysed. Do employees know and understand the strategic big picture? Are teams empowered to develop and grow in the spirit of the servant leader? A proactive and courageous culture can only develop if management offers scope for co-determination and consciously hands over decisions to the team.

  • Icon Struktur

    (Organisational) structure

    In this dimension, units, roles and formats are analysed in more detail. How interdisciplinary are teams organised? Can an end-to-end responsibility be recognised? How clear are responsibilities and interfaces? What formats are in place for the overarching exchange of knowledge? Clear responsibilities enable ownership among employees, while a networked structure facilitates interdisciplinary collaboration.

  • Icon Tools

    Tools

    As a final dimension, the tools used are analysed in terms of their role as accelerators of change and collaboration. Is a collaboration tool in use that allows employees to network and access centralised knowledge management? Are company/performance indicators or the value stream made transparent? Is automation used to reduce the error rate and free up valuable resources? Tools therefore offer the necessary channels to make changes possible and visible.

In the course of the transformation
Effectiveness, prioritisation and progress

We often recommend an evolutionary approach for the transformations we support. This means defining interim results step by step and continuously establishing stabilising structures and standards. Even if this approach tends to involve a somewhat longer timeframe, changes of this kind are far less invasive in terms of existing operational processes and can be anchored more sustainably in behaviour and culture. In addition, small, effective steps help organisations to build positive momentum and generate motivation among those involved.

The defined measures along the dimensions are therefore regularly checked for their effectiveness and continuously adapted, for example with the help of a transformation backlog. A revision of the transformation roadmap based on new findings is also expressly permitted and serves to optimise the direction of the transformation. The regular prioritisation of interim results and measures enables a focused way of working as well as the optimal and value-creating use of resources.

In order to provide motivation and confirmation, especially during the ‘perseverance phase’ of the change, progress is made visible to the entire organisation based on the interim results achieved and celebrated together.

organisation development

We also support your transformation!

A successful transformation process requires a great deal of preparation and, above all, structured support. Holistic and sustainable change is only possible if all dimensions are consciously recognised and actively addressed.

We are happy to present the dimensions to you in a dialogue or to support you in applying the Quick Check. Contact us to talk to one of our agile coaches.

Interested? We would be happy to send you detailed information about our agile transformation solutions.
Contact us!
Sonja Neubauer - LEITWERK Consulting
Your contact person
Sonja Neubauer
+49 89 189 235 96
sonja.neubauer@leitwerk-consulting.com
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