What role should HR and Finance play in a successful Agile transformation?

All answers to this question.

This is the leap from "Agile in IT" to "Business Agility." Finance needs to move from annual big-bang budgeting to "Rolling Forecasts" and "Lean Budgeting." Instead of funding a project for a year, fund a Value Stream and review the results quarterly. For HR, individual performance reviews often kill team collaboration. You need to move toward team-based goals and 360-degree feedback. If you don't change how people are paid and how projects are funded, the IT department will always be at odds with the rest of the company. It’s a systemic change, not just a software one.

   Answered 2024-11-17 by Kimberly Reed

Does your Finance department understand the concept of "Pivot or Persevere"? Usually, they just want to see the original plan followed to the letter, which is the opposite of Agile.

   Answered 2024-11-20 by Larry King

• Larry, they are slowly getting there. We’ve started inviting the Finance lead to our monthly "Value Reviews." Seeing the data on how we saved money by killing a feature early (because it wasn't performing) was an eye-opener for them. They now see Agile as a risk-mitigation strategy rather than just a way for developers to avoid giving dates.

     Commented 2024-11-23 by Ronald Green

HR needs to focus on hiring for "Mindset" over "Skillset." You can teach a language, but it's much harder to teach someone how to be collaborative and open to change.

   Answered 2024-11-26 by Susan Moore

• Absolutely, Susan. Cultural fit is the backbone of any transformation. If HR keeps hiring "Rockstar" individuals who can't work in a team, the Agile effort will fail.

     Commented 2024-11-28 by Amanda Roberts