Digital acceleration through the Agile solution layer

The Agile methodology hasn’t been the magic wand that solves all problems. Despite managers’ best efforts to understand and implement the methodology, many businesses struggle with their Agile transformations. It’s a frustrating situation for leaders who have invested in hiring and building Agile teams and developing Agile centers of excellence, only to see mixed results in product delivery. What can we do to unlock the potential in the Agile teams?

Agile versus waterfall

Agile is a methodology that emphasizes delivery over process, with incremental, measurable delivery as its cornerstone. This incremental approach allows for rapid iteration, incorporating and responding to customer feedback in short cycles driving earlier value realization. By design, it’s a faster, more flexible, and responsive process than the waterfall approach in which more planning is done up front, and tasks for projects are run sequentially, then reviewed and verified before the next can begin.

Common challenges of Agile development

It’s not enough to simply adopt an Agile process without fully committing to the framework. The demands can also become pitfalls, and there are several reasons businesses fail to successfully adopt an Agile methodology:

1.      Buy-in from management is important to help ensure an Agile transformation effort; otherwise, teams will not have the confidence to experiment, change, and adapt.

2.      A lack of managerial experience in running Agile frameworks can put a project in jeopardy.

3.      Constant interaction and cooperation is required between team members and clients. This is time-consuming and requires ongoing dedication from all parties.

4.      Since Agile methodology doesn’t require much planning before beginning a project, there’s a risk of going off track in terms of the clients’ needs, and scope creep.

5.      Business needs can get lost in translation as they make their way to the Agile teams, leading to products that don’t deliver against expected value, or teams that are underutilized as stakeholders struggle to prioritize needs.

A lack of guidance and direction is at the root of all these problems. Teams need to be steered in their delivery, but the intense focus on speeding up delivery has caused slippage in the thoughtful usage of the teams in creating business value.

Solutions for the next wave of Agile

As Agile evolves and matures, dynamic new ways of working are emerging. Product-led Solution layers are a tactical force that provide direction and prioritization, so that Agile teams can hone in on areas that answer their customers’ and businesses’ needs. A solution layer both ties together and leverages the business needs, customer insights, and value management to develop the vision and roadmap, and provide support to delivery teams.

To unlock the potential of existing Agile teams, a solution layer is made up of:

Leadership: Knowledge and experience in Agile is critical. A solution layer operates as the bridge between business stakeholders who are less experienced in Agile and the delivery teams. The solution layer’s mission is to figure out what the overall short- and long-term business goals and vision of the organization are, and then accelerate the business’s capability to rapidly deliver value. The team also assists in identifying traditional, institutional barriers that are roadblocks to a project’s success. Ultimately, leadership must become fluent in Agile and actively participate in the process, or product teams will stumble.

Marketing: Insights are gained from voice-of-customer data, and guidance is offered on product rollouts. Knowing the customer’s needs and wants—as well as their ultimate end goal—will help shape the direction of product iterations. A solution layer enables fluid and continuing interaction between the product teams and customer. This boosts the regularity of feedback loops, which is one of the things that makes Agile so powerful.

Delivery teams: A solution layer helps product delivery teams figure out capacity, constraints, and opportunities. Thought needs to go into an organizational structure beforehand, so that the right resources and skill sets are available. Is outsourcing needed to acquire a certain skill set? Are teams cross-functional so they can adapt and be flexible if a new reality emerges? Is the budgeting cycle dynamic and flexible enough to pivot to fund high-value projects instead of delaying until the following year’s funding cycle?

Lines of business: A product-led solution layer offers aid to help align teams to address specific needs and provide focus and delivery where needed. And, by prioritizing value-enhancing projects, organizations can capitalize on capacity.

SAFe has a model for a Solution Train in their Full SAFe construct. This is a great start, but the solution layer is a broader concept that can be applied to not just SAFe methods, but to most Agile initiatives. Rather than being limited to one scaled approach, the solution layer adapts so it continues to align business and delivery with the goal of driving value. Solutions layers are the next wave of transformation that will unlock the potential of existing Agile teams. They are, and will be, the heart of scaled agile transformations and the value-creation process. As solution layers come together, we’ll see more focused delivery, resulting in more consistent return on investment and greater realization of a rapid response to a changing customer landscape.

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