{"id":66445,"date":"2019-01-11T02:16:36","date_gmt":"2019-01-11T10:16:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.questionpro.com\/blog\/?p=66445"},"modified":"2023-10-20T03:40:00","modified_gmt":"2023-10-20T03:40:00","slug":"agile-software-to-drive-employee-engagement","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.questionpro.com\/blog\/agile-software-to-drive-employee-engagement\/","title":{"rendered":"Using the 12 Principles of Agile Software Development to Drive Employee Engagement"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In part one<\/a> of the blog, I discussed the Agile Software Manifesto and how it drives success and improves the level of employee engagement<\/a>. In this blog, I will discuss the 12 Principle from the manifesto that will help you keep your 2019 resolutions on the mark as an organization. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  1. Employee satisfaction through early and continuous delivery<\/span><\/i> \u2013 We are prone to putting more emphasis on the big fix than we are on the first step. Employees want – above anything – access to things that are relevant, in operating order, and accretive to their experience. And they don\u2019t want to wait around for it. Focus on delivering a culture or engagement enhancement (or fix) in shorter increments of time. And do that continuously. <\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Accommodate changing requirements throughout the process<\/span><\/i> \u2013 Whatever process you choose to deploy for managing culture and <\/span>employee engagement<\/span><\/a>, it should accommodate changing needs, interests, motivators, priorities, etc. Because those changes will most certainly be required. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
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    1. Frequent delivery of stuff that works <\/span><\/i>\u2013 While related to #1, this is really more about \u201chacking away\u201d at enhancements, fixes, alignment, progress. This is about doing the one thing that\u2019s going to have the biggest impact (and is easiest to do) first. Focus on that, do it well, and then (only then) moving on to the next. <\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n
    2. Collaboration between the employees and the developers (HR, Leaders, Managers, Consultants, Etc.) throughout the project <\/span><\/i>\u2013 You get it: involve people in the decisions that affect them. It\u2019s much easier to deliver a winning solution when the end-user is involved throughout. Stop making assumptions. Stop lobbing your own interests into the mix without first considering the needs of others. Collaborate. <\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n
    3. Support, trust, and motivate the people involved<\/span><\/i> \u2013 By the way, \u201ccollaboration\u201d doesn\u2019t just mean seeking their input. It also means getting them involved – like hands-on involved. But them in charge. Create stewardship and ownership for culture<\/a> and employee engagement. If people want a culture that fits their distinct needs and interests, make them responsible for it. You trust them enough to hire them to do great things for your customers; why not trust them to do great things for your business?<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n
    4. Enable face-to-face interactions<\/span><\/i> \u2013 In an increasingly virtual world, it is increasingly important that we maintain face-time. Particularly when collaborating, solving, fixing, enhancing, advancing stuff. There are some great tools out there that can help you do this. It doesn’t mean that you all have to be in the same room – or that you have to get on a plan to work together. It just means you have to put a face with a name and with a voice. <\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n
    5. Progress over perfection<\/span><\/i> – I know, you\u2019re starting to see some key themes here. Let\u2019s get more comfortable with stuff that moves the needle not because it\u2019s fully baked, exactly as you want it, and pretty as can be. Progress isn\u2019t always pretty – and it doesn\u2019t have to be…as long as it is in fact progress. This means getting the end-user to accept the idea that you\u2019d rather give them the next iteration, even if it\u2019s not the end iteration. <\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n
    6. Make Culture and Engagement a System, not an Event <\/span><\/i>\u2013 Culture is not a one and done exercise. So many organizations make the mistake of doing the hard work around culture and employee engagement annually; not regularly, as if it were any other important operating system in their business. It takes work. It takes patience, deliberation, dedication, and methodology. Build some muscle memory. And do it consistently. Rinse, repeat.<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n
    7. Pay attention to and rely on <\/span><\/i>data, analytics, and signals<\/span><\/i><\/a> \u2013 As you well know, the workplace is dynamic. Assumptions are dangerous – at best, they\u2019ll cause us to miss something; at worst, they can lead to disaster. Gather valid data on what\u2019s working and what\u2019s not. Understand what\u2019s driving success in your culture. The smarter you are at the front end of any work you have to do, the less likely it will be that you\u2019ll have to scrap your efforts. You\u2019ll get it right the first time. <\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n
    8. Simplicity<\/span><\/i> \u2013 This is my favorite. Under the Agile Software Manifesto, \u201cSimplicity\u201d is defined as \u201cmaximizing the amount of work that doesn\u2019t get done.\u201d How awesome is that?! And who wouldn\u2019t sign up for it?! We over-engineer the bejeezus out of our workplace. Tone it down, my brothers and sisters. It\u2019s complex, but it doesn\u2019t have to be complicated. Do enough to get the job done for right now.<\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n
    9. Self-organizing teams outperform – every single time<\/span><\/i> – Get out of the way. Skilled and motivated team members who have permission and decision-making power, deliver quality products. Give some guidance, establish some guardrails, be available to help remove obstacles. But then get out of the way. <\/span><\/li>\n\n\n\n
    10. Monitor progress, reflect and adjust<\/span><\/i> \u2013 Take a pause along the way to reflect on how things are going. Don\u2019t be afraid to conclude they aren\u2019t going as well as you had hoped. That\u2019s part of the process – identify what\u2019s not working and then fix it. Mistakes breed better results. But you have to monitor and respond to them, accordingly. This is where data can come in again. We like the Employee Net Promoter Score<\/a> (eNPS) measure more than anything. It\u2019s quick and easy. And it\u2019s a powerful measure of trend, employee engagement, connection, affiliation, intent to stay, and willingness to put forth the discretionary effort. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n\t
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