Agile Business Analysis

Change for the sake of change is always a bad idea.

Change is not helpful if the motivation behind the change is not recognised or misinterpreted. As Winston Churchill once said:

“There is nothing wrong with change… if it is in the right direction.”

If you make changes without good reason, it can be risky, especially if you make the changes quickly. So, it’s important for your organisation to think carefully about the drivers behind the proposed changes, whether it’s about your products or how you do things.

How can you welcome change?

Good question and how can you be sure the change will still harness competitive advantage?  The answer is outlined in the 12 Principles of Agile, included as part of our Agile Business Analysis training course. 

Making sure everyone is on board

An important step in implementing change to an existing setup is to make sure everyone involved understands what could happen.

The team needs to understand the benefits, real-life examples can help show why the changes are necessary. Changing how people think is a big challenge in any organisation, including agile transformations.

The Agile methodology emphasises teamwork and collaboration which fosters a sense of community and camaraderie within the development team.

Impact on Quality and Consistency

Agile methodology makes a difference to how teams work by promoting a culture of continuous improvement, collaboration and adaptability. This helps the team concentrate on quality and consistently during the whole development process. One specific way of doing Agile is ‘Scrum’ which focuses on regular feedback and looks to improve by consistently repeating this discipline throughout the project. This helps to identify and fix problems as soon as possible to deliver a better end result.

Let’s look at the meaningful benefits below:

  • Speed to Market

Continuous sprints (a set time during which specific work has to be completed and made ready for review) guarantee ongoing progress, preventing stagnation. Swift task delivery is coupled with quality assurance checks based on established benchmarks.

  • Scalability 

Agile scalability involves the simultaneous existence of multiple workstreams, ensuring progress on all fronts instead of waiting for handoffs.

  • Prioritisation

Prioritisation is facilitated by using Agile tools and resources which visually represent product backlogs and tasks’ priority. Continuous reprioritisation by the Product Owner ensures completion of the most valuable tasks first.

Besides developing a strong team culture, ideally experimenting with a smaller module or team before launching to your wider organisation, is another really important element to consider.

In any transformation, it’s important to have checkpoints at certain times to review and optimise the process. Checkpoints help ensure that your team is on track and fully understands the new approach. They also allow for feedback from your stakeholders to make improvements if necessary. Being open to constructive feedback is crucial for a successful transformation.

To transform your approach, foster collaboration and navigate the future of your business change programmes with confidence, the Agile Business Analysis course tackles this brilliantly. Our practical course offered by instructor-led, on-site or self-study ensures comprehensive learning, empowering you with the skills to drive success in an agile environment.]

Our next instructor-led course via Zoom is 20th — 22nd May — there’s still time to join us! 

If you have questions we’ve not answered, you can download our course brochure, as well as hearing what our learners have to say here. Of course, we are always happy to chat too, so do get in touch with us: +44 (0) 1225 836 084.