Transformation is not only an important aspect of our success, but also a central component of our business model. Our focus is on developing robust and adaptable solutions to drive your transformation. We actively support our customers in this process, relying on the agile way of working in our daily work and proving that agility is not just a buzzword for us...
Our Transformation Engineer Matthias Feig is particularly concerned with Agile Product Development and the holistic topic of Agility and provides us with an insight into the topics and focus that are relevant in this context. Agile product development is an area of work that focuses in particular on reacting flexibly and quickly to market and customer needs. “In the early stages, it was primarily about software development and only then about project management,” Matthias explains. These methods are now also used in the traditional development of machines, systems and consumer goods. The Transformation Engineers are therefore focusing on investigating how organizational forms, methodologies and approaches can be successfully extended to other business areas.
So why is agility becoming increasingly relevant in the day-to-day work of a wide variety of companies? According to Matthias, the increasing relevance is mainly due to the constantly changing business environment of companies. This is based on the following six aspects, among others:
- Dynamic markets: The rapid development of markets requires companies to be able to adapt flexibly to changes in order to take advantage of opportunities and remain competitive
- Customer focus: Agile methods enable companies to react quickly to changing customer needs and offer customized products and services
- Complexity of projects: In an increasingly complex business world, agile approaches allow teams to focus on small, manageable tasks and take an iterative approach to solutions in order to manage complexity
- Technological innovation: Organizations need to be agile to quickly adopt new technologies and develop innovative solutions to meet changing needs
- Prevalent skills shortage: By creating a dynamic and team-oriented work environment, agile methods can help attract and retain talent, especially in industries with a shortage of skilled labor
- Necessary and effective risk management: Agile ways of working allow organizations to identify and address risks early by using iterative approaches to get feedback quickly and make adjustments when needed
The advantages are particularly evident in areas such as software development, project management and product development, as well as marketing and sales, as they allow rapid adaptation to changing market requirements and dynamics. Of course, an extremely fast-moving market environment also places certain demands on employees. These are reflected in the required way of working and the extent to which employees internalize the practice in their everyday life and work context. Matthias defines some possible challenges in this context:
- Flexibility: Employees must be prepared to adapt quickly to changing requirements and priorities. This requires flexibility and the ability to adapt to new ways of working and processes
- Self-organization: Agile teams are often self-organized, which means that employees must work independently. They must be able to plan, prioritize and organize their work without constant guidance from above
- Communication and collaboration: Agile work requires open and transparent communication within the team and with other teams or stakeholders. Employees must be able to communicate effectively and work together constructively to achieve common goals
- Fast decision making: Agile teams must be able to make decisions quickly so as not to slow down the development process. Employees must be willing to take responsibility and make decisions based on the information available
- Continuous improvement: Agile ways of working rely on continuous improvement and learning. Employees must be willing to accept feedback, learn from mistakes and continuously improve their way of working
Of course, this requires a certain attitude and work ethic in order to be able to deal with the challenges. Employees should be open to change and be able to adapt quickly. They must be able to work independently, but also be team oriented. In addition, a certain willingness to learn is necessary, as well as commitment and motivation, of course.
But how do the WARGITSCH Transformation Engineers themselves work with agile methods in consulting projects? “In addition to the almost classic methodologies such as SCRUM, KANBAN or the SAFe framework, we already work according to agile project management methodologies in all our projects,” explains the Transformation Management Chapter Lead. Thanks to the mature use of the methodology, this way of working also has an impact on collaboration and communication, particularly within the WARGITSCH teams. “An agile way of working promotes an open and transparent communication culture, strengthens collaboration between team members and enables the WARGITSCH teams to react more flexibly to changes and respond more effectively to the needs of their customers,” explains Matthias. In other words, extremely helpful attributes in a typical consultant’s day-to-day work.
Transformation and further development are a basic component of WARGITSCH, which, according to Matthias, can also be found in the principles of agility and its tools. Transformation and further development are also key components of agile working methods. They can be found in various aspects such as continuous improvement, iterative development, flexibility and adaptability as well as feedback and a constant learning process. Matthias continues: “Process models such as SCRUM and KANBAN play an important role here, as they provide structured frameworks and tools to implement agile principles and support transformation and further development in practice.”
The advantage is particularly evident in the clear roles, events and artifacts that SCRUM offers as a way of working. This makes it easier for teams to organize their work and track their progress, Matthias continues. Matthias also sees a key advantage with regard to KANBAN: “Kanban provides a visual representation of the workflow and enables teams to continuously optimize the work process.”
Agility is therefore a valuable and forward-looking tool in the consultant toolbox. Although the roots of this way of working come from the field of software development, an agile approach to projects is now used in a wide variety of areas. The WARGITSCH Transformation Engineers are at the forefront of this approach in order to implement your transformation as effectively as possible.
Thank you very much, Matthias, for your exciting perspective on agile working methods in modern organizations.
Would you like to learn more about our working methods?
Discover our Transformation Engineering Framework and fine out about the day-to-day work of the WARGITSCH Transformation Engineers