Overview and why, as a change agent, you want to read this:
In this guide, you will learn how to effectively lead your organization through major change initiatives using a combination of traditional change management techniques and agile methodologies. By following the steps outlined in this guide, you will be able to increase adoption, improve the user experience, and drive successful outcomes for your enterprise.
Whether you are a seasoned change management professional or new to the field, this guide is a valuable resource for any agile coach looking to effectively lead change in their organization.
My Change Story
I’ve had the pleasure and the opportunity to participate, lead, and enact the dance of change across 10% of the fortune 100. throughout this, I am constantly learning.
It was midway though my career, that as an enterprise agile coach at a major retailer, I had the opportunity to lead a major change management initiative in 2015. Our goal was to transition from a traditional, waterfall project management approach to an agile, SAFe-based model.
Our motivation was simple — bet the competition in change. At that time the competition had a reputation for deploying 10k times per day using advanced agile and DevOps practices with adaptive mindsets and systems that ultimately defined ‘The Cloud’. We were not anywhere near that fast or nimble, and we desperately needed to change; but what, who, and how was the issue, not the need.
No one question the need for change; but it was often ‘those other guys’ from some other division that needed to change. In reality, the who company needed to change. Fotunately, we had a history of doing this, we just needed a nudge in right direction and some of the change management approaches from ADKAR and Agile as laied out in this guide
To begin, we identified the key stakeholders who would be affected by the change, including employees, customers, and key partners. We then outlined the goals of the change management and communication effort, which included improving the user experience and increasing adoption of the new agile approach.
Next, we developed a communication plan to ensure that all stakeholders were informed about the change. This included company-wide meetings, targeted messaging to specific groups, and ongoing support for those who were struggling with the transition.
To guide the change management process and ensure its success, we utilized the skills of our Certified Change Management Professionals (CCMPs) and Prosci Change Management Practitioners. They helped with change plans, assisted as we led workshops, enacted community events, coached leaders on effective communication, and provided support to those who were struggling with the transition.
We also had a full time communication specialist on our agile coaching team. She was writing weekly and helping us communicate high and low. I greatly appreciate all the extended help and expertise we were able to tap into. Again, we knew how to change; but we needed to remember who we were.
Throughout the process, we continuously monitored and measured the effectiveness of the change management initiative. We tracked adoption rates, gathered feedback from stakeholders, and monitored key performance indicators (KPIs) that were relevant to our goals.
In the end, the change was a huge success. Adoption of the new agile approach was high, and the user experience improved significantly. We also saw an increase in innovation and engagement, leading to more successful outcomes for the organization. Overall, the combination of agile techniques and the ADKAR approach was instrumental in the success of this change management initiative.
The details details of how we did this are as follows. I should warn you that our coaches were natively skilled at many things beyond the scope of this guide that contributed . These included neurolinguistic programming, gamification, superior facilitation and other unusual and impactful change management tools. I was grateful for their skills as they usually had superpowers for transformation that I lacked.
Also, there are many, many adaptive change management concepts and techniques that can, and were, merged with these ADKAR + Agile approaches. One that I strongly favor is Edgar Schein’s change management model: Edgar Schein is a well-known organizational psychologist who developed a model for managing change in organizations.
His model consists of three stages: unfreezing, moving, and refreezing. In the unfreezing stage, the organization prepares for change by challenging assumptions and beliefs that may be holding it back. In the moving stage, the organization adapts to the new way of doing things and begins to implement the change. In the refreezing stage, the organization embeds the new way of doing things into its culture and becomes comfortable with it. This is so impactful that we’ll be exploring his work through a series of related blogs.
Also, change laid out here is linear. In practice, it’s less defined and more like a dance; but that’s such a deep subject that it almost warrants a book. Just consider that this is laid out logically and in practice it’s a Dance of Transformation and there are many considerations to the psychology and science of the pace of transformation. I’m not going to explore that in this guide; but I will expand on that later in future writings.
Adkar, yes, and agile change management
As the enterprise agile coach leading the change management efforts at a major retiler, I worked with a team of agile coaches and over 300 agile champions to implement a transformation from small scale agile and waterfall projects to a SAFe-based product and team structure. We used a blend of traditional adkar techniques and agile approaches, including personas, lean canvas, OKR’s, and postcards from the future, to create a vision for the future state of the organization.
