Why is Transformation difficult?

Any Enterprise initiatives involving CHANGE are never straight-forward. They are slow and full of resistance. Many just fizzle out midway. Agile Transformation is no different. I prefer using the term "Agile Transformation" rather than "Agile Adoption". The term does better justice to what the Enterprise will/does have to go through in order to "transform" into an Agile Enterprise. In my opinion, you can never "Adopt" Agile without "Transform"ing significantly; especially when it comes to scaling Agile. Some other approaches like Lean Kanban try to make it as palatable as possible, but I still feel it is inevitable.

Most people, especially at the Senior Management level, while signing up for "Agile Adoption", do not understand or gauge the magnitude of CHANGE they are signing up for. It's not as simple as creating a Product Backlog, doing some Release/Sprint Planning and the doing 4 weeks Sprints. There is sooo much more that needs to transform in and around the team to do these things right!

Mike Cottmeyer in one of his blogs has listed 12 Key Barriers to Agile Transformation

Most online material, especially case studies, paint a very rosy picture of how an Enterprise that released once in 12-18 months, "adopted" Agile and started releasing every 3 months in a span of 1 year!

It sounds just like how a caterpillar metamorphose itself into a beautiful butterfly!

The truth though is that it's hard....very hard!

 The Caterpillar self destructs!

It first digests its own body!! It bloats and hangs itself upside down. It then starts attacking its own cells and body; attacks its own immune system till it fails; skin hardens and forms a chrysalis. It actually melts into just a very nutrient rich soup. It completely changes its genome structure. It doesn't have a head or digits; it only wiggles for quite some days within the pupa. It keeps wiggling, helplessly, till it develops its wings and finally breaks open when it has go the strength to do so.

The above metaphor is apt to imagine what an enterprise would have to go through in order to transform into something far better and beautiful. It is here, that patience and understanding is needed. Those who can will fly, others will fail.