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Copyright©2017byMikeBurrows.Allrightsreserved.Nopartofthispublicationmaybereproducedortransmittedinany

formorbyanymeans,electronicormechanical,includingphotocopying,recording,oranyinformationstorageorretrievalsystem,withoutpermissionfromthepublisher.

TheAgendashiftValues-baseddeliveryassessmentiscopyright©2014-2017PositiveInclineLimited,adaptedwithpermissionfromKanbanfromtheInside©2014byMikeBurrows,incollaborationwithDraganJojic.

AgendashiftisatrademarkofPositiveInclineLimited.

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ContentsIntroduction..................................................................................................................................4Audience ............................................................................................................................................5Howtoreadthisbook............................................................................................................................6

PartI:Facilitatingthetransformationprocess............................................................................8

Chapter1. Discovery..............................................................................................................9TheCelebration......................................................................................................................................9Everyoneabletoworkconsistentlyattheirbest...................................................................................915-MinuteFOTO...................................................................................................................................11Review,revise,andorganise................................................................................................................13Behindthescenes................................................................................................................................15

Chapter2. Exploration.........................................................................................................18TheAgendashiftValues-baseddeliveryassessment,miniedition.......................................................18Debriefingasurvey..............................................................................................................................20Agreementonactionareas..................................................................................................................24Organiseyouroutcomeswiththefourpointsexercise.......................................................................25Agreementonscope............................................................................................................................32Behindthescenes................................................................................................................................32

Chapter3. Mapping.............................................................................................................37Thespineofourplan:Atransformationjourney.................................................................................37Visualisingyourtransformationmap...................................................................................................41Reviewandreconcile...........................................................................................................................42Choosewhat’snext..............................................................................................................................43Behindthescenes................................................................................................................................44

Chapter4. Elaboration.........................................................................................................47Optionsthinking...................................................................................................................................47Hypothesis-drivenchange....................................................................................................................48Alternativeapproaches........................................................................................................................54Behindthescenes................................................................................................................................55

Chapter5. Operation...........................................................................................................58Achangeoffocus.................................................................................................................................58Managingyourexperiments................................................................................................................60Towardscontinuoustransformation....................................................................................................65Wheretostart?....................................................................................................................................69Behindthescenes................................................................................................................................72

Epilogue:Fullcircle.....................................................................................................................75

Resources....................................................................................................................................76TheAgendashiftpartnerprogramme..................................................................................................76Resourcesmentionedinthisbook.......................................................................................................76Otherresources....................................................................................................................................76

Acknowledgements....................................................................................................................77

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IntroductionIfyou’vereadmyfirstbook(notthatit’saprerequisitetothisone)you’llbefamiliarwiththeline“ahumane,startwithwhatyoudonowapproachtochange”.Wholechaptersweredevotedtotechniquesforunderstandingwhatyoudonowfromarangeofdifferentperspectives.Clearly,Iwasveryattachedtothisprinciple.Istillam!

Contrastthatwithanotherwell-knownprinciple,habit#2ofStephenCovey’s7Habits:Beginwiththeendinmind.Thefunnything?That’sagreatprincipletoholdtoo.

Theapparentparadoxbetweenstartwithwhatyoudonowandbeginwiththeendinmindisactuallyquiteeasytoresolveifwecanacceptthatthelatterisn’taboutsolutiondesignbutisinsteadaboutoutcomes.Thiscanbealiberatingthought:

• It’soktohavesolutionsthatyouwouldn’treadinanytextbook• It’soknottohavealltheanswersrightaway• It’soktoletyoursolutionsevolveinresponsetoorinanticipationofchanging

conditionsandneeds• It’soktobescepticalofpeoplewho–withnorespectforyourparticularcontext–

showlittleinterestinunderstandingbutarestillquickwiththeirprescriptions

Allowingthisinterpretation,thetwoprinciplescomplementeachotherwell:

1. Startwithwhatyoudonowisabouttherealitiesexperiencedeachworkingday,whatmakesthemgood,bad,orindifferent,andhowtheydoordon’tmeetpeople’sneeds,insideoroutsidetheorganisation

2. Beginwiththeendinmindisaboutthefuture-orientedpurposeandambitionfromwhichflowsthedeterminationtofaceuptochallengesthatmightotherwisebeshiedawayfrom

Thisbookisaboutconnectingthetwoperspectives,bringingtolifeasharedambitiontomeetneedsbothinternalandexternalbetterthanyourorganisationiscurrentlyachieving.It’saboutdiggingdeeptogethertodiscoverwhatthoseambitionsare,identifyingobstaclestothoseambitions,findingagreementonjointly-ownedoutcomes,andfollowingthroughsystematically.Itissimultaneouslyanchoredinreality,forward-looking,andoutward-looking.It’srespectfulofbothcontextandexpertise,thelattertobebroughttobearontheformerwhenthegroundisatitsmostfertileandtheopportunityisgreatest.

