A certified and Agile approach to business success

As organizations grow, they’ll often try to maintain their traditional pyramid-shaped, centralised decision-making structure. As a result, they can struggle for agility and responsiveness.

Whether a business is in app development or toothpaste manufacture, its people – in sales, in HR, on the factory floor – must be able to make decisions independently. Projects need to be delivered iteratively, reliably and on time, without being caught up in overextended planning processes. This is where Agile comes into its own.

The Agile umbrella covers several practical solutions, such as iterative project management, process optimization, the lean ideology and Agile approaches to services with ITIL 4 which can help a business save money, increase performance, or elevate its flow.

In the context of organizations starting to see the benefit of adopting Agile methods for their own improvement, it’s unsurprising that they are also looking for a tailored approach to Agile training.

For training sessions and syllabus-driven courses, clients are increasingly looking to fine-tune the training content with an Agile training solution that suits their uniqueness, nuances, and distinctive features. This is exactly how it should be and I can’t remember the last time we sold a “standard” training session. Therefore, our sales team, trainers and subject matter experts are constantly refining their offering to meet our clients’ needs.

Ultimately, the endgame is achieving the universal benefit of internationally recognized certifications, which keep employees motivated and eager, offer stable and concrete proof of a company’s excellence and serve as quality and knowledge checks across a range of projects. Also, when interdisciplinary, self-directing teams are formed, certifications will help detect strengths and areas for improvement within those teams long before any issues arise.

I’ve always believed that the methodologies you use in project management aren’t sacrosanct. There are huge benefits in putting together a team of mixed talents rather than pursuing a specific Agile or cascade-only development path. It assures an environment for creativity and adaptivity. A colleague with Agile certification will be an excellent sounding board for others and a valued guide into the field.

But the best answer probably lies somewhere in between. Having a workforce with a variety of skills and certifications is a similar principle. It’s proactive preparation, with the potential to be a blessing.

Most importantly, a diversity of skills and certificates will lead to flexibility in a business. And as the past few years alone have proven, flexibility has never been more important – and a certified and skilled workforce is an asset for any business today.