In this episode Susanne speaks to Emily, Tracey and Jenni and explores the real-world challenges of agile implementation, emphasizing that successful adoption is less about strict ceremonies and more about delivering value, fostering collaboration, and learning from experience. The conversation moves beyond buzzwords, highlighting the need for adaptability, transparent leadership, and a focus on business outcomes.

Takeaways

1. Agile is most effective when focused on delivering value, not just following processes or terminology.

2. A two-tier system can emerge if only some teams adopt agile, causing organizational friction.

3. Addressing deep-rooted issues like decision-making and resourcing is key for agile success.

4. There is no “silver bullet”—new methodologies can’t fix problems that aren’t properly understood.

5. Business outcomes should take priority over any single methodology or tool.

6. Start with the most pressing pain points instead of trying to fix everything at once.

7. Foster an agile mindset by prioritizing people’s values, openness to change, and collaborative approaches.

8. “Minimum Lovable Product” is a better aim than simply a “Minimum Viable Product”—solutions must be both usable and valued.

9. Balancing leadership expectations and delivery teams’ realities requires transparency, courage, and ongoing stakeholder engagement.

10. Learning from past experiences—and openly acknowledging mistakes—builds trust and supports continuous improvement.

 

The ChangeStories podcast is for people who are interested in change, whether that is within organisations or for individuals.

 

Hosted by Susanne Evans, an organisation change consultant, coach, trainer and researcher, each podcast episode features a conversation with a guest about their work to provide ideas and inspiration.

 

To find out more about ChangeStories and Susanne’s work, go to www.feldsparconsulting.com or follow her on Twitter or Instagram (@feldsparconsult ).  Susanne is on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/susanneevans and her email address is [email protected]

 

Alternatively, you can sign up for the monthly newsletter The Change Conversation by clicking this link - https://mailchi.mp/f2ba36a7262b/the-change-conversation

 

Jenni can be found here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jenni-thynne-mentor/

 

Tracey can be found here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracey-holland/

 

Emily can be found here:

https://www.linkedin.com/in/agilem/

https://agilem.co.uk/