Agile Expert, Founder of Unleashed Agile Consulting
Initially designed for software development, agile product development methodology is now used in a variety of industries. It refers to a style of product development that is about working together, being flexible, and always trying to deliver products in small, usable increments. This is done by checking and adapting at every stage and building products in alignment with customer feedback and market conditions to get the best result.
Today’s Q&A is with one of the world’s leading and highly experienced scaled agile practitioners and consultants, Harry Narang. He is the founder of Unleashed Agile Consulting and a partner at Skillbook Academy, companies that have helped multiple enterprises, from the likes of Microsoft and Apple to government organizations, achieve leading results for close to a decade.
He’s also an angel investor, author of Legendary Consulting - How to Consult Like the Top 1%, and a globally sought-after tech keynote speaker.
In this conversation, Harry Narang shares candid insights on improving agility that organizations of all sizes can implement, plus his smart tips for successful remote working.
Dr. Byron Cole: Can you share your journey from a corporate professional to a globally respected business agility expert and consultant?
Harry Narang: The journey has been marked by its fair share of challenges, yet reflecting upon it fills me with a profound sense of gratitude and bliss. I am thankful for the chance to meaningfully contribute to the progress of our technology and business ecosystem.
During the early days of establishing my consulting practice, I vividly recall collaborating with numerous small contracting companies in my quest for any kind of training and coaching opportunities. The struggle was real; I often found myself underpaid, particularly with those “all-inclusive” gigs, to the extent that I often resorted to sleeping in airports to avoid hotel nights.
In hindsight, the seemingly disparate experiences now form a coherent narrative. I feel humbled and grateful for being a part of the success stories of some top-notch tech companies and portfolios. The journey, with its trials and tribulations, has been instrumental in shaping the professional narrative I find myself in today.
Cole: What inspired you to become a consultant and trainer, focusing on helping organizations navigate agile transformations?
Narang: Before diving into my consulting and training journey, while working with various companies in the tech development and operations optimization realm, I couldn't help but notice a rising demand for expert guidance in crafting operating models that enable customer-centric tech product development.
As I delved deeper into this space, the agile and lean methodologies really struck a chord with me. It was like discovering a superpower for businesses, and I felt a strong connection to what these approaches could achieve.
Recognizing the need in the industry, I saw an opportunity to leverage my skills and give that needle a little nudge. The goal? Making the world and the business ecosystem a better place to thrive. It was not just about filling a gap; it was about creating positive ripples in the tech and business waters.
Cole: In your experience, how does agility play a crucial role in entrepreneurship and business innovation?
Narang: Agility is absolutely crucial in today's business landscape. It's a make-or-break scenario where businesses must either evolve and stay relevant or risk stagnation and decline.
The pace of change, especially in the tech domain, is breathtaking. Customer expectations are skyrocketing daily, and competition is fierce. Adding to the challenge, economic uncertainties over the past few years have thrown a curve ball at many organizations.
In this dynamic environment, fostering agility in business strategy, portfolio management, and product development is paramount for driving innovation and achieving lasting success. Businesses must navigate the ever-shifting landscape, staying attuned to customer needs, adapting to market changes, embracing new technologies, and ultimately delivering products that truly resonate with their users. It's not just about keeping up; it's about thriving in a world that refuses to stand still.
Cole: Could you provide examples of how your human-centered approach to agile transformations has positively impacted organizations, particularly large enterprises and governments?
Narang: Absolutely. I've had the privilege of supporting scaled agile and digital transformations for over 100 organizations, spanning a diverse range from esteemed government entities like the US Air Force, the Canadian Army, and the US Department of Agriculture to industry giants such as Amazon, Apple, Microsoft, Comcast, Mercedes-Benz, TechnipFMC, and many more. The outcomes have been nothing short of transformative.
In these engagements, we've witnessed significant improvements across critical value stream indicators. Metrics like revenue growth, customer satisfaction scores, and referral rates have shown tangible upticks, underscoring the positive impact on the organizations' bottom lines and relationships with their customer base.
Equally important are the internal transformations reflected in process and culture-related KPIs. Reductions in time to market showcase our commitment to enhancing efficiency, while improvements in quality metrics demonstrate the robustness of the development and testing approaches implemented. Perhaps most rewarding is the boost in employee engagement scores, indicative of a workforce that is not just adapting but thriving in the agile environment.
This human-centered approach ensures that our agile transformations aren't just about processes and methodologies but also fostering a culture of collaboration, adaptability, and continuous improvement. It's not merely a shift in operations; it's a holistic evolution that resonates positively both externally with customers and internally with the workforce.
Cole: Many business leaders struggle with adapting to change and maintaining agility in their businesses. What advice would you offer to organizations looking to foster a culture of adaptability and innovation?
Narang:
1. Balance intentionality and emergence
Strike the right balance between pursuing a medium to long-term vision, catering to the needs of your customer segment, and continