Agile Ways of Working For High-Performing Teams

This presentation was delivered at our "Eleven Nights" event in Hobart on August 29th.

Eduardo Nofuentes & Martine Sholl shared practical, real-world insights on our eleven steps for high-performing teams.

1. theagileeleven.com
@theagileeleven
The Eleven Steps For
High-Performing Teams
Eleven Nights series
Martine Sholl & Eduardo Nofuentes
The Agile Eleven

2. The Agile Eleven

3. @theagileeleven

4. Our Clients

5. @theagileeleven
Our Clients

6. The Eleven Nights

7. The Eleven Nights
Learning | Practicing
Connecting | Having fun

8. What is agile?

9. @theagileeleven
What is agile?

ag-ile
adjective


“the ability to move quickly and easily”

10. @theagileeleven
Agile is a mindset
From the article “What is Agile “by Steve Denning – Image inspired by Ahmed Sidky
Agile is a
MINDSET
Described by
4 VALUES
Defined by
12
PRINCIPLES
Manifested through an
UNLIMITED NUMBER OF
PRACTICES

11. How to achieve
organisational
agility?

12. @theagileeleven
Achieving Organisational Agility

13. Ways of working

14. @theagileeleven

15. Alignment

16. @theagileeleven
Alignment
Have you ever worked with a team that
‘gets it’? They are coherent in their
understanding of themselves, their
work and where they are heading
together.

1. Purpose

2. Vision

3. Values

4. DNA

17. @theagileeleven
1. Purpose
•The motivational force
that drives the team

•Why?

•Meaningful &
long-lasting

•Drives behaviours &
actions

•Align work to the
purpose

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1. Purpose
People & Culture team

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2. Vision
•Where does the team
want to be?

•Shared destination

•Clear north star

•Inspiring for the team

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2. Vision

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3. Values
•How a team works
together

•Actionable behaviours

•Enable reflection

•Allows team to be
themselves

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3. Values

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4. DNA
•A team’s collective
traits

•How a team wants to be
known externally

•Inherent in their being

•Helps guide team
decisions


THE
AGILE
ELEVEN
WE ARE
REAL
PEOPLE
WE KNOW
BUSINESS
WE ARE
PROGRESSIVE
THNKERS
WE ARE
OBSESSED
WITH
CUSTOMER
VALUE

24. @theagileeleven
4. DNA

25. Let’s talk
alignment

26. Direction

27. @theagileeleven
Direction
5. Strategic Drivers

6. Roadmap

7. Objectives


Once there is an inspiring
vision, the team needs
clear direction on where
to focus their energy.
Shared understanding
promotes better outcomes
given there is clarity for
the team.

28. @theagileeleven
5. Strategic drivers
•Based on the vision for
the team

•Support the team’s path

•Inform initiatives

•Question work that
doesn’t align to
strategic drivers

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6. Objectives
•Outcomes for each
strategic driver

•Confidently explain the
way forward

•Work in a cohesive
direction

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7. Roadmap
•The intention for the
future

•Not planning the entire
path

•3 – 5 year view

•Understand
opportunities for the
future

•Must be a willingness to
adapt as new pathways
are uncovered &
markets change

31. Let’s talk
direction

32. Rhythm

33. @theagileeleven
Rhythm

8. Visual Management

9. Operating Rhythm
Teams that take advantage of visual management tools to foster
meaningful conversations will stay ahead, self-adjust and get the right
work done

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8. Visual management
•What gets visualised
gets talked about, what
gets talked about gets
done

•Transparency in the
work

•Greater collaboration &
communication

•True ownership of work

•There is no one best way
to visualise the work

35. @theagileeleven
8. Visual management
An Executive team

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8. Visual management
A functional team

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8. Visual management
A real success story

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8. Visual management

39. @theagileeleven
8. Visual management

40. @theagileeleven
8. Visual management

41. @theagileeleven
9. Operating rhythm
•How often teams talk
about the visual work

•The value is in the
conversation

•Closer to the customer –
higher frequency

•More strategic teams –
less often

42. Let’s talk rhythm

43. Review

44. @theagileeleven
Review
10. Continuous
Improvement

11. Metrics
Teams that pause and take a moment to review
their work, celebrate success and re-calibrate
are able to harness their collective insights;
outperforming teams that get stuck in the rut of
doing the work.

45. @theagileeleven
10. Continuous improvement
•Often talked about but
takes a back seat to the
actual work

•Prioritising reflection
helps teams learn what
needs improving & take
action

•Regular reflection is a
trademark of
high-performing teams

46. @theagileeleven
10. Continuous improvement
What is an Improvement Kata?

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10. Continuous improvement
The Improvement Kata in action




•What is the ideal
condition?

•What is the current
condition?

•What is the next target
condition?

•What are your actions?

48. @theagileeleven
11. Metrics
•Created in alignment
with team objectives

•Understand how the
team is going in
achieving objectives &
ultimately vision

•Leading indicators
inform decision making

•Lagging indicators help
understand
achievement of results

•Shouldn’t be used as
performance indicators

49. Let’s talk review

50. How do we do it?

51. @theagileeleven
The keys to success
•Take a bottom up approach with
support from leadership

•Create space where everyone is
able to contribute their
thoughts

•Work in teams to bring together
the ideas

•Value the power of conversation

•Focus on outcomes over outputs

•Think about the here & now
AND the future

•Review the work & learn from it

52. The benefits

53. @theagileeleven
Improved
communication Greater
collaboration
Better productivity
Lift in employee
engagement
More transparency
Greater customer focus
High-performing teams

54. Want to learn
how to do it?

55. @theagileeleven