Public Sector Case Study: Part 3
Between 2022 - 2023, Lithe Transformation and its expert consultants undertook a series of projects across several departments within the public sector. The following case study is Part 3 of a series that showcases how Lithe Consultancy coached and advised multi-level leaders in not just understanding and implementing the principles of Agile but also using them to achieve long-term and sustainable results.
If you are an organisation that is struggling with time delays, failing to meet objectives and is in a constant rope challenge on what to prioritise, get in touch with us to see how our experienced consultants can help you revolutionise your operations, just like they’ve done for the public sector.
“The use of Agile is not just a framework, it is to use change in a positive way. Inspect what you have learned, then adapt to the ever-changing world.”
These are wise words of Agile Coach and Lithe Consultant, Josh Tasker.
In a recent consultancy engagement within the public sector, Josh used these principles to promote agility in decision-making, enhance collaboration, and improve efficiency across various directorates and hierarchy levels in various departments.
The following case study follows the journey of Lithe’s training and consultancy in facilitating the adoption of Agile methodologies and tools in a fairly traditional organisation.
The client’s processes, steeped in tradition and protocol, modelled original government structures.
The bureaucratic structure follows traditional frameworks supporting multi layer committees leading to huge decision latency. With values difficult to articulate and priorities decisions based on hierarchical positions, the client recognised the need to adapt to modern challenges and increase operational efficiency.
The need for faster responses, increased collaboration, and better adaptability compelled them to explore a more Agile approach. The goal was to create a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement, empowering teams to deliver value in a more efficient and effective manner.
Enter: Lithe Consulting.
As part of a coalition of consultancies whose objective is to support the adoptions of agile ways of working, this collective began theorising ways to support the cultural changes required and what strategy to take.
Agile Training Implementation
The training approach followed three main movements:
Training personal
Targeting specific departments
Engaging with leaders to build in top cover
Even though the organisation was committed to introducing Agile ways of working, the initial challenge presented was to gain buy-in from various stakeholders and help them understand the potential benefits of Agile methodologies.
Many were initially reluctant to invest their time and effort into the training, especially as it was conducted online and finding the time to engage with an already stretched workload.
As the training progressed, participants began to see the value of Agile ways of working, particularly in terms of delegation of authority, clear direction, and building trust. However, this started to wane due to lower levels of engagement as the priority to adopt was understandably below that of the day to day work. This supported the discussion that while we could tackle the organisation as a whole, providing training to everyone and anyone interested in agility, regardless of whether the would use it or not, lead to a change in strategy in adoption.
Shifting Focus to HQ
The transformation now shifted to focusing on the organisation's headquarters, engaging senior leadership. The goal was to reshape the top-level management structure to embrace Agile thinking.
After co-designing a strategy with their consulting counterparts, the lithe consultants and their counterparts worked closely with senior colleagues to help them visualise their work and understand the flow of operations across the organisation.
This involved the implementation of Scrum@Scale, building upon the scaled agile framework of practices to create a bespoke approach to the needs of the organisation to improve prioritisation, executive action, and impediment resolution. This included using work visualisation tools such as JIRA to help visualise these decisions. There was, however, some resistance during this phase due to the organisational structure and established hierarchical practices.
What was clear from the start was the need for a tailored approach, each of these directorates was unique, and while we are implementing a scaled framework, part needed to be tweak, not just for scale but for how each area operates
But to do this, we needed information, data. What was highlighted immediately was the need for a view of the work that each of these directorates had committed to deliver and owned.
This information was scattered among many systems, at many levels of secrecy. We needed to build a picture to show what was happening across the organisation.
Visualising Work at the Directorate Level
The focus shifted to help the client visualise their work at the operational level, ensuring transparency and promoting better decision-making.
By implementing tools like JIRA, the department was able to track progress, commitments, and capacity effectively.
This empowered them to optimise their processes, reduce multitasking, and prioritise tasks more efficiently.
By working in this way, it has highlighted the need for data-driven decision-making and how visualising work can help identify and address challenges in the system.
By visualising the high level tasks and developing metrics that show a more transparent picture of capacity against expected deliverables, the leadership team will be able to understand what the organisation can deliver versus what they want delivered and be able to make priority decisions and more importantly, stop work!
As work loads of already stressed people decreased, it created space for time to think, allowing leaders to better plan with their teams, how to tackle their problems and objectives, helping support and foster the culture based on agility.
Challenges and Successes:
Throughout the transformation journey, several challenges were encountered, including resistance to change, time constraints, and the need to adapt Agile practices to suit the public sectors’ unique context.
The struggle with defining ownership of the product backlog, particularly when it was driven by the influence of the leadership team. Traditional organisational structures often led to conflicting priorities and difficulties in achieving alignment. Additionally, continuous leadership turnover as staff change roles once in a while and the absence of a guiding coalition to lead the transformation from the client's side threatened the sustainability of the transformation efforts.
However, notable successes were documented, such as improved collaboration, increased productivity, and the emergence of data-driven decision-making.
The teams across all levels made noteworthy progress in embracing Agile practices. One area of transformation was the establishment of an Agile structure for key executive decision making at the highest levels of the organisation, enabling better visualisation and planning of their quarterly objectives.
Another significant milestone was the successful adoption of Agile ways of working within specific directorates. The organisation implemented Scrum practices, leading to improved communication, delegation, and faster decision-making.
Teams reported a better understanding of priorities and improved collaboration across sub-directorates through the visualisation of these key priorities.
Tools and Techniques
To aid the transformation, the client chose JIRA as their tool of choice. JIRA provided a holistic view of priorities, impediments, and blockers, enabling better decision-making and alignment. The platform helped teams visualise work, track progress, and improve communication across the board.
Josh used his experience in Agile and development coaching by employing a mix of methodologies, including Scrum, Kanban, Value Stream Mapping, and Design Thinking, to cater to the unique needs of different directorates. This adaptable approach allowed teams to find the most suitable methodology for their context.
Results and Impact
The work that Lithe and its partners carried out within this public department demonstrates the importance of tailoring Agile methodologies to meet the needs of specific organisations. By overcoming resistance to change, visualising work processes, and fostering a culture of collaboration and continuous improvement, the client successfully embraced Agile principles, driving efficiency, and adaptability throughout all the layers of the organisation.
Directorates, departments and teams reported improved visibility into their work and a better understanding of their objectives. Communication between teams and their superiors became more effective, leading to quicker decision-making. The delegation of tasks improved, with managers feeling confident in entrusting work to their teams.
Moreover, the adoption of Agile principles enabled the organisation to respond to change swiftly. Teams exhibited higher motivation and productivity, leading to enhanced overall performance.
Whilst the progress is evident, the client recognised that this transformation is a long-term endeavour. Lithe’s Consultants supported the organisation to think more expansively, focusing on continuous improvement and innovation; encouraging the exploration of new ways to reduce ship reefer time by analysing handover processes and encouraging cross-team collaboration.
The client’s agile transformation journey has not been without its challenges, but it has yielded significant progress and results within a short timeframe. By embracing Agile principles and methodologies, it has built a foundation for more collaborative, adaptive, and efficient operations.
Unlock the power of agile for your organisation: Is your organisation navigating choppy waters due to traditional hierarchical structures? Learn from the success of our work within the public sector and embrace Agile transformation to unleash the full potential of your teams. Contact us now to explore how Agile coaching and tailored methodologies can revolutionise your organisation's performance and enable better results in an ever-changing world.
