How to overcome dependencies, align teams, and deliver predictably

How to overcome dependencies, align teams, and deliver predictably

How to overcome dependencies, align teams, and deliver predictably
via Work Life by Atlassian by Jessica Wolfe

Getting individual teams on board with agile is hard. Scaling agile across the enterprise is really hard. As organizations move beyond the adoption of agile at the team level, program leaders are charged with the Herculean task of communicating strategic goals down to working teams while delivering status updates up the chain from ceremonious meetings and managing expectations at the portfolio and executive levels. All the while, they have to make sure they’re positioning teams to deliver value to customers and meeting top-level organizational goals.

Needless to say, these circumstances create the potential for lots of challenges and roadblocks. Here’s how to overcome them.

Managing dependencies

Problem: Teams are agile, but missed dependencies are impacting quality and delivery.

In the early stages of agile transformation, individual teams may show all the signs of being high-functioning: meeting each sprint’s goals, all-time-low defects, consistent velocity, a perfect sprint burndown, and happy retros that show continuous improvement of processes.

But if teams are working in isolation, they can be caught off-guard by missed dependencies. In a dynamic and complex environment, horizontal alignment is crucial. Without it, it’s difficult to stay on track and meet strategic goals. Releases may be delayed, or what’s delivered may not meet customer expectations.

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