»AS FEW AGILE
AS NEED BE …
WHAT´S AGILE ABOUT IT?
WHAT IS A SPRINT?
These Sprints become agile with the executing facilitator, coaches or moderators and his / her attitude and ability to selectively apply agile frameworks and methods like Design Thinking, Scrum, Theory U, KanBan and Lego Serious Play.
Everyone talks about sprints, especially after Jake Knapp published his book - Sprint – in 2016. People who work in an Agile mode – e.g. Scrum – know a Sprint is a defined setting to work on a defined task. This is mostly a product increment: time-boxed, self-controlled and in a heterogeneous team of multi-disciplinary specialists. The effectiveness and potential of Scrum and Scrum Sprints is beyond question – the ideas of Scrum and other Agile frameworks are increasingly accepted in synch with the increasing pressure within the corporate world towards Digital Transformation.
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Change happens in containers: Sprints are Containers enabling Digital Transformation.
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We define “container“ as a “holding space for a generative social process“ in the same sense as Otto Scharmer.
AgileSprints applies the term Sprint as the denomination of one or more moderated containers which are used to focus on a change (e.g. in the sense of a new product, services, process)
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in digestible and actionable portions
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time boxed (e.g. days, weeks, months)
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involving a limited number of hand-picked heterogeneous participants
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leveraging agile frameworks and methods (As few Agile as need be – as much Agile as possible)
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with a common attitude and intention
TEAM SPRINTS
A Team-Sprint is an intervention which serves to fully unfold the potential of a team in its respective context. Each team member with her / his individual skills and needs is considered. In focus: the development of psychological safety & trust, the reflection of strenght on individual and team level , the fully functioning team and the common responsibility of all team members for a common goal. Finally: the self-actualization of each single team member and the whole team!
WHY
TEAM SPRINTS: New ways of team work with agile frameworks like Scrum, SAFE, KanBan have been established and proved their value especially in the IT-space. Leadership in all corporate departments increase their pressure on teams to work Agile in the hope for a better team performance and finally to better manage the Sword of Damocles of our days: Digital Transformation.
HOW
TEAM SPRINTS: Sustainable team development takes care about a) 4+1 (= a common goal, clear definition of roles, orchestration of team processes, personal relationships, & interfaces to other teams); b) psychological security; c) involvement of all team members; d) both a collaborative and co-generative approach; e) a common mindset and attitude. Our approach with https://allstarteams.com/ is one way to reach that goal.
WHAT
TEAM SPRINTS: Team members perceive a satisfying and comfortable working environment with the possibility to grow. Executives benefit from a reduction in management efforts, gain psychological relief and become more successful with their teams. Adjacent teams perceive the high performance of their Agile peers. The latter’s work just shines and might serve as a best practice supporting innovation in the whole organization.
DESIGN & INNOVATION SPRINTS
Everyone is talking about Digital Transformation – it is the paradigm we all started towards the 21st century. What does it mean? What is it? Part of it – quite simply – relates to the development of user-centric, digital products and services. Agile Sprints emphasizes the development of sustainable digital products and services. However, we do not only relate to single users or individuals. We rather aim to generate a sustainable benefit for a more holistic ecosystem (e.g. shared economy, platform based ecosystem) instead of addressing the short term needs of a group of individuals.
WHY
We live in VUCA-world with new technological possibilities and solutions which we didn’t dream of 10 years ago. Additionally, there will be truly global challenges which did not yet exist thus far or just raised in their meaning. Best practices from the past therefore are no longer helpful. Agile companies like the four GAFA apply those new technologies with ease and create products, services and solutions with an amazing user acceptance thanks to their simplicity, their problem-solution-fit and just because they meet the needs. Traditional corporates are more and more challenged by the GAFA and the like.
HOW
Design Sprints are one example for focused innovation processes. There are a few factors / “must haves” to make a Design Sprint successful: the integration of heterogeneous experts on a peer-level; the holistic definition of the problem space; staying focused on a problem; application of a holistic need finding; a validated problem-solution-fit; teaching of Agile methods and frameworks in combination with a new agile mindset to human beings, society and ways of working.
