Getting Acquainted with Team Jorvik

Unbeknownst to the team, Ecbert was actively seeking an Agile Coach, but team Jorvik was desperate for change and in need of support. Ecbert was aware of the team's dissatisfaction, particularly after Ivar, the Product Owner, urgently sought his assistance. Time was running out for Odin Enterprises; their cash flow was dwindling, and bankruptcy loomed just months away if changes were not enacted.

A swift transformation was imperative. Ecbert gathered team Jorvik and addressed them directly, saying, “We are facing a significant problem. Our current cash flow allows us only six months of operations. Without change, bankruptcy is imminent. However, I believe we can turn this around together. I understand your frustrations, and I share them. Despite investing heavily in Scrum and training, we’ve failed to yield valuable results. To aid us, I’ve brought in Lagertha, our new Agile Coach. I expect everyone to collaborate closely with her to avert a crisis.”

The revelation caught the team off guard. They had no idea a new member would be joining, nor did they grasp the dire financial situation of Odin Enterprises. Silence enveloped the room until Björn broke it, challenging Ecbert.

“I’m stunned! You hired someone without consulting us. What makes you think this time will be different? Two years ago, you insisted we embrace agility to thrive, and here we are, struggling for survival.”

“Björn, I understand our dysfunctions can’t be resolved without an outside perspective. I acknowledge my bias. As a last resort, I’ve brought Lagertha onboard. This time, I will ensure we take the necessary actions to prevent Odin Enterprises from failing!” Ecbert replied.

Lagertha listened intently and recognized the skepticism emanating from Björn and the others. She decided to interject, stating, “I’m not here to rescue the company; I’m here to guide you beyond any Agile framework. The ultimate goal is to create value consistently. If you allow me to assist, I believe we can transform our reality together. Ecbert has promised to facilitate any changes we need to enhance our value creation.”

Ecbert added, “I will empower you to deliver that value. We will work more closely than ever. Let’s tackle this challenge as a team. I request one more chance.”

After this exchange, the members of team Jorvik appeared receptive to the challenge ahead, though Björn remained openly skeptical. “Ecbert, I will hold you accountable for your promises. If I sense you’re not supportive of the required changes, I’ll make sure you remember.”

“Please do, Björn,” Ecbert responded.

As optimism began to build, team Jorvik felt a renewed sense of hope. Meanwhile, Lagertha felt the urgency to quickly identify the bottlenecks and inspire change.

Identifying Anti-Patterns

Lagertha understood that time was of the essence; she needed to quickly uncover the anti-patterns affecting the team. Her greatest asset was her fresh perspective, bolstered by experience. To leverage this, she dedicated her first two weeks to extensive observation, attending various meetings, including:

• Executive weekly action planning
• All Scrum events of team Jorvik
• Weekly planning sessions across different business departments

After taking 37 pages of notes, Lagertha found herself overwhelmed with thoughts. She needed to organize these observations before presenting them to team Jorvik and Ecbert. “How do they operate like this? It’s a miracle they’re still afloat,” she pondered.

A few days later, Lagertha pinpointed several patterns and felt ready to share her findings, aware that the truth would be painful. Drawing from her experience, she decided to narrate a story that would connect the dots. She organized a workshop with team Jorvik, executives, and key stakeholders. Before the workshop, she outlined the following issues on the board:

• Business Model: Five executives provided five different answers.
• Customer Profile: The target audience remained ambiguous among all present.
• Value: There was no consensus on what constituted value for the company.
• Prioritization: Team Jorvik’s priorities varied significantly based on hierarchy.
• Focus: The team lacked direction, with a backlog of hundreds of unrelated items.
• Scrum: The Agile framework was treated as a rigid process, neglecting its core principles.
• Measuring Results: After a feature launch, the focus shifted immediately to the next task, with no measurement of impact.
• Decisions: Choices were made without a guiding overarching goal.
• Blame Game: Accountability was absent; business teams blamed team Jorvik, who in turn blamed them.

As participants arrived at the workshop, Lagertha instructed them to read the board carefully. After a few moments of silence, she began her presentation.

“Over the past two weeks, I’ve observed many of your interactions. I am shocked by how you operate as a company. The anti-patterns I’ve identified contribute significantly to your current state. Now, you have a choice: take action to address these issues or continue to complain in meetings. The question is, do you want to face bankruptcy?”

It was as if everyone had been struck by a revelation. The executives struggled to process the information on the board; it was astonishing that they hadn’t recognized these issues themselves. Ecbert finally spoke up.

“No, Lagertha! We don’t want to go bankrupt. We want to resolve this situation. But we only have six months? Your list suggests we have a lot of work ahead. Where should we begin?”

“Where do you think we should start?” Lagertha replied.

“Well, the lack of accountability is crippling us,” Ecbert responded.

Björn interjected, “We don’t take responsibility because we lack decision-making power over what to create. We need a product strategy and empowerment. That should be our starting point.”

“Are you saying that developing a product strategy and empowering the team will lead to accountability?” Ecbert asked.

“Exactly. Not only will we take responsibility, but we’ll also generate value more quickly by being closer to the product and users,” Björn affirmed.

Lagertha proposed, “What if we use this workshop to shape our strategy? Let’s establish our product vision and draft a business model. Clarity will guide our next steps.”

“Alright, let’s proceed,” Ecbert agreed.

A sense of momentum grew, and everyone began to envision a shared future. They believed that a unified vision and business model would help them align their perspectives.

Despite the shock of confronting substantial anti-patterns, they learned a crucial lesson: sometimes, a fresh perspective is all it takes to reassess a situation. It’s essential to step back and reflect on reality.

The journey beyond mere features continues. Odin Enterprises faces daunting financial hurdles, and time is not on their side, yet Lagertha brings a glimmer of hope.

Will they navigate their way from dysfunction to a value-driven organization?

Stay tuned for the next chapter.