WeliketodescribeAgendashiftasinclusive,values-based,andmethodology-neutral–threewaysinwhichitisindeedquitedistinctive.Tobegintounderstandwhatthismeans,herearefewthingsthatitisnot:

• ItisnotwhatIwouldcalla20thcenturychangemanagementapproach,whichistosayonethatconcernsitselfwithovercomingresistance

• Itisnottiedtoasingledeliverymethodology,concernedwithadherencetoaprescribedsetofpractices

• Itisnotover-reliantonmechanistic,process-basedviewsofhoworganisationswork

Insteadofbracingourselvesforresistancetoalienideasforwhichpeopleareinadequatelyprepared,Agendashifthelpsbothpractitionersandsponsorstoproceedwithgenuineopenness,givingpeopleplentyofopportunityformeaningfulparticipation.Insteadof

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prescription,Agendashiftisgenerative,stimulatingpeopletogeneratearangeofappropriateoptionsincontext,whethernovelorby-the-book.

Processisimportant(we’reundernoillusionsthere),butwe’reaslikelytofocusonthequalityandtimingofconversationsasweareonformalprocessdesign.

“Inclusive,values-based,andmethodology-neutral”aregooddifferentiators,butperhapsevenmoreimportantis“outcome-oriented”.Ofcourse,fewframeworksinthisspacewouldclaimotherwise,butoutcomesreallyarecentraltoAgendashift.I’mnotreferringtogeneralisedclaimsaboutitsresults(justifications,rationalisations,orhandwaving,ifyouhaveatendencytowardsscepticismaboutthesethings).Instead,outcomesareAgendashift’smaincurrency.Everyexerciseyouwillencounterinthisbookinsomewayelicitsorworkswithanoutcomeofsomekind–astrategicgoal,theimpactofsomeplannedaction,orsomeintermediatekindofoutcomethatconnectsthetwotogether.

Audience

IhailfromtheLean-Agilecommunity,adiversecommunitythatcelebratesLeanandAgilebothseparatelyandtogether.Manyofourmembershavedeepexpertiseinspecificdeliverymethodologies,butratherthanseeingtheseasrivals,thecommunityasawholeremainssteadfastlynon-factional(acharacteristicofmostofitsmembersalso,perhapsalmostbydefinition).Forallourpointsofsuperficialdifferenceorpreference,wemanage(byandlarge)toseethroughtotheunderlyingprinciplesthatunderpinsomuchofwhatwedo.

Agendashift’spointsofdistinctionresonatewithmanymembersoftheLean-Agilecommunity,butthetruthisthattoomanyLean,Agile,orLean-Agileinitiativesaren’tsocarefulintheirapproachtochange.Intheclumsiestexamples,weareleftwonderingwhathappenedtoLeanandAgilevalues.WhereistheRespectforpeople?WhathappenedtoPeopleandinteractionsoverprocessesandtools?Conversely,theresultsarehardlyanylessdishearteningwhentransformationeffortsaretimidordirectionless:teamsgoingthroughthemotions,lackinganysenseofenergyandpurpose,neverlikelytodiscoveranythingbetter.Eitherway,someoutcome-orientationissorelyneeded.

