December 21, 2022 | Agile Transformation

At Gravitas, our mission is to help businesses solve their most complex problems and get the results they need. Our clients are a diverse group of organizations with many different needs and goals, but they all share one thing in common: they need to solve a problem and achieve desired outcomes. 

What problem were we asked to solve?

Our client is a large multinational company that specializes in the manufacturing and distribution of industrial machinery. The company has been in business for over 35 years and has established itself as a leader in its industry. However, in recent years, the company has struggled to keep up with the rapidly changing business landscape and has faced increased competition from smaller, more nimble competitors. In response, our client decided to undergo an Agile transformation to become more flexible and responsive to customer needs.

Challenges

The decision to undertake an agile transformation was albeit a hard pill to swallow. The company had a long-standing tradition of top-down management and a rigid hierarchical structure. Many employees were resistant to change and were skeptical about the benefits of Agile methodologies. Furthermore, the company's existing IT infrastructure was outdated and did not support Agile practices. Recognizing a need for a modern technology leader, they hired a new Chief Information Officer. Gravitas was asked to help implement the new leader’s CIO roadmap. Agile transformation was one of the primary initiatives on the agenda.

Approach

Gravitas recognized that a successful Agile transformation would require a significant shift in organizational culture and mindset. To achieve this, Gravitas launched a comprehensive training program to educate the company’s employees on Agile methodologies and the benefits of collaboration and teamwork. This program included workshops, coaching sessions, and pilot Agile teams by embedding Gravitas experts alongside our client’s team members.

Gravitas guided the client through creating cross-functional teams that included representatives from various departments, including IT, engineering, operations, sales, and marketing. These teams were empowered to make decisions and to collaborate closely to develop and deliver new products and services quickly, for external as well as internal customers. As a pilot initiative, our client launched a smaller Agile Analytics team to better adapt to the changing reporting requirements. The transformation is currently underway for the client’s core capabilities ERP team that manages and develops features for finance, operations, sales, HR, and marketing.

In addition to these organizational and cultural changes, our client also invested in upgrading its IT infrastructure to support Agile practices. This included implementing an Agile development toolkit, and enhancing Microsoft Teams and other cloud-based services to enable remote work and collaboration.

Results

The Agile transformation is bringing a significant impact to our client. By breaking down silos and promoting cross-functional collaboration, the company has been able to develop and deliver new products and services more quickly than before. This is enabling our client to stay competitive in the market and to respond more effectively to customer needs.

The new approach also had a positive impact on employee morale and engagement. By giving employees more autonomy and encouraging collaboration, the company was able to foster a culture of innovation and creativity.

Conclusion

Agile transformation at our legacy manufacturing client was not without its challenges, but the benefits of the new approach were clear. By embracing Agile methodologies and promoting collaboration and teamwork, the company was able to become more flexible and responsive to customer needs. The transformation also had a positive impact on employee engagement and morale. The success of this transformation serves as an example of the benefits that can be achieved by embracing Agile practices in today's rapidly changing business environment.