WHAT
The consumer gets simple, good products which address sub-conscious or consciously real human needs. Innovative companies gain instant market success with their products and services, a quick time to market and a competitive advantage alongside a relative low innovation effort.
PROCESS SPRINTS
This covers he second aspect of Digital Transformation: the digitalization of company processes which can be either standard processes like CRM, SCM, F&A an HR or / and industry specific processes like e.g. credit or account management in Banking or product management and pricing of Telecommunication or Energy providers.
WHY
Inorganic growth by means of mergers & acquisitions is very popular especially for traditional companies. On their way to Digital Transformation they decide for the “Buy-side” of the “Make or Buy” dilemma. Rarely is a Post-Merger Integration really successful. More often, the enhanced corporate has to maintain the same processes multiple times. New technologies enable effective processes, but the strategy departments shy away from the change which would be needed to become more effective. Competitive advantages get lost, consumers react with a churn – brand loyalty doesn´t play a huge role any more.
HOW
All relevant stakeholders of a process need to be involved: e.g. employees, internal and external experts, interfaces / networks, etc. Frameworks like Design & System Thinking and methods like Perspective Change, Customer Journeys, Employee Journeys, the collection of User Stories, Process Mining and Mapping approaches, Industry Benchmarks, Work-Shadowing, Journaling, Interviews are great ways to disclose bottlenecks and create transparency for a sustainable redesign of a process.
WHAT
Increased adoption of the improved and seamless process from all applicants (e.g. employees and customers). Therefore an increased implementation of the improved processes within a corporate scaling up towards an increased cost efficiency. Increased customer satisfaction and customer retention.
STRATEGY & LEADERSHIP SPRINTS
A regular update of the strategy of business or functional units in a company is a common thing – be it annual, semi-annual or quarterly. There are strategies for production, sales, R&D, investments, staffing, etc. Traditionally top leadership takes care about that and employees only act as leg workers for KPIs or ppt-slides.
WHY
To be successful in VUCA-world you only remain competitive with the ability to quickly react on technical and market changes. Traditional Best Practices as still taught by the management schools do not really help to deal with the challenges of our century. Traditional strategies are perceived as clumsy and are not Agile enough to evolution in iterative and short cycles.
HOW
Moderated, focused group or single settings leveraging creative methods and frameworks are excellent to develop successful strategies. Important success factors: timeboxing, integration of experts, unconditional collaboration, inspiration, a common agile mindset, iterative prototyping and testing (f.e. Lego Serious Play). Vision and mission workshops are an especially important format.
WHAT
Engaged and mindful employees who identify with their employer and the strategy. A relief for leadership who get more successful with a better strategy and a new leadership style. Overall: a better business for the whole company!
WORKING STYLE & ATTITUDE
AGILE
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AS FEW AS NEED BE – AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE … of the agile frameworks and methods like Design Thinking, Scrum, KanBan, Lego Serious Play, Lean Start Up, of the Agile Manifest and the 12 Agile Principles
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Commitment, Courage, Focus, Openness, Respect
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80/20, iterative: build / measure / learn – inspect & adapt
FROM I = EGO TO WE = ECO
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Person centred, humanistic
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Activation and collaboration of all people involved in a constructive feedback culture
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Emphatic with a view on the needs of the people
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Holistic with a view on the surrounding system
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Resources-centred: first access to the collective knowledge, second adding a focused theoretical expert input
CREATIV
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Combination and application of hand, hard and head
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All interventions are applied intentionally
»AS FEW AS NEED BE –
AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE:
VIRTUELL AND/OR FACE-TO-FACE!«
Erik Schumb
NETWORK & COLLABORATION
TEAM DEVELOPMENT VIRTUAL
TEAM DEVELOPMENT
CO-MODERATION & FACILITATION
Conversation Bricoleur – Facilitazione di conversazioni per l’innovazione e il cambiamento
CONFLICT MANAGEMENT
PARTNERS
NEWS & PUBLICATIONS
EVENTS AND PRESENTATIONS
2021
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March 8th, 2021: MeetUp Event AGILE CLINIC Virtuelle Teamentwicklung für Agile Teams
May 18th, 2021: ICF - International Coaching Week - Teamentwicklung im agilen Zeitalter - virtuell und effektiv
