The document summarizes a startup's transformation journey from a "status quo" organization to becoming more agile. It describes initial issues like inconsistent direction, technical debt, and low employee confidence. A transformation coach was then brought in. Over several weeks, they helped shift paradigms, create an agile pilot team, introduce prioritization modeling, generate new ideas through company-wide ideation, and establish structures for execution including product boards and regular sprint demos for executives. The journey resulted in products with traction instead of no traction and a welcoming of surprises and adaptability.
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When we say “status quo”…
…we mean something like…
Organization Culture
• Startup grown to 200 people
• Pockets of home grown agile
• Product organization with a heroic mindset
• Technology organization at the effect of domination
• Low confidence on the Execs ability to steer the organization
• Pulse survey showed accountability and recognition were both missing
Organization Performance
• Constant changes in direction with founders veto power
• Unstable platform, unworkable user experience and piling technical debt
• Stagnated revenue and growth
• Weekly project reports with unactionable metrics
• Unable to react quickly to competitors and market needs
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Our agile transformation journey…
6
pockets of agile
Learning & TransformationStatus Quo
Products with no traction Products people love
new thinking and
new places to think from…
(continual improvement)
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Trigger to bring in the transformation coach
Q1 roadmap planning
• Product boycott and domination
• SVP Engg resignation resulting in a leadership void
• Execs not aligned
There was a clear need for a program view that is a common ground between
what the execs want and what the teams are at work on
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Week 1: The Paradigm Shift
Promise made to market were unrealistic
Product and Engineering neither aligned on the scope nor the date
Missing Business agility to innovate and release new products quickly
Proposal to shift paradigms from:
Product and Engineering to Product Development
Adding Capacity to Improving Velocity
Heroic mindset to a Shared Future
Proposed next action:
A 2-day agile workshop to foster collaboration and alignment
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Reality revealed inside of the Created Future
Revelation of what it takes to deliver the new
product by April 1st
No clear MVPs
BOOM
Future created by Execs
At the end of 2 days – execs asked for a
commitment date
Another 2 more days of release planning in a
collaborative way
New ideas discussed to expedite the delivery
of MVP
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Execs to steer the course…
Structures for execution
The Ceremonies and Cadence
to provide big visible actionable
insights to the Execs
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When we are being a leader and exercising
leadership effectively …
We start…
having a shared language
gaining alignment on priorities
building great products for customers
welcoming surprises and adapt to it
Products with no traction
become…
Products people love
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Leading from the Middle
…a startup‟s transformation journey
Questions?
Thank You!
Adele Maynes
Program Manager @ Tagged, adele@tagged.com
Latha Swamy
Transformation Coach, 925.200.7424, linkedin.com/in/lathaswamy
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Slide Title
Please use Signika Light or “default” as the font
on this slide.
• Sample bullet point with keyword in mint color.
• Sample text.
• Bullet 23 with a keyword in it.
A future that was not going to happen anywayA future that we are creating is not how it is so in the present momentThe people you are leading have to see for their concerns being realized – willing to adjustRealizing of that future, people we are leading must see this as an opportunity for their self expressionTo personally make a noteworthy contribution in realization of that future
This is looking at Agile as a way to discover products that people loveBeyond organizational boundaries and into Agile Thinking
Rather than from the stands experience
Through brainstorming…a shared language emerged…giving access to clarity and alignment
Product challenged that no one will come forward with ideasEven if a few did, they will not be willing to present them to a larger audience!
These are not the folks who would normally come forward to present an idea…they did…and this is how employee engagement looks like