Agile Trainings Provide a Common Basis for Communication
In practice, planning the next steps in agile transformations often stalls if key players have not completed at least basic agility training. Without shared vocabulary and understanding, agreeing on meaningful next steps is nearly impossible. A lack of knowledge about agility and the chosen agile framework is a significant barrier to agile transformation.
When is the right time for agile training as part of an agile transformation?
A step-by-step approach is also recommended for training measures.
Development and qualification of the transformation team
A proven approach is to first build a team that drives the agile transformation. Ideally, the team consists of managers, agile experts and specialists. Members of this team need training first. This team can then create a roadmap for further knowledge building, role assignment, communication and change management.
Training for candidates in specific roles
It is usually beneficial to train people considered for specific roles in advance. It is challenging to commit to a role without fully understanding the associated tasks, responsibilities and required skills.
Training as initial team building for the agile teams
Once the relevant roles and initial team set-up are known, training sessions can also serve as initial team-building exercises for everyone involved.
Big room training under time pressure
If there is significant time pressure, everyone involved in the transformation can receive initial knowledge simultaneously through a large training course.
Role-specific deepening and continuous education
Once everyone understands the basics, skills can be deepened and further developed in a role-specific manner. Not every Scrum Master needs to be an expert in clean code nor do developers need to excel at great stakeholder workshops. However, everyone must understand what the transformation is about, the benefits and how the chosen framework underlines this.
It is important to continue after basic training but also follow a roadmap with further measures and continually evaluate what makes sense the most at any given time.
The EFS training offer
EFS Consulting offers workshops and measures tailored to the needs and corporate culture for managers and agile teams.
EFS Consulting provides the following standard trainings and courses:
- Agile und Scrum Basics
- Agile Leadership Deep Dive
- Self-Organization
- Non-violent Communication in the corporate context
- Group Dynamics for Agile Coaches and Managers
- Visualization for Agile Coaches and Managers
- Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe®) Trainings
- Leading SAFe® SAFe 4 Teams
- SAFe® Scrum Master
- SAFe® Advanced Scrum Master
- SAFe® Product Owner/Product Manager
- Agile Product Management
- SAFe® Dev-Ops
- Lean Portfolio Management
- Release Train Engineer
- SAFe® for Architects
Which training should you begin with?
The best way to enter the agile world depends on the individual situation and specific goals. If you want to build up your knowledge, EFS Consulting recommends “Leading SAFe®” for employees in large, traditionally structured companies and Product Owner training for those in smaller companies.
For further measures, the EFS Agility Check can quickly identify the most impactful measures for the current situation.
Conclusion
- Basic training before roles are assigned: Everyone involved should first gain a basic understanding of agility.
- Train everyone involved: The entire workforce should be involved in the agile transformation.
- Plan role-specific advanced training: Targeted further training should be offered for the individual roles in the agile team.
- Create and update a roadmap with enablement measures: Training measures should be documented in a roadmap and regularly adapted to the company’s current needs.
To make an agile transformation successful, it is essential to have a clear picture of what needs improvement and systematic education and training for everyone involved. Without training, there is a lack of common vocabulary and understanding needed to agree on priorities and further steps. EFS Consulting supports you with a comprehensive range of agile training courses and workshops to qualify your employees and managers. Contact us today for your individual offer!