Whateveryourbackground,readthisbookifanyofthefollowingapply:

• You’veaninterest–whetherasapractitionerorpotentialsponsor–inLean-Agilechange(perhapsunderabannerof“Agiletransformation”orsimilar)

• You’dliketoseewhata21stcenturychangemanagementapproachcanlooklike,andhowthatmightinformyourworkascoach,consultant,orsomeotherkindofchangeagent

• You’dlovetoseeamodelforLean-AgilechangethatproperlyreflectsLean-AgilevaluesanddemonstratesLean-Agileprocessandthinkinginoperation

Furthertothatlastpoint,whilstit’shardtoseparateAgendashiftfromLean-Agilethinking,there’snothingparticularlyIT-specificordevelopment-specificaboutit.IthasbeenusedoutsideofIT,withparticipantsasdiverseaseventplanners,trainingmaterialdesigners,C-suiteexecutives,andnewjoiners.Ithasbeenusedatorganisationsinindustriesasdiverseasfinancialservices,electronicsmanufacturing,andthenon-profitsector.Ifyou’renotfromITyourself,feelfreetoskipoveranythingthatdoesn’tapplyinyourfield;youshouldneedtodosoonlyrarely.

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Howtoreadthisbook

ThefivechaptersofPartI,TheAgendashifttransformationprocess,aremodelledonthefivemainsectionsoftheAgendashifttransformationmappingworkshop(forclientorganisations)andtheAgendashiftfacilitatorday(forpractitioners):

1. Discovery2. Exploration3. Mapping4. Elaboration5. Operation

NotthatAgendashiftisonlyforbigworkshops.Youwillfindexercisesthatcanbeusedstandalonewithmostteamsregardlessofwheretheyareintheirjourney,anddemonstrationsoftoolsandtechniquesyoucanusetoenrichyourcoachinginteractions.Inroughlytheorderoftheirintroduction,you’llseeelementsdrawnfromCleanLanguage,Cynefin,Agile,LeanStartup,andLean,andKanban.YoucaneventhinkoftheprocessdescribedinPartIasamodelforcoachingengagements,anideawe’llrevisitinchapter5.

Foraquickintroduction,readjustchapters1and5.Foraslightlylongerread,youcangetaparticipant’sfeelfortheprocessbyreadingallfivechaptersbutskippingtheBehindthescenessectionsofchapters1-4.Thesearealwaysattheendofeachchapter–I’mastrongbelieverin“experiencebeforeexplanation”.Ofcourse,ifyou’resomeonewholikestounderstandhowitallfitstogether,you’llwanttoreadPartIfromstarttofinish.

Allowmetomentionthreewordsthatcaneasilybemisinterpreted:transformation,change,andimprovement.Eachofthesecansuggestdifferentmeaningstodifferentpeopleandtriggersomeverydifferentreactions.

ItisimportanttosayfromtheoutsetthatLeanandAgilebothcomewiththestrongexpectationthatsystemsshouldcontinuetoevolve.Forthosewhoworrythattransformationmeanslimitingourselvestotime-boundprojects,let’sforthepurposesofPartIagreethattransformationisbutshorthandforourgoalofcontinuoustransformation,whichIwoulddefineastransformationthatis:

• Respectfulofpresentandpast,thecurrentcontextandthejourney• Appropriatelyambitiousforthefuture–notgrandiose,butwithgoalsmore

ambitiousthantypicallyimpliedbycontinuousimprovement,inspectandadapt,andthelike

• Notjustreactive,butproactiveandanticipatory• Happeningallthetimebecause–bydesignandbyhabit–theorganisation’score

systemsnowdemandandsustainit

Anothertrickywordischange,andnotjustforthereactionsitprovokes.Itcanrefereithertoaverybroadconcept,ortoaspecificquantumoftransformation.Inthelattersense,theindividualchangeswerefertoareoftensmallandrelativelyeasytoimplement,butwemustn’texcludechangesthataresubstantialordifficult.

Finally,animprovementisjustachange–smallorlarge–thatmadethingsbetter.We’rehumbleenoughtoadmitthatwecanknowthisforsureonlyinretrospect.

PartII,StoriesofLean-Agiletransformation,isn’twrittenyet!Whenit’sdone,you’llseereal-worldexamplesofwhatcanbeachieved.Itwillcontainillustrationsofthevarietyof

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waysinwhichAgendashift’snon-prescriptiveassessmentpromptshavebeenrealisedwithexcellence.Ifyou’refamiliarwiththeAgendashiftassessmentandhavestoriestoshare,getintouch.

Emailmeatmike@agendashift.comalsoifyouhaveanyfeedback.Meanwhile,ifyou’relikingwhatyou’rereading,anappreciativetweettohashtag#agendashiftwouldbeawesome.Thankyou.

