The standard for project management

Changes associated with agile approaches.

 Organizations just beginning to use agile approaches also 

experience high degrees of change. Higher degrees of collaboration may require more frequent handoffs 

between teams, departments, or vendors. Decomposing work into iterative prototypes involves rework that 

could be viewed negatively. Leaders should consider change management techniques to address the hurdles of 

transitioning to the use of agile approaches.

6.1.2 READINESS FOR CHANGE

Organizations beginning to use agile approaches should understand the relative compatibility of those methods 

with their current approaches. Some organizations will have characteristics that more easily support agile principles 

of cross-department collaboration, continuous learning, and evolving internal processes. Examples of these change-

friendly characteristics include:

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Executive management’s willingness to change;

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Organization’s willingness to shift the way it views, reviews, and assesses employees;

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Centralization or decentralization of project, program, and portfolio management functions;

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Focus on short-term budgeting and metrics versus long-term goals; and

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Talent management maturity and capabilities.

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Section 6 

Conversely, there are other institutional characteristics that may be roadblocks to achieving the changes associated 

with organizational agility. Examples of these include:

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Work is decomposed into departmental silos, creating dependencies that prevent accelerated delivery instead of 

building cross-functional teams with guidance from centers of competencies.

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Procurement strategies are based on short-term pricing strategies, rather than long-term competencies.

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Leaders are rewarded for local efficiencies rather than end-to-end flow of project delivery or optimizing the whole 

(in regard to the organization).

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Employees are specialized contributors with limited tools or incentives to diversify their skills instead of building 

T-shaped specialists.

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Decentralized portfolios pull employees simultaneously onto too many projects at once instead of keeping them 

focused on one project at a time.

The degree to which an organization is willing to review and modify these practices will determine how quickly 

and effectively agile approaches can be adopted. However, in response to these organizational impediments to agility, 

project leaders can try various approaches to accelerate a cultural compatibility for:

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Visible and active executive sponsorship,

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Change management practices, including communication and coaching,

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Progressively pacing the adoption of agile practices on a project-by-project basis

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Incremental introduction of agile practices to the team; and

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Leading by example by using agile techniques and practices where possible.

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