In order to engage stakeholders and develop a plan for change, we utilized collaboration workshops, open space sessions, and liberating structures to facilitate discussions and co-creation. We also established weekly community meetings, a defined communication plan, town halls, and quarterly leadership briefings to keep everyone informed and aligned.
To implement the change, we used pairing and open space sessions to partner with product managers, directors, release train engineers, project managers, and senior leadership. We also incorporated invitation-based change, which involved inviting the targets of change to partner with the agile community and self-manage their own transformation. This approach resulted in increased innovation and engagement, as well as higher adoption rates for the change.
To monitor and measure success, we used agile dashboards, community participation, and domain transformation metrics to track progress and adjust the plan as needed. We also considered business outcomes, such as customer satisfaction and employee engagement, to gauge the overall impact of the change on the organization.
Overall, the combination of ADKAR and agile change management approaches was highly successful in driving the SAFe transformation at a major retailer. We were able to achieve our goals and improve the user experience for both our employees and customers. This approach was then replicated with great success for the devops segment of the retail agile transformation in 2016.
The overall approach:
Identify the need for change: This is the first step in the “yes, and” approach to change management using ADKAR. It involves identifying the need for change within the organization, which could be driven by external factors such as market demand or internal factors such as outdated processes or systems.
Gather support for the change: In this step, the change management team works to build support for the change among key stakeholders, including leadership, employees, and customers. This could involve engaging in open and transparent communication about the benefits of the change, as well as addressing any concerns or fears that stakeholders may have.
Create a vision for the future: In this step, the team creates a vision for the future state of the organization after the change has been implemented. This could include defining the desired outcomes of the change, as well as identifying the key milestones and steps that will be needed to achieve those outcomes.
Develop a plan for change: In this step, the team creates a detailed plan for implementing the change, including identifying the resources and actions that will be needed, as well as setting timelines and goals for each stage of the process.
Communicate the plan: In this step, the team communicates the plan for change to all stakeholders, including employees, leadership, and customers. This could involve using a variety of channels such as email, company-wide meetings, and targeted messaging to specific groups.
Implement the change: In this step, the team works to implement the change according to the plan, with a focus on ensuring that the process is smooth and seamless for all stakeholders.
Monitor and measure success: In the final step, the team monitors and measures the success of the change, using metrics such as adoption rates, customer satisfaction, and employee engagement to gauge the impact of the change on the organization. The team can then adjust the plan as needed to ensure that the change is successful and sustainable over the long term.
The Situation and context
In order to successfully implement the change from a waterfall project to SAFe product and teams, it was important to first assess the readiness for change within the organization. This involved gathering input from key stakeholders, including employees, customers, and other key partners, to understand their concerns and needs. It was also important to conduct a thorough analysis of the current state, including an assessment of the current processes, systems, and capabilities in place.
Using this information, I was able to develop a clear understanding of the level of readiness for change within the organization and identify any potential challenges or obstacles that may need to be addressed. I also worked closely with leadership to develop a shared vision for the future state, which included a clear and compelling rationale for the change, as well as a clear set of goals and objectives.
With this foundation in place, I was able to move forward with the next steps in the change management process, including outlining the goals of the effort and developing a plan for communicating the change to all stakeholders. Throughout this process, I utilized the principles of the ADKAR model, as well as the “yes, and” approach, to ensure that the change was successful and that the organization was well-prepared to meet the evolving needs of its customers and stakeholders.
Step 1 — Identify the need for change:
In order to successfully implement the change from a waterfall project to SAFe product and teams, it was important to first assess the readiness for change within the organization. This involved gathering input from key stakeholders, including employees, customers, and other key partners, to understand their concerns and needs. It was also important to conduct a thorough analysis of the current state, including an assessment of the current processes, systems, and capabilities in place.
Using this information, I was able to develop a clear understanding of the level of readiness for change within the organization and identify any potential challenges or obstacles that may need to be addressed. I also worked closely with leadership to develop a shared vision for the future state, which included a clear and compelling rationale for the change, as well as a clear set of goals and objectives.
With this foundation in place, I was able to move forward with the next steps in the change management process, including outlining the goals of the effort and developing a plan for communicating the change to all stakeholders. Throughout this process, I utilized the principles of the ADKAR model, as well as the “yes, and” approach, to ensure that the change was successful and that the organization was well-prepared to meet the evolving needs of its customers and stakeholders.