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PartI:Facilitatingthetransformationprocess

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Chapter1. Discovery

TheCelebration

Picturethescene:It’ssomemonthsfromnow,andyou’recelebrating!Isn’titwonderfultoseeeveryonetogetherlikethis?Andyoudeserveit:overthisperiod,you,yourteams,andyourentireorganisationhaveachievedfarmorethananyonewouldhavethoughtpossible.Youdaredtoaimhigh,andstillyousmashedit!

Whatmakesthiscelebrationsospecial?Let’sexplorethat.

Q:Lookingbackfromthatcelebration,whataccomplishmentsseemthemostmeaningful?

Startwiththeaccomplishmentsthatwouldberecognisablefromoutsidetheorganisation:significantdeliveries,newproductdevelopments,completedprojects,serviceimprovements,financialandcustomersatisfactiontargetsmet,andsoon.Whatmadetheseimportant?Whatwasthelevelofchallengeinvolved?

Afterthosepublicsuccesses,identifyaccomplishmentsthatweremoreinternal,lessvisibletotheoutsideobserver.Whatimpact(directandindirect)didtheymake?

Q:Whoshouldbeatthatcelebration?

Whodeservestobethere?Asimpleenoughquestionyoumightthink,butdon’tstopat‘theteam’orlimityourselftopeoplewemightcall‘contributors’.Whosupportedyou?Whoinfluencedyou?Whohelpedyousimplybygettingoutoftheway?Whatpartdidyoursuppliersandcustomersplayinyoursuccesses?Whoseneedsdidyoumeet?

Youmightfindithelpfultodraworrefertopicturesofsomekind–forexamplediagramsofyourprocessflow,chartsofyourorganisationalstructure,networkmapsshowingwhoinfluenceswhom,perhapsevenvisualisationsofmarketstructureifyouneedtothinkthatbig.

Nowthatyou’veidentifiedeveryone,whatwouldtheybesaying?Fromtheirdifferentperspectives,whatwouldbetothemthemostmeaningfulofyouraccomplishmentsoverthesespecialmonths?Howwouldtheydescribetheirinvolvement?Inwhatwayshasyournew-foundsuccessbeenbeneficialtothem?Andthebigquestion:Why–whydoesitmatter?

Everyoneabletoworkconsistentlyattheirbest

Irecallsomeofmycareer-definingaccomplishmentswithmixedfeelings.There’sapositivesenseofpridetherecertainly–that’sonlynaturalwhenIlookbackonagenuinelymission-criticalprojectgettingdeliveredearly,forexample.Irememberthecamaraderie,thebondsforgedwithcolleaguesinthefaceofstruggle.Buttherewasadarksidetoo:longstretchesofseverepressure,relentlesseffort,interruptednights,separationbothphysicallyandmentallyfromlovedones.Thesealltookatoll,andnotjustonthosethatsigneduptothework.Wasitworthit?

Fromtheunusualvantagepointofthecelebration(apossiblefuturewhen),we’vehadtheopportunitytoexploresomeofyourwhat,who,andwhy.Foryourhow,insteadofunsustainablelevelsofheroiceffort(20-hourdays,eatingonlypizza,sleepingunderdesks),

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let’simaginesomethingmoreradical.Whatifyourcollectiveaccomplishmentshavebeenachievedbecauseconsistently:

• Everyoneisabletoworkattheirbest–individually,withintheirteams,andbetweenteams,acrosstheorganisation

• Therightconversationsinvolvingtherightpeopletakeplaceatthebestpossiblemoment

• Needsareanticipatedandmetatjusttherighttime

Q:What’sthatlike?

Whatisthatlike?“Fantastic!”youmightsay(Igetthatansweralot).Diggingdeeper:

• Whatisitlikeforindividualstobeabletoworkconsistentlyattheirbest?Whatisitlikeforteams?Betweenteams,acrossthewiderorganisation?

• Whatistheeffectofthose“rightpeople,rightmoment”conversations?Whatcausesthemtohappen?

• Whatisitliketohaveneedsanticipatedandthosefrustratingdelaysremoved?• Whatelseareyouobservingnowthatyouweren’tobservingbefore?Whatisno

longerhappening?Whatareyouseeingmoreof?Lessof?• What’stheexternalimpactofthesechanges?Whatwouldyourotherstakeholders

(thepeopleyoupreviouslyidentifiedthataren’ttheonesdoingthework)makeofitall?Didtheyhelpyoubymakingchangestoo?

