What should your budget be for Agile? How much should you invest in outside help for training, coaching and consulting? Legitimate questions, worded incorrectly.
Many have this perception that there is a diet called Agile.
This is a dangerous mindset. We know from observing the weight loss industry that dieting does not work. Dieting results in an endless cycle of gaining and losing weight, which, in turn increases the risk of many obesity-associated diseases. Dieting is also the most important predictor of developing an eating disorder.
Wait, are we suggesting Agile doesn't work? Yes, if you only focus on doing Agile.
We know that a focus solely on weight loss is not a good strategy. We are much more successful if we shift the mindset towards a focus on greater health. Similarly, we need to shift our emphasis away from just doing the Agile diet. Instead, view agility as part of a larger strategy aimed at greater organizational health. So back to our original question. What is our investment in Agile? Let's substitute the word improvement for Agile. Say it out loud and see what a huge difference one word makes. Try these questions on for size:
What is our investment in improvement?
How many people do we need focused on continuous improvement?
How do our stakeholders feel about improvement?
Who do we need to help us with improvement?