steps to becoming an agile individual

Steps to Becoming an Agile IndividualPerforming well in an Agile environment

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1 LEARN AGILE, 2 DEFINE SUCCESS, 3 ACCEPT PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY

Agile is here. The only question now is, how do I become Agile?

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A quick review of Agile:

What is Agile?A highly-collaborative,

incremental and iterative new approach to testing

How does Agile work?• Early and regular delivery of

tasks• Focus on team communications• Centered around close

interaction with the users

Now that Agile is fresh on our minds, let’s try to remember WHY we are adopting Agile?

Learn Agile Define Success Accept personal responsibility

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To reduce time and costs spent,

to boost performance,

and to deliver better results.

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WELL, IT DEPENDS ON HOW WE DEFINE SUCCESS

Agile sounds great, but is Agile adoption always successful?

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What is successful Agile adoption?Success is measured by asking whether or not we are more productive at providing increased value through Agile practices.


Be careful not to confuse the “practicing of Agile practices” with successful Agile adoption.

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Are we more productive at creating better results that provide increased value to our organization?

Success is defined by asking:

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TEAM MEMBERS TAKE OWNERSHIPWhat do all successful agile teams have in common?

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When something goes wrong large or small (for example, lost keys or a lost retirement account), the Responsibility Process kicks in. The mind offers Lay Blame as a reason. If you accept blame as a sufficient reason, then you will act on that blame. If you don't accept it, then your mind offers you an excuse (Justify). And so on.

Taking personal responsibility is a step-wise process of refusing to act on a series of irresponsible thoughts that your mind offers up.


No one thinks about personal responsibility when things go well

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The Responsibility Process (TRP) shows us the mental process we, as human beings, go through when we avoid responsibility and destroy the ownership behavior essential to self-organizing teams.

Responsibility

DenialQuit

The Responsibility Process Model (Chris Avery)

Obligation

Shame Lay Blame

Justify


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Responsibility



Obligation

Shame Lay Blame

Justify

Owning your ability and power to create, choose, and attract

Doing what you have to instead of what you want to

Laying blame onto oneself (often felt as guilt)

Using excuses for things being the way they are

Holding others at fault for causing something

Quit Giving up to avoid the

pain of Shame and Obligation

Denial Ignoring the existence of something

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Responsibility

DenialQuit


Obligation

Shame Lay Blame

Justify


Imagine you're leaving home for a critical meeting. You're not late yet but you have no time to lose. You grab your laptop bag, reach for your keys, and... they aren't there! What's the first thing that crosses your mind? Who moved my keys? Or, honey - did you take my keys? Regardless of the exact words, most of us instinctively look for someone else to blame when something goes wrong. This behavior is a strategy we use unconsciously to avoid taking responsibility for our situation. (In the diagram, you are on the bottom behavior - laying blame.)

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Now, imagine you arrived at the meeting. You're five minutes late. As you walk in the door, what do you say? "Sorry I'm late, I lost my keys?" Or perhaps, "Sorry I'm late, traffic was bad?" Why not stop at "Sorry I'm late?" Why continue with an explanation? According to Avery's research, the next instinctive response we have once we escape blame, is to justify. It's not my problem - the universe is at fault.

Responsibility

DenialQuit


Obligation

Shame Lay Blame

Justify


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Responsibility

DenialQuit


Obligation

Shame Lay Blame

Justify


When we get past blame and justification, the next natural response is shame. When coming from blame or justification we externalized the problem - we believed we had no responsibility for it. When we get to shame, we now acknowledge that we're part of the problem - but instead of taking constructive action, we beat ourselves up. Regardless of the words out of our mouth, we're flogging ourselves for blowing it again. This is not a resourceful state of mind; this is another detour keeping us from responsibility.

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When we get past shame, we have one more way to avoid responsibility - obligation. An example: "Honey, I'm sorry I won't be home for dinner tonight. I have to join the boss for dinner with a client." No you don't have to go to dinner with the boss - you choose to. You own your life. You make your choices. Obligation is rule following behavior - using explicit or implicit rules to relinquish your ownership of your life. This doesn't mean you should go home for dinner. It means you should be conscious of your choice.

Responsibility

DenialQuit


Obligation

Shame Lay Blame

Justify


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Assuming we get past each of these potholes, we find ourselves at responsibility. This is a state of mind where we take

ownership for our situation. If things aren't as we prefer, we take action to change them. This state is the starting point for

personal agility.


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Responsibility is not just a character trait/flaw. It's a mental process operating identically in everyone

The process can be observed, learned, taught, studied, developed, modeled, and practiced

Any willing individual, team, or organization can practice responsibility at ever higher levels

The Responsibility Process is most useful when self-applied. It backfires when used to Lay Blame on others

Responsibility

DenialQuit


Obligation

Shame Lay Blame

Justify


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Individuals and Interactions over Process and Tools

Self-directed teams aligned to a clear goal are the essence of agile behavior and the engine behind stunning results teams claim for Agile.

Individual responsibility is a prerequisite to such agile interactions.

Personal Agility brings back the focus on individuals. Individual responsibility is the bedrock of Personal Agility.

Without team members being responsible, there is little chance for Agile practices (or any practices) to have a significant positive

effect upon a teams effectiveness.

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Unlock and master your own personal responsibility within the Agile environment with a three-step process

INTENTIONIntend to respond

from Responsibility when things go

wrong

AWARENESSCatch yourself in the mental states

of Denial, Lay Blame, Justify,

Shame, Obligation, and Quit

CONFRONTFace yourself to see what is true

that you can learn, correct, or improve

steps to becoming an agile individual

Design

successful

responsibility

responsibility

responsibility

personal agility

laying blame

team members

agile practices