Q:Whatobstaclesstandintheway?

Clearly,muchhaschanged.Inordertoachieveeveryoneabletoworkconsistentlyattheirbest,whatobstaclesdidyouneedtoovercome?Theexercisethatfollowsthisonewilltakealistofobstaclesasinput,sowritethemdown.Ifithelps,switchoffyourtimemachine(it’sok,youwon’tbeneedingitagain)andworkinthepresent,thehereandnow.Whatobstaclesmustyouovercome?

Whenyou’redone,reviewyourlist.Trytophraseyourobstaclessothatthey’renotwrittenintermsofsomething’sabsence.Forexample,insteadofthese:

• Peoplenottalkinguntilit’stoolate• Slack(themessagingsystem)notrolledoutwidelyenough

Trythese:

• Peopleholdingontoinformationuntilscheduledmeetingstakeplace,orwaitinguntilsomethinggoeswrong

• Over-relianceonemail,whenmoreimmediateformsofcommunicationwouldbemoreeffective

Recastingyourobstacleslikethiscanhavetwoimportantbenefits.Thefirstisthatitencouragesyoutobespecific.Specificobstaclesaremucheasiertoovercomethanover-generalisedones.Thesecondisthatithelpsyouavoidacommontrap,thatofdescribingaproblemonlyintermsoftheabsenceofsomeprematurely-favouredsolution.Notonlydoesthislazythinkingdenypeopletheopportunitytoconsideralternatives,ittendstohidethefullextentofunderlyingproblems.

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15-MinuteFOTO

Injust15minutes,we’regoinggotofromobstaclestooutcomes.It’sasimpleteamgameorcoachingexercise,inwhichyoutakeobstaclesfromyourlistoneatatimeandfromthemgenerateasmanydesiredoutcomesasyoucan.Ofcourse,Icouldjustaskyoutowritesomedown,butwherewouldbethefuninthat?Asinanygoodgametherearesomeconstraints:it’splayedagainsttheclock,andtherearerules.

Inthefullversionofthegametherearethreeplayerroles.Itispreferabletohavethemfulfilledbydifferentpeople,butifyou’replayingsoloyouwon’thavethatluxury.Theresponsibilitiesofeachroleareasfollows:

1. Client:presentsobstaclesandspeaksfortheorganisation2. Coach:guidestheconversation3. Scribe:takesnotesontheconversation,listeningtotheclientforanythingthat

mightbeanoutcome(howeverweakorvague),whilstsupervisingthecoach

Clienthereofcoursemeanscoachingclient,notcustomer.

Thegameproceedsasaseriesofconversations,eachinitiatedbytheclientpresentinganobstacle.Eachconversationthenalternatesbetweenclientandcoach.There’sacatchhowever:underthescribe’ssupervision,thecoachisrequiredtosticktoamenuofjustfivecleanquestions:

1. Whatwouldyouliketohavehappen?2. (WhenX)Thenwhathappens?3. WhathappensbeforeX?4. WhatkindofX?5. IsthereanythingelseaboutX?

Thecoachusesonlythesequestions,replacingtheX’swithwordstheclienthaspreviouslyspoken,repeatedverbatim.Thequestionscanbeusedinanyorderandit’soktokeeprepeatingaquestion.Inthedemonstrationbelowthecoachusesrepetitiontogoodeffect.I’veunderlinedanywordsorphrasesthescribemightrecogniseasoutcomesanduseditalicswherevercoachhassubstitutedtheclient’sownwordsforeach‘X’inthequestiontemplate:

Client: Ourstandupmeetingsarerubbish!

Coach:Whatwouldyouliketohavehappen?

Client: Theytakefartoolong

Coach:WhatwouldyouLIKEtohavehappen?

Client:Well,shortermeetingswouldbegood

Coach:Thenwhathappens?

Client:We’llallgetbacktoworkmorequickly

Coach:Thenwhathappens?

Client:We’llbealotmoreproductive

Coach:Whatkindofproductive?

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Client: Thekindofproductivewhereourtimeisn’twastedbyconversationsofnodirectinteresttous

Coach:Whatkindofconversationsofnodirectinteresttous?

