• Agile & Scrum Basics

Agile Alert! These are the 9 pitfalls of working Agile

Agile working is incredibly popular, and for good reason! But it’s not all roses, of course. There are a number of things that deserve your attention. Why work Agile? Well, because it ensures that you stay agile and handle change skillfully. But be aware of the 9 pitfalls of Agile working.

Old mindset

Often organizations get stuck in the new look and not much has actually changed. Really dare to choose to change and adjust your mindset accordingly. To increase the agility of the organization or your team, the mindset needs to be implemented as far as possible.

Closed stance

Agile working is not about positions or functions. But it’s really about competencies and open attitudes. It involves many employees and all kinds of compositions. For example, consider the different Scrum roles: Scrum Master, Product Owner and the Development Team. You do it together and you learn the lessons in the evaluation in between.

Project management gets in the way

In “old” project management, reports often get in the way. This is sometimes jokingly called report greed. The management structure will have to assume a looser structure. The idea of “Getting Things Done” will take precedence over accountability and reporting.

Lack of clarity in responsibilities

Agile working focuses on self-organizing teams. Yet sometimes it still happens that the roles like Scrum Master and Product Owner start to overlap. They interfere with each other and this comes at the expense of planned activities. For example, it happens that the Scrum Master lapses into activities of the Product Owner, and vice versa. Avoid dual roles and make sure there is clarity for the entire team.

Motivation ebbs away

Why work Agile? Agile working is ideal for quick results. It is important to keep a good focus on main and secondary issues and to consider functionalities as “Done” knowing that adjustments can best be made later. And don’t forget to celebrate your successes with your team as well.

Inadequate facilities

What does Agile working mean? Communicating with each other. A meeting a week or an email is no longer enough. With all the modern communication tools of today, it must be possible to communicate regardless of location. Physical collaboration does remain a necessity and cannot be replaced by all the communication tools of today.

Haste and urgency

What may work for you may not necessarily work for another team. It can pinch when you pull the Agile method across the entire organization. You need to take the time to find the right Agile design appropriate to the specific situation. Do what fits you, the team and the organization.

One-man-show

No, you can’t work Agile on your own. Be sure to get help in a timely manner if you can’t figure it out. Every change is unique. So focus on what works for you, the team and the organization.

Thought vs. method

What does Agile working mean? With the right mindset, really create culture change. It is too often used as a method rather than a mindset. Methods are often reflected in frameworks like Scrum and Kanban.