There’s no question that technology and innovation are changing the world you live in at a very fast pace. Wasn’t it just yesterday that your dad carried his mobile phone in a big bag everywhere he went?
In the world of business – tech innovation and the disruption it brings – are upending the way departments across the organization operate on a day to day basis. Successful organizations understand that in their highly competitive industries the only way to thrive is to maximize the business benefits enabled by these disruptive forces.
The tech is here; are you ready for it?
Indeed, teams of every size and function — from marketing and R&D to sales and HR – are coupling technology and the advancements they enable to take productivity to the next level. By fundamentally altering the way they operate and provide services, both from within and without the organization, teams are able to transform themselves into powerful machines capable of delivering more – faster than ever before.
But with great power, comes great responsibility: customers are demanding more and so organizations are pushing their teams to provide greater value and faster deliveries. The best way for you to meet these expectations is by using agile software platforms and other innovative technologies that speed up processes and keep teams focused. However — like all good things — these innovations come with both benefits and challenges.
The word on the ‘corporate’ street
At Planview AdaptiveWork, we make it a priority to find innovative solutions to the market’s problems by making sure we have strong relationships with our clients and potential clients. We know about the challenges created when agile adoption comes from the bottom-up and how age plays a difference when trying to change workstyles and methodologies. Here are a few key insights from our knowledge base:
- Too much tech can be a mess. Sometimes even when everyone is excited about the agile technologies for resourcing and forecasting, problems arise. Different teams with different work styles will often find different solutions to their problems, meaning that they use different agile platforms to help them boost productivity.This situation causes technology fragmentation and creates a challenge when trying to consolidate the teams and processes into a single system that provides visibility to everyone. A centralized system is critical for agile, so that teams can be updated on the latest changes and on progress.
- Can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Left to their own devices many teams will naturally gravitate towards what they know. Spreadsheets and local docs may feel comfortably familiar, but they won’t up productivity by much because they weren’t built for organizational alignment and visibility. Without everyone on the same system, reports to management are inconsistent and aren’t up to date. Even when teams understand that agile methodologies impact business and projects in a positive manner, it’s difficult to change after 20 years of doing something a certain way.
- The agile learning curve. The agile journey should not be taken lightly. It demands persistence, determination and a long-term perspective to truly make an impact. Teams and stakeholders usually look at their immediate, short-term needs; often seeing no further than the next year or two. What’s really needed to transform processes and methodologies is a long-term view and understanding that teams need to be guided along the agile journey. Many organizations are not providing the education, resources and guidance needed to change the way their teams operate, and so are encountering difficulties pushing agile throughout the organization.
Organizations need to show different teams how they can easily start using agile and adapt it to their unique style of working. Different teams have different needs and it’s not always easy for teams that don’t develop software, like marketing and IT, to understand how agile will help them.
A simple solution
Planview AdaptiveWork provides enterprises with the ultimate agile solution – a collaborative work platform for management that integrates with Planview AdaptiveWork’s solution for agile teams. This enables enterprises to ensure alignment and visibility for management and PMO while giving teams the freedom and personalization they need to get the work done.