Step 2 — Gather support for the change
As the enterprise agile coach leading the change initiative to adopt SAFe at a major retailer in 2015, I worked closely with my fellow agile coaches and our agile community champions to clearly outline the goals of the change. Our primary objective was to transition from a traditional project-based approach to a product-focused approach, using SAFe’s release trains to deliver value to our customers more efficiently.
To ensure that all stakeholders were aligned with these goals, we held regular meetings with key leaders across the organization, including HR, finance, and development. We also held workshops and training sessions for our agile community champions, empowering them to be the driving force behind the change within their respective teams.
In addition to these efforts, we worked with our communications team to develop a comprehensive communication plan that included email updates, webinars, and newsletters to keep everyone informed and engaged throughout the process. By actively involving all stakeholders and continuously seeking feedback, we were able to build a shared understanding and commitment to the change.
Step 3 — Create a vision for the future:
In my experience in agile coaching, I learned that in order to successfully implement the transformation to SAFe, we would need to clearly define our vision for the future state of the organization. To do this, we utilized several agile techniques, including creating personas to represent the various stakeholders who would be affected by the change, using lean canvas to map out the key elements of our vision, and setting OKRs to measure our progress towards achieving our desired outcomes.
One particularly effective technique we used was creating “postcards from the future,” which allowed us to visualize what the organization would look like once the change had been successfully implemented. We used these postcards to identify the key milestones and steps that would be needed to achieve our vision, and to ensure that we were continuously working towards our desired future state.
Throughout the process, we also incorporated the ADKAR model to ensure that we were effectively managing the change and addressing the needs of all stakeholders. By utilizing these agile techniques and following the ADKAR model, we were able to successfully implement the transformation to SAFe and achieve our desired outcomes.
There are several common agile techniques that can be used to create a vision for the future in a change management process:
User stories: These are brief descriptions of the features and benefits that the change will bring to different stakeholders. User stories can help to create a shared understanding of the benefits of the change and encourage team members to think about the end-users of the change.
Vision statement: This is a short, clear, and inspiring statement that describes the desired future state of the organization after the change has been implemented. A vision statement can help to focus the team’s efforts and provide a clear direction for the change.
User personas: These are fictional characters that represent the different types of users that the change will impact. Developing user personas can help the team to understand the needs and motivations of the different stakeholders and ensure that the change meets their needs.
Impact mapping: This is a technique that helps the team to identify the key stakeholders, their needs, and the desired outcomes of the change. Impact mapping can help the team to create a clear roadmap for achieving the desired outcomes and identify potential obstacles or challenges.
Lean canvas: This is a tool that helps the team to understand the problem that the change is trying to solve, the proposed solution, and the key metrics that will be used to measure success. Using a lean canvas can help the team to create a clear and actionable plan for the change.
Step 4 — Develop a plan for change
As the agile coach leading the SAFe transformation in reatil, I worked closely with the agile community champions and other agile coaches to facilitate collaboration workshops and open space sessions with stakeholders, including directors and senior management. Using techniques such as personas, lean canvas, and postcards from the future, we were able to create a shared vision for the future state of the organization after the change had been implemented.
We also used liberating structures to ensure that all voices were heard and to facilitate the development of a detailed plan for implementing the change. This included identifying the resources and actions that would be needed, setting timelines and goals for each stage of the process, and establishing clear roles and responsibilities for all team members.
Throughout the process, we made sure to keep the focus on the end user and to continuously seek out opportunities for improvement. By working closely with all stakeholders and using a variety of agile techniques and tools, we were able to successfully implement the SAFe transformation and drive positive outcomes for the organization.
Step 5 — Communicate the plan
As the enterprise agile coach leading the change management efforts at a retailer, I worked closely with my team of agile coaches and our agile community champions to develop a comprehensive communication plan for the implementation of SAFe across the organization.
We began by gathering input from key stakeholders, including directors and senior management, through collaboration workshops, open space sessions, and liberating structures. This allowed us to gather a wide range of perspectives and ideas, and to build a plan that was both comprehensive and inclusive.
Next, we used weekly community meetings, town halls, and quarterly leadership briefings to keep everyone informed about the progress of the change. We also created a defined communication plan, outlining the key messages we wanted to convey, and the best channels for reaching each audience.
