The Agile Fluency Model Explained: A Brief Guide to Success with Agile

Summary

The Agile Fluency Model, introduced by Diana Larson and James Shore, is a framework that transcends the debate on 'how to do Agile' by focusing on useful Agile practices and continuous improvement. It's not a maturity model but a flexible guide that helps teams evolve from individual contributors to highly effective, fluent teams, capable of reliable delivery and market leadership. The model promotes a positive, inclusive approach, encouraging organizations to invest in learning and deliberate practice to achieve agility that naturally integrates into their workflow.

Takeaways

• 📚 The Agile Fluency Model was first published in 2012 and updated in 2018, aiming to provide a positive and inclusive framework for understanding effective agile practices.
• 🌟 The model is not a maturity model but a representation of various ways agile teams work well, suggesting that every part of the model has value depending on organizational needs.
• 🚌 The model is likened to a bus ride where teams can 'get off' at the zone that provides the most value for their organization, rather than progressing linearly to an end goal.
• 👥 It starts with the recognition of effective individual contributors and the need for a team culture shift towards a team-based way of working.
• 🔍 The 'Focusing' zone emphasizes fluent teams that provide business value, with progress visible to stakeholders and the ability to redirect work as needed.
• 🏠 Teams need a dedicated workspace, a business representative for value perspective, and coaching in continuous learning and visibility to be effective in the Focusing zone.
• 🚀 The 'Delivering' zone builds on the Focusing zone, with teams able to release software whenever customers are ready, capturing value early and fixing problems while small.
• 🛠️ Achieving Delivering fluency requires patience with the learning curve, inclusion of other disciplines like DevOps, and training towards engineering excellence.
• 🌐 The 'Optimizing' zone involves teams that not only deliver reliably but also innovate and lead their markets, requiring business expertise and product focus.
• 🌟 The 'Strengthening' zone is for organizations that aim to innovate at a cultural level, with teams contributing to the whole organization's strength through idea sharing and system understanding.
• 🔮 The final zone, 'Agile Future,' is for leaders who want to create new ways of working, requiring the invention of new agile practices and a focus on the whole organization.
• 📈 The model encourages organizations to consider the benefits they need and the investments and trade-offs they are willing to make to achieve those benefits.

Q & A

What is the Agile Fluency Model?

The Agile Fluency Model is a framework developed by Diana Larson and James Shore in 2012 and updated in 2018, which aims to provide a positive and inclusive perspective on the various ways Agile practices can be implemented effectively across organizations.

Why was the Agile Fluency Model created?

The model was created to rise above the unproductive conversations about how Agile should be done and to focus on what useful Agile ideas exist and how they can be leveraged to benefit organizations.

How does the Agile Fluency Model differ from a maturity model?

Unlike a maturity model that suggests a linear progression, the Agile Fluency Model is designed as a 'ride on a bus' where each 'bus zone' represents a different level of Agile practice and value, allowing teams to choose the level that best fits their organizational needs.

What is the significance of the term 'fluency' in the Agile Fluency Model?

The term 'fluency' is borrowed from language fluency and refers to the ability to perform a skill with routine, automatic ease, which comes from doing something well repeatedly and investing in learning and deliberate practice.

What are the prerequisites for a team to move from individual contributors to a team-based way of working in the Agile Fluency Model?

For a team to make this shift, they need to be fully dedicated to a single team, have their own workspace, a business representative for value perspective, and coaching in skills such as continuous learning and making work visible.

What are the benefits of a team being fluent in the 'Focusing' zone of the Agile Fluency Model?

Fluent focusing teams can show progress from a business perspective, allow stakeholders to redirect work as needed, and ensure the team is always working on their most valuable priority.

What does it mean for a team to be fluent in the 'Delivering' zone of the Agile Fluency Model?

Teams fluent in delivering can release software whenever their customers are ready, capture monetary value as soon as features are ready, and reveal obstructions early to fix them while they're small.

What skills and practices are associated with the 'Delivering' zone in the Agile Fluency Model?

Skills and practices in the 'Delivering' zone include patience with the learning curve, including other disciplines like DevOps or user experience in the team, and training for engineering excellence with full-time technical mentoring.

What is the 'Optimizing' zone in the Agile Fluency Model and what does it aim to achieve?

The 'Optimizing' zone is for teams that want to lead their market. It requires business expertise in the team, focusing on specific markets to develop expertise, and shifts in how managers interact with teams, including delegating business decisions to the team.

What is the purpose of the 'Strengthening' zone in the Agile Fluency Model?

The 'Strengthening' zone is for organizations that want to innovate their organizational culture. Teams in this zone contribute to making the whole organization stronger by cross-pollinating ideas and innovations across teams and working to make the cross-organization value stream more successful.

How can organizations determine which zone in the Agile Fluency Model is the best fit for them?

Organizations should consider the benefits they need and the investments and trade-offs they are willing to make to achieve those benefits. The Agile Fluency Model provides a roadmap to help organizations determine the best fit.