Client:Gossipsometimes,butalsoproblem-solvingconversations

Coach:Isthereanythingelseaboutproblem-solvingconversations?

Client: I’dliketoseethem[problem-solvingconversations]happeningassoonastheproblemarises,butforstarterswecanatleastkeepthem[problem-solvingconversations]outofourstandups

Coach:Whathappensbeforewecanatleastkeepthemoutofourstandups?

Client:We’llneedsomeworkingagreementsonhowourstandupsareconducted,withthoseconversationsparkedandrescheduledrightaway

Coach:Thenwhathappens?

Client:We’llhavemoredisciplinedmeetingsandweshouldbeconfidentthatissueswillbedealtwithproperly

Coach:Thenwhathappens?

Client: Issuesgetresolvedsooner,workgetsdeliveredmorequickly,happiercustomers,…

Imakethat13outcomesfromasingleobstacle.Notbad!

Whatwouldyouliketohavehappen?

Thisisthecoach’squestionofchoicenearthestartofeachconversation.Rememberthateachconversationisinitiatedbytheclientwithanobstacle,somethingtheywishwasn’tthereordidn’thappen.“Whatwouldyouliketohavehappen?”tendstohavetheeffectof‘flipping’obstaclesintooutcomes,theclientrespondingwithsomethingmuchmorepositive.Notalwaysthough!Asinmydemonstration,thecoachmayneedtorepeatthisquestioniftheclientseemsdeterminedtooffloadmultipleobstacles.

(WhenX)Thenwhathappens?

Thisquestionexploressequence,consequence,andimpact.Givenanoutcome,askingthisquestionislikelytoresultinanotheroutcome.Askitrepeatedly,andyoumightgetawholechainofoutcomes.

“Thenwhathappens?”onitsownistypicallyallyouneed.Youcanprecedeitwiththeoptional“WhenX”partifyouneedtoreferbacktoanearlierpartoftheconversation,likethis:

Whenwe’llallbealotmoreproductive,thenwhathappens?

Don’tworryifitsoundsslightlyodd–it’sonlyagame,remember!

WhathappensbeforeX?

Perhapsyoudon’tunderstandtheleapoflogicthatleadstotheoutcomeyou’vejustheard.Noproblem–justreeltheconversationback:

Whathappensjustbeforeeveryone’samillionaire?

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WhatkindofX?

Askthisverypowerfulquestionwhenyouhearsomethingabstractandyouthinkitcouldbeusefultoidentifysomethingmorespecific:

Whatkindofproductive?

Whatkindofcollaborative?

Occasionallytheansweryoureceivetothisverypowerfulquestionwillbehighlyunexpectedandveryilluminating.Ifitfeelsliketheconversationismovingintometaphor,don’tworry–afreshinsightmightberevealingitself.Goexplore!

IsthereanythingelseaboutX?

If“WhatkindofX?”isacleanwaytoask“Canyoubemorespecific?”,then“IsthereanythingelseaboutX?”isacleanalternativeto“Canyouelaborate?”.It’salsoahandywaytogobackandexploresomethingthatwassaidatsomeearlierpointintheconversation.

Let’splay

Getorganisedwithalistofobstaclesinfrontoftheclient,themenuofcleanquestionsforthecoach(seeFigure1),andpaperandpenforthescribe.

Figure1:Cleanquestionscuecard

Setatimerfor15minutes,invitetheclienttostarteachconversationwithanewobstacle,andseehowmanyoutcomesyoucangenerate.

Don’twaitfortheperfectly-formedoutcome.Scribe,writethemalldown,howeverweakorvaguetheymaysound.Quicklymoveontothenextobstacleifyoufindthatyouaregettingboggeddown.Rotaterolesifithelps.

Review,revise,andorganise

Takesometimetogethertoreviewthelistofoutcomesyou’vegenerated.Ifyouhavefewerthan15,tryplayingforafewminuteslonger,tryinvolvingmorepeople(itisn’treallyasologame),orconsidergettingsomehelp.Yourfriendlyneighbourhoodcoach,consultant,orfacilitatorshouldbeabletopickthisexerciseupquicklyifthey’renotalreadyfamiliarwithit.

Withagreement,feelfreetoeditordiscardanyoutcomesofdubiousquality.Rephraseanythatreadlikeactionsorsolutions.Iftheyallseemtooabstracttobeactionable,usethe

A proud member of the

(When X)Then what

happens?