Finally, we leveraged the principles of ADKAR to ensure that everyone was aware of the change, understood the reasons behind it, had the skills and knowledge needed to support it, and was committed to making it a success. By using a variety of channels and approaches, we were able to keep everyone informed and engaged, and to build a sense of shared ownership and accountability for the change.
Step 6 — Implement the change
In order to successfully implement the change to the organization’s processes and adopt the SAFe framework, it was important to involve key stakeholders in the process. As an agile coach, I worked closely with product managers, directors, release train engineers, project managers, and senior leadership to ensure that their needs and concerns were taken into consideration as we developed and implemented the change.
One approach that we used to facilitate this collaboration was pairing, a modified version of pair programming in which two individuals work together to achieve a common goal. By pairing with key stakeholders, we were able to gain valuable insights and build buy-in for the change. We also utilized techniques such as open space, workshops, and training to engage the entire agile community in the change process.
Additionally, we incorporated an invitation-based change approach, which involves inviting the targets of the change to partner with the agile community to self-manage their changes. This approach helped to increase the level of ownership and engagement among team members, leading to higher rates of change implementation and increased innovation. The results of this collaborative and aligned approach, as described in my resume, were higher rates of change implementation and increased engagement, leading to a more successful and sustainable adoption of the SAFe framework.
Step 7 — Monitor and measure success
As the enterprise agile coach leading the SAFe transformation in retail and beyond, I knew that it was important to regularly monitor and measure the success of the change to ensure that it was on track and delivering the desired results. Using agile dashboards and metrics such as adoption rates, customer satisfaction, and employee engagement, we were able to track the progress of the change and identify areas where we needed to make adjustments or improvements.
One key metric we focused on was community participation, as we knew that building a strong, engaged agile community was essential to the success of the change. We regularly surveyed our agile community members to get their feedback and suggestions, and we used this data to make changes and improvements to the way we were working.
Another metric we monitored was domain transformation, as we wanted to ensure that all parts of the organization were fully embracing the SAFe way of working. We used data from our agile dashboards to track the progress of each domain, and we worked closely with domain leaders to identify and address any challenges or barriers to adoption.
Finally, we tracked the overall business outcomes of the change, such as increased innovation and customer satisfaction. We used this data to demonstrate the value of the SAFe transformation to senior leadership, and to make the case for continuing to invest in agile and lean practices.
Overall, the use of agile dashboards, community participation, domain transformation, and business outcomes as metrics helped us to measure the success of the SAFe transformation, and to continually adjust and improve our approach to ensure that the change was sustainable and delivered the desired results.
Summary and further learnings
In our journey with Adkar and agile change management, we learned several key lessons that we believe are valuable for any organization seeking to implement change. First, it’s essential to involve all stakeholders in the change process. By utilizing techniques such as pairing and open space, we were able to gain buy-in and insights from a wide range of team members. Second, an invitation-based change approach can be highly effective in increasing engagement and ownership among team members. Third, it’s important to have a clear and well-communicated plan, using a variety of channels to ensure that all stakeholders are aware of the change and its implications. Fourth, monitoring and measuring success is crucial to ensure that the change is sustainable and effective over the long term. Finally, it’s important to continuously adjust and adapt the plan as needed to ensure that the change is successful.
For those interested in learning more about Adkar and agile change management, we recommend the following further readings:
“ADKAR: A Model for Change in Business, Government and Our Community” by Jeff Hiatt
“The Agile Manifesto” by the Agile Alliance
“Leading Change” by John Kotter
“The Lean Startup” by Eric Ries
“The Change Leader’s Roadmap” by Linda Ackerman Anderson and Dean Anderson
… Yes, and, there’s still more to come from Open Agile Solutions on Agile change management series:
In the next set of blogs we’ll focus on on of my go-to authors on change management, Edgar Schein, who is a well-known organizational psychologist who developed a model for managing change in organizations. Possible titles include:
"Exploring Edgar Schein's Change Management Model: A Practical Guide for Agile Coaches"
"The Role of Culture in Change Management: Insights from Edgar Schein's Model"
"Managing Resistance to Change: Tips from Edgar Schein's Model"
"Leading Change in Complex Organizations: Lessons from Edgar Schein's Model"
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