Adopting Agile enables an organization or team to fundamentally change their operating ethos, empower team members and improve project outcomes - and yet those advocating that organization change to Agile are repeatedly confronted with “Agile pushback,” because it “will be too hard,” or say, because “it has always been done this way.”

How can you use Change Management to help organizations embrace change and make successful Agile adoption?  The key to overcoming the Agile pushback and successfully adopting Agile is the intentional engagement of the 4Cs of Change management – Coaching, Commitment Culture and Communication.

• COACHING: Using change management as a tool to deepen relationships that help you and the organization leads understand the steeped organizational concerns. This will simultaneously address the core concerns and pushback and while formulating Agile champions.
• COMMITMENT: Engaging the team will increase commitment to the shift to Agile through a clearly defined mutual understanding of the opportunity of Agile.
• CULTURE: Aversion to organization change of any size is often rooted in individual concern -- using change management to provide the organization that the change will not be easy but the outcomes will benefit reduce the self-concern and helping the culture understand the4 Agile will empower the culture
• COMMUNICATION: Agile implementation, like Change Management, is based on intentional communication that clearly articulates roles and expectations – eliminating waste and inefficiency.

Katy Saulpaugh shares her experience, successes and challenges when helping government and nongovernment organizations eliminate Agile pushback and increase Agile adoption. Katy will share case studies from both the public and private sector providing attendees with concepts, methods and change management tools that defeat Agile pushback and easily transfer to a current project or a future Agile adoption.