agile org

Using Reconfig to Create Agile at Scale

According to one study, 90% of all companies have adopted agile methods in some form. Typically, companies use agile methods for software development, but many also use agile principles more broadly.  At the same time, some companies experience challenges with agile implementation (e.g., see this article). This suggests that there is a need for systematic tools and methods to support both initial implementation and continuous development of agile organizations. 

Reconfig is a software tool that is used to map and optimize the design of an organization. There are at least three factors that make it relevant for agile organizations.

The key feature of agile organizations is the small, cross-functional and self-managing teams. But how do you set up these teams – which roles should be combined to form a team? Reconfig has an algorithm that helps you identify teams with a combination of roles that benefit from being organized together.

One critique of the original Agile approach was that it was too focused on the individual team. Somehow, we need to scale up this concept to fit larger organizations. In a larger organization, you will have multiple teams or squads, organized within larger units, “tribes”, or programs in a project-based organization. You can use Reconfig to make sure that you set up a logical grouping of different teams within larger units. 

Finally, even in an Agile organization, not every part needs to be flexible, in most organizations, there needs to be a combination of stable and moving parts. Reconfig supports this by making sure that you can filter and optimize the organizational structure based on work processes or functions. And the algorithm is set up so that it will customize the design of the organization to each unit, rather than imposing one design principle to all units independent of how they work.  

If you’re interested in learning more about how to design an agile organization effectively, visit our web page at https://www.reconfig.no where you can download a white paper or request a demo that explains the key principles behind it.