What happens before X?

What kind of X?

Is there anything else about X?

What would you like to have happen?

#cleanlanguage www.agendashift.com

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WhatkindofX?orIsthereanythingelseaboutX?questionsonthemostmeaningfulonestogeneratemoreforyourlist.

Asimplewaytoorganiseyouroutcomesisunderthesethreeheadings:

• Goals(orAspirations)–whereyou’dliketogetto• Opportunities–outcomesyoucanrealisesoon• Intermediateoutcomes–signsofsignificantprogressonyourwaytoyourgoals

Nowyouhavesomethingyoucankeepandreferbacktolater.Here(Figure2,inamixtureofEnglishandNorwegian)isanexampleproducedatapractitioner’sworkshopinOslo:

Figure2Outcomes,organised

Youcouldtakethisfurther,collectingtogetheryourhopes,priorities,andrationaleforyourtransformation.Andit’sonlychapter1!Don’tletmestopyou,butmyusualadviceherewouldtocreatesuchaplanonlyafteryouhave:

1) workedalittleharderfirsttoengageothersintheprocess,repeatingtheexercisesofthischapterwiththerightpeopleintheroom,and

2) workedalittlemoresystematicallytowardsfindingoutwherethetrueopportunitieslie,obtainingsufficientdetailforyoutomakeinformedjudgementsaboutscope,objectives,andapproach.

Point1Ileavewithyou.Seriouslyconsidergettinghelpfromsomeoneimpartialtothespecificsofyoursituation,experiencedinthetransformationprocess,andskilledinfacilitatingtheseexercises.Point2isaddressedinthenextchapter,Exploration.

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Behindthescenes

RediscoveringDiscovery

TheAgilemanifestobeginswiththesewords:

“Weareuncoveringbetterwaysofdevelopingsoftwarebydoingitandhelpingothersdoit.”

Idon’tknowwhatguidedthechoiceoftheword“uncovering”,but“discovering”mighthavedonethejobequallywell.It’sawordthatisquitefamiliarinAgilecircles;it’sappliedquiteoftentothemost‘upstream’activityofthedeliveryprocess.

AlreadyweseetwodistinctkindsofDiscovery:

1) Process/operationaldiscovery:Finding(“uncovering”)opportunitieslargeandsmalltochangehowthingswork

2) Product/servicediscovery:Understandingtheneedsthatspecificproductsandserviceswillseektofulfil,especiallytheneedsthathelptodefinewhatthoseproductsandservicesarefor

There’sathirdkindofDiscoverythat’slesswidelyrecognisedbutisjustasimportant:

3) Organisational/strategicdiscovery:Rediscoveringandreaffirmingwhattheorganisationisabout–itspurpose,itsvalues,the‘strategicneeds’itseekstoaddress,howitservessociety,andsoon–theultimatereferencepointsfortheorganisation’salignmentmechanisms

Thethreediscoveryactivitieshelptoorientprocess,product,andorganisation(thecornersofthetriangleinFigure3)towardsfuturepotentialand–wehope–lastingsuccess.

Figure3TheOrganisation/Product/Processtriangle

Organisation

Product Process

Capability(adaptability)

Delivery(performance)

Mission(fitness)

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YoumayrecognisesomethingofGreenleaf’sServantLeadershipinmydescriptionofOrganisational/strategicdiscovery.StudentsofLeanwillcertainlyrecogniseaspectsofit:alongwiththeorganisation’smorecontextualcorevalues,itsmission,andsoon,conceptssuchasTrueNorthandRespectforpeopledefinitelybelonghere.Arguably,asanenduringorganisationalgoalthatremainsalwaysjustbeyondreach,Just-in-timebelongsherejustasmuchasitdoesintheprocesscorner.

BothLeanandAgile–andtherebyLean-Agile–areexplicitabouttheneedforProcess/operationaldiscovery,withawiderangeofapproachesandtechniquesonoffer.Thereisagreatdealofcross-fertilisationhappeninghere,asmuchbetweentheproductandprocesscornersasbetweenbodiesofknowledge,withprocessideasbeingappliedtoproduct,andviceversa.Thisproduct/process‘duality’ismostobviousinLeanStartup,whichtook20thcenturyprocessimprovementideasandusedthemasthefoundationsforavery21stcentury-soundingframeworkfortheproductspace(moreonthisinChapter4).

DysfunctionariseswhenanyofthesethreeDiscoveryactivitiesaredonepoorlyormisalignmentsbetweenthemgounaddressed:theorganisationlacksasenseofdirection,productsandservicesdon’tseemtofit,andsourcesofinefficiencyandfrustrationareallaround.

Ontheotherhand,whenDiscoveryisdoneproactively,skilfully,andwithhonestandopenengagementofpeopleinsideandoutsidetheimmediatecircleofthesponsororteam,it’sthebeginningofatrueresolutiontotheapparentdichotomybetweentop-downandbottom-upchange.It’sonlyastart,butit’saverygoodstart.

CleanquestionsandCleanLanguage

Whatalotofquestions!Withrareexceptionsmyquestionssharedthesecharacteristics:

• Theyweren’tbinary,butopen.Inotherwords,Iaskedquestionsthatdidn’tinviteayes/noanswer.

• Theyweren’tleadingquestions,butgenuine–genuineinthesensethatIdidn’talreadyhaveaparticularanswerinmind.

Cleanquestionstakethisupanotchortwo.ThefiveweusedinthegamearejustasmallsubsetofthequestionsmaintainedbytheCleanLanguagecommunity,acommunitybuiltaroundtheworkofconsultingpsychologistthelateDavidGrove.ForthepurposesofthisbookIchosequestionsmostsuitedtoexploringoutcomes;othersquestionscanbeusedtoexploretimeandspace,relationshipsbetweenthings,andmetaphor.

Thequestionsare‘clean’inthesensethattheyarestrippedofassumptions,promotingastateofgenuineenquiry.WhenyoupracticeCleanLanguage,youheightenyourawarenessofwhenyou’rejudgingoradvisingbeforeyou’veproperlylistened.Ifyouhaveanyinterestatallincoaching,Iwholeheartedlyrecommendexploringitfurther.

MyownexperienceofCleanLanguagestartedwiththesethreebooks,inthisorder:

• TheFiveMinuteCoach:ImprovePerformanceRapidlyLynneCooper&MarietteCastellino(2012)

• CleanLanguage:RevealingMetaphorsandOpeningMindsWendySullivan&JudyRees(2008)

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• FromContempttoCuriosity:CreatingtheConditionsforGroupstoCollaborateUsingCleanLanguageandSystemicModellingCaitlinWalker(2014)

Viawww.agendashift.com/resourcesyoucanobtainaPDFforthecuecardshowninFigure1.IrecommendthatyougetageneroussupplyoftheseprintedonA5-sizedcard,enoughthatyoucanlet‘coaches’(oranyoneelseinterested)keepthemafterplayingthegame.

Notethatthecardsincludeasixthcleanquestionnotcoveredinthischapter:

• IstherearelationshipbetweenXandY?

We’llintroduceitproperlyinthenextchapter.

Workingconsistentlyatyourbest

Inthelastofthosebooks,CaitlinWalkerbuildsfromfoundationsofCleanLanguageasetofrelatedtechniquesshecallsSystemicModelling™.Amongtheseareexercisesexploringwhatitisliketoworkatyourbest,andthesearetheinspirationforAgendashift’sEveryoneabletoworkconsistentlyattheirbestexercise.

Weaddedtheseelements:

• Therightconversationsinvolvingtherightpeopletakeplaceatthebestpossiblemoment

• Needsareanticipatedandmetatjusttherighttime

“Rightconversations,rightpeople,rightmoment”isoneimportantsignthatAgileisgoingwell.ItcouldbesaidthatAgileframeworksdon’tguaranteethisoutcomebuttheydoatleastestablishpatternsoffrequentandregularconversation,thebeginning(onehopes)oftruecollaboration.

Inasimilarvein,“…metatjusttherighttime”isahumanisedformofLean’sJust-in-time(JIT)principle.Thementionofneedsisdeliberate–itwillberecurringtheme.Agendashiftmightbenon-prescriptive,butthatdoesn’tmeanthatitcan’tbeopinionated!

Whenfacilitatingthisexercisewekeepinmindthatitspurposeisnottoaskforbuy-inoridentificationwithAgile,Lean,orLean-Agile;neitherisittoteach.Itsjobistoengagetheimagination,anditdoesthatverywell.