Enterprise Agility For Dummies

Chapter 3

Simplifying Lean Agility with SLAM

IN THIS CHAPTER

Adopting the Simple Lean-Agile Mindset (SLAM)

Seeing how product delivery fits into business agility

Identifying common ideas among all enterprise agile frameworks

After graduating college, one of my first jobs was with Northwestern University’s academic computer lab. Early each morning on my way to work, I’d pass by a house with a small wooden fence. Behind the fence was a dog that would scratch, claw, and bark at me. It was our daily routine — something the dog and I shared. Some days, I’d even see its glossy brown head pop up above the top of the fence.

One morning the dog was unusually motivated, so much so that the gray fence planks rumbled like a concert speaker with the dog struggling to get through. This time it actually managed to get one of its front legs over the fence, and then it flipped over to the other side. We looked at each other with mutual shock and neither of us really knew what was next.

I think about this incident when I see organizations transitioning to enterprise agility. Many organizations do the equivalent of scratching and clawing at the fence in an attempt to get to the other side. They adopt agile ...