Making Agile Transformations Real With Middle Management, part 2

Photo by matthias.ripp

Middle managers balance the needs of their people and delivery. Team members often look to their manager to decide whether they should trust the agile coach’s guidance or stick with the old ways. This gives managers significant influence in supporting the transformation or prioritizing delivery above all else. A manager’s words and actions set the tone for the transformation in their area.

The Power of Being Clear, Curious, and Connected

At an organization in the early stages of an agile transformation, Jasmine was a delivery manager. Her team was selected to have a player-coach work with them for 12 weeks to help them deploy to production more frequently. Jasmine knew this would be an intensive experience for the team. She anticipated that it could be outside of some members’ comfort zone. She allowed team members to opt-in or opt-out of being on the team for the coaching engagement. If someone opted out, Jasmine worked with her peers to move them to another team that was not yet adopting agile. This approach respected the team members’ capacity for change and helped build early buy-in from those eager to try new practices.

Later, as the transformation progressed, Jasmine’s approach shifted. As agile became widespread, Jasmine set firm expectations with her direct reports about how their role was changing. She communicated clearly what they must do to succeed in this new agile environment. She also showed curiosity about how people were adjusting and stayed connected to their progress and concerns. This shift from optional to required signaled that the agile transformation was a long-term change.

But a manager’s role goes beyond supporting individual team members. Managers navigate the intersection of people management, process improvement, and delivery.

Imagine a situation where a product group has created an explicit Definition of Done with the help of an agile coach. This might include passing automated tests, updated documentation, and code reviews. As a release date looms, some teams are struggling to meet these criteria. The pressure to deliver mounts. It’s tempting for the manager to allow exceptions or push the release through despite incomplete work. But, this decision could undermine the agile transformation’s progress.

Here the manager faces a complex challenge. On one hand, they need to protect the team from burnout or failure. On the other, they must maintain quality standards to prevent future problems. To navigate this, the manager must be clear about why the Definition of Done is important for the product’s health and their future efforts. At the same time, the manager needs to stay curious—asking how the team sees the work and identifying issues that need addressing.

Being connected is crucial here too, not just with the team but with peers and senior leadership. The manager may face pushback from other managers or even their boss, who might focus on delivery over the process. A manager who knows the organization’s goals is better positioned to make the case for quality or determine if they should delay a release. They could gather data on how missing the Definition of Done in the past has led to more costly problems.

In situations like this, the middle management becomes a strong influence in an agile transformation. While an agile coach can help introduce new ways of working, managers can navigate the political landscape. By staying clear, curious, and connected throughout the transformation, managers help guide their teams to deliver using agile ways of working.