May 27th, 2021: Agile Camp Berlin: Parcour - Stakeholders to secure sustainability
May 28th, 2021: Agile Camp Berlin: Virtual Team Development for Agile Teams
June 30th, 2021: MeetUp-Event , More Trust in Virtual Teams
SOCIAL MEDIA
Contributions relating to Team-Development:
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VIDEO: Prelude Suite - Virtual Team Development (in German language only)
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A new way of serving Agile Teams (or others!) with Team Development and Psychological Trust
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The Prelude for Building Virtual High-Performance Teams Faster
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Build, keep and retain your TEAMFORCE – be it co-located or distributed
Contributions relating to "Sprints":
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Design Sprints (Video)
Contributions relating to virtual collaboration:
MASTERTHESIS
Master thesis: Team Development in virtual, multicultural teams https://www.slideshare.net/slideshow/embed_code/key/3fxkLn3mv3Auu
Glocal virtual collaboration & facilitation - Events in 2021:
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Jan 11th: Embodiment of Levels of Listening
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Jan 28th: Gamification as an important part of facilitation
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Febr 1st: Embodiment of Levels of Listening - round 2
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Febr. 23rd: Gamification in Coaching with "The Bigger Game"
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March 3rd: Economy for the Common Good
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March 18th: The Creativity Operation System
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March 25th: Presencing Stuckness
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May 27th: Contribute making the world a psychologically safer space!
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June 9th: The Science of Great Teams
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June 30th: More Trust in Virtual and Agile Teams
ABOUT ME
Erik Schumb – founder and owner of Agile Sprints
Bookseller, Scientific Librarian, Market Analyst / Information Broker, Strategic Researcher, Digital Transformation Manager, Innovation Consultant, Agile Coach
PAST
PRESENCE
Founder of Agile Sprints,
Agile Strategist & Coach,
Moderator & Facilitator,
Presencer, Leadership Trainer
Chief Facilitation Officer
AllStarTeams Europe
ERIKS USP
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GLOCAL (global and local), Terrestrial & Preludian
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DIGITAL ADOPTER and VIRTUAL PERFORMER
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AGILIST with a solid methodological grounding – open for meaningful enhancements
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LEARNER open for new people and methods
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Ability to SWIM WITH THE SHARKS
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Creative at all corners with HEART, HAND & HEAD
Your Partner of Choice for Agile Sprints
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FUTURE
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Erik Schumb – founder and owner of Agile Sprints
STRENGTH
Based of Gallup-Strengh-Finder:
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EXECUTING: Achiever (5), Responsibility (8)
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INFLUENCING: Self-Assurance (10)
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RELATIONSHIP BUILDING: Connectedness (1), Individualization (4)
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STRATEGIC THINKING: Strategic (2), Learner (3), Intellection (6), Input (7), Ideation (9)
EDUCATION UND QUALIFICATIONS
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August 2019: Prelude Suite Certified Facilitator
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April 2019: Theory U – Presencing Foundation Program (Presencing Institut Berlin)
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February 2019: Team Kanban Practitioner (Lean Kanban University)
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January 2019: trained facilitator of LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® method and materials
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November 2018: Certified Scrum Master (Scrum Alliance)
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June 2018: SAFE 4.5 - Leading SAFe (Accenture, internal training and qualification)
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2013 - 2015: Design Thinking Coach (Accenture, DTA Design Thinking Academy & DTF Design Thinking Facilitation)
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2012: Master of Arts: Human Resources Counselling, Coaching & Supervision (Master Thesis: Team Development in virtual, multicultural teams) University of Applied Sciences, Frankfurt, Germany
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1997 Media University, Stuttgart, Germany: Diploma in Library & Information Sciences
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1991: Trainer License (Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Ludwigshafen, Germany)
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1988 – 1991: Apprenticeship Bookseller