Johanna Rothman

SEPTEMBER 1, 2020

Several of my clients want to use some sort of maturity assessment for their agile transformations. For agile transformation, an assessment can help people see how they change—how they innovate the products and the culture. These are about the product development behaviors I see in the organization.

Agile 131

Agile Culture Data Productivity 131

Johanna Rothman

AUGUST 18, 2021

They think that the agile tools they use, such as boards, offer a strategic advantage. However, they adopt or “install” an agile framework or process without customization. Instead, agile organizations need flexibility, not rigidity. You develop unique answers for your business. You likely compete on price.

Agile 119

Agile Tools Productivity Development 119

Effective Managers

JUNE 19, 2024

This transformation involves not only adjusting to new realities like remote work and digital transformation but also developing key traits such as agility and empathy. Leaders must now manage teams that are dispersed across various locations, requiring new strategies for communication, collaboration, and maintaining company culture.

Leadership 246

Leadership Agile Operations Data 246

Johanna Rothman

APRIL 14, 2021

One of my clients wants to use shared services “teams” as they start their agile transformation. Their developers work on a product for months and years at a time. ” Shared service-thinking denies the reality of effective product development: A cross-functional team learns together as they develop the product. .”

Agile 132

Agile Efficiency Productivity Development 132

Clarity Consultants

SEPTEMBER 26, 2024

Organizations that prioritize learning and development (L&D) are not just investing in their staff; they are investing in their future. These strategies foster a continuous learning culture, where employees are encouraged to acquire new skills, share knowledge, and innovate.

Development 147

Development Training Training Agile 147

Harvard Business

MAY 15, 2018

Increasing volatility, uncertainty, growing complexity, and ambiguous information (VUCA) has created a business environment in which agile collaboration is more critical than ever. Intuitively, we know that the collaborative intensity of work has skyrocketed, and that collaborations are central to agility. This story is not unique.

Agile 135

Agile How To Groups Efficiency 135

Johanna Rothman

OCTOBER 27, 2020

Project lifecycles and cultures manage all those risks. And, you can decide if you want to try to change the culture. Solving Deterministic Problems Does Not Require an Agile Approach. And, you might need both, which is why many projects use some sort of iterative and incremental (but not agile) lifecycles.

Agile 124

Agile Culture Productivity Management 124

Clarity Consultants

FEBRUARY 9, 2025

Companies rely on Learning & Development (L&D) programs – especially eLearning – to stay competitive as industries change. However, the actual value of these learning and development programs lies not just in their immediate impact but in their long-term effects on business performance driven by employee learning.

Metrics 147

Metrics ROI Training Training 147

Harvard Business

MAY 22, 2018

I know it is critical for the leadership to embrace agile, but the sad reality is that I’m not sure our leadership team will start before it’s too late. Rather than debating the advantages of agile teams, why not start demonstrating them? Perhaps my journey to agile will help you figure out how to begin your own.

Agile 132

Agile Energy Retail Case Interview 132

Johanna Rothman

AUGUST 12, 2019

I spoke at Agile 2019 last week. Here are my thoughts and where I think the “agile” industry is headed. Problems I See with “Agile” Here's a summary of problems I saw last week: Too many people think “agile” will solve all their problems. Culture requires management involvement.

Agile 109

Agile Culture Conference Management 109

Johanna Rothman

AUGUST 19, 2021

So when does it make sense to customize your agile approach to gain a strategic advantage? They want an agile approach, so they started with Scrum. As part of the product development, they spin off security and performance teams. Then, they Built their agile approach based on their needs. SmallCo wants to grow.

Agile 105

Agile Tools Productivity Development 105

Clarity Consultants

OCTOBER 19, 2023

L&D leaders have been instrumental in helping employers and employees pivot to pandemic protocols and navigate both remote and hybrid operations and corporate culture. When viewed in the context of an unstable or uncertain job market, continuous learning is essential to creating and maintaining an agile workforce and operations.

Agile 147

Agile Trends Training Training 147

Johanna Rothman

OCTOBER 15, 2020

Isn't every iterative and incremental approach an agile approach? We often hear agile approaches are a mindset. An agile approach requires a change in culture at the team level, at the portfolio level, and in management. Agile approaches change what we discuss, how we work together, and what we reward.

Agile 106

Agile Training Training Culture 106

Clarity Consultants

MARCH 29, 2025

Leadership development has experienced significant changes due to rapid technological advancements, evolving workforce dynamics, and global uncertainties. The Changing Landscape of Leadership Leadership development has evolved to address the challenges presented by significant changes in the business environment.

Development 130

Development Leadership Emotional Intelligence Training 130

Johanna Rothman

AUGUST 26, 2021

They think agile approaches are tactics and agile tools are part of their strategy. That's why they want to Buy an agile approach. Not realizing a standard agile approach is an oxymoron. Teams need to experiment and change their agile approach. Address the cultural changes necessary for agility.

Agile 105

Agile Tools Culture Strategy& 105

Clarity Consultants

FEBRUARY 25, 2025

Custom eLearning development, guided by an experienced instructional design consultant, can help organizations integrate storytelling into their training programs. Develop Relatable Characters Learners are more likely to engage with stories that feature characters facing challenges similar to their own.

Training 130

Training Training Case Studies Case Study 130

Johanna Rothman

MARCH 11, 2021

Worse, most career ladders assume we can assess what a person can do, not on their contributions to an agile team. That means most career ladders don't fit agile teams or an agile culture. Instead of individual achievements, we can reward the types of agile leadership we want to see in agile teams.

Agile 119

Agile Engineering Productivity Culture 119

Johanna Rothman

AUGUST 24, 2021

In Part 1 and 2 of this series, I wrote about how an agile approach might offer strategic benefits. And because an agile approach changes your culture, I said the agile approach was part of your strategy. So let's ask this question: Can any tool—agile or otherwise—offer you a strategic advantage? (I

Agile 105

Agile Tools Productivity Analysis 105

Johanna Rothman

MARCH 9, 2021

I said that when we focus on individual achievements and deliverables, we ignore the agile system of work. Worse, when we reward individual achievements we prevent an agile culture. That's because agile teams learn together as they create the product. Agile Behaviors for Learning and Working Together.

Agile 103

Agile Productivity Culture Management 103

Johanna Rothman

APRIL 14, 2020

Anytime I've seen a successful innovation culture, I've seen these principles. Let me address a little about business agility and innovation. Business agility allows us to create a culture where we plan to change. Too many people think business agility is about the ability to do more of the same, faster.

Agile 108

Agile Efficiency Culture Resources 108

Johanna Rothman

NOVEMBER 30, 2020

Steve, a software development manager, thought John was a “10x” developer. Was I willing to support and coach the other people in Steve's group to all become “10x” developers? Was I willing to support and coach the other people in Steve's group to all become “10x” developers?

Development 130

Development Management Efficiency Agile 130

Johanna Rothman

OCTOBER 6, 2020

Are you trying to make an agile framework or approach work? Maybe you've received a mandate to “go agile.” Or, maybe you're trying to fit an agile framework into your current processes—and you've got a mess. I've seen plenty of problems when people try to adopt “agile” wholesale.

Agile 119

Agile Software Construction Analysis 119

Johanna Rothman

OCTOBER 20, 2020

I discussed the origins of the agile approaches in Part 5. In this post, I'll discuss how you can create an agile approach that fits your context. Why should you create your own agile approach? Because your context is unique to you, your team, project, product, and culture. Remember, an agile approach starts with a team.

Agile 89

Agile Culture Productivity Development 89

Johanna Rothman

MARCH 21, 2024

I started this series by discussing why managers didn't perceive the value of agile coaches and Scrum Masters in Part 1, resulting in layoffs.) Then, in Part 2 , I asked those unemployed agilists to review their functional skills, the skills people need to do a product development job well. Especially, Agile is Not a Silver Bullet.

Agile 111

Agile Management Metrics Culture 111

Johanna Rothman

OCTOBER 20, 2020

The original signatories of the Manifesto for Agile Software Development wanted to solve these specific problems: How can we: Bring more adaptability to software development? For example (books have affiliate Amazon links): Takeuchi and Nonaka published The New New Product Development Game in HBR in 1986.

Agile 85

Agile Software Productivity Culture 85

Harvard Business

JUNE 27, 2016

offices where employees were entrepreneurial, engaged, excited to come to work, and as a result were quickly developing new ideas for customer-facing products. developed practices of rapid development cycles , user-centered design , and collaboration in an open office layout. Managing Across Cultures. Pamela Hinds.

Culture 131

Culture Research Case Interview Development 131

Johanna Rothman

AUGUST 14, 2019

In Part 1 , I wrote about how “Agile” is not a silver bullet and is not right for every team and every product. This post is about how management fits into agile approaches. Too often, managers think “agile” is for others, specifically teams of people. Team-based “agile” is not enough.

Agile 95

Agile Management Efficiency Culture 95

Johanna Rothman

JUNE 24, 2021

He thought agile approaches would work to “meet” and “enforce” deadlines. In addition, each component team worked on any number of products, both development and support, for any given iteration. However, software product development is not construction. Why do you have deadlines? And remotely!)

Agile 117

Agile Meeting Software Government 117

Harvard Business

OCTOBER 7, 2016

We all know that in a foreign culture, one of the most important skills to develop is the ability to translate, to learn to speak the new language — or at least master a few key phrases. You also need to learn to translate your behavior so you don’t end up making cultural faux pas. Do a cultural inventory.

Culture 124

Culture System Policies Operations 124

Harvard Business

JUNE 3, 2024

When companies leverage the diverse talents of their Asian workforce, they can evolve into more global, agile, and powerful hubs of innovation and growth.

Leadership 244

Leadership Agile Talent Company 244

Harvard Business

MAY 4, 2018

In 2001, a new approach to technology development was created by a daring group of developers. Called Agile, the process put customers at the center of product development, encouraged rapid prototyping, and dramatically increased corporate speed and agility. Customers enjoy the benefit of new features sooner.

Agile 73

Agile Development Methodologies Software 73

Brimstone Consulting

MARCH 29, 2022

Agile strategy leads to 220% increase in revenue. Further, the organization had not invested in leadership development nor was there a common leadership language. Following the assessment, Brimstone began by working with the leadership team to develop a comprehensive strategy. CASE STUDY. Let's talk CONTACT BRIMSTONE.

Agile 96

Agile Strategy Strategy& Strategy 96

Harvard Business

JUNE 20, 2017

Culture is like the wind. For organizations seeking to become more adaptive and innovative, culture change is often the most challenging part of the transformation. But culture change can’t be achieved through top-down mandate. It is invisible, yet its effect can be seen and felt. He was proudly stating that!

Culture 134

Culture Company Enterprise Leadership 134

Johanna Rothman

JUNE 3, 2019

At the Influential Agile Leader workshop earlier this year, I led a session about scaling and how you might think about it. I asked if any of the teams succeeded at using an agile approach at the team level. My very first job out of school was a development role on a very large telecommunications system for the Department of Defense.

Agile 85

Agile Telecommunications Wireless System 85

Tom Spencer

SEPTEMBER 1, 2023

Effective governance can serve as the bedrock of organizational culture, which shapes perceptions, attitudes, and interactions throughout the organisational hierarchy, between departments, and within project teams. Foster an inclusive culture that values different perspectives.

Government 88

Government Culture Ethics Agile 88

Harvard Business

MARCH 22, 2018

In Today’s Digital Economy, Agile Practices Can’t Be Limited to Just the IT and Development Realms. By Surya Panditi, SVP and GM, Agile Management, CA Technologies. Agile practices have a vital part to play in the rapid delivery and continuous maintenance of software-driven products and services.

Agile 86

Agile Survey Company Data 86

Johanna Rothman

AUGUST 21, 2019

I started asking if you actually need an agile approach in Part 1 and noted the 4 big problems I see. Part 2 was why we need managers in an agile transformation. Part 4 was about how “Agile” is meaningless and “agile” is an adjective that needs to be applied to something. That would be resilient.

Agile 75

Agile Culture Efficiency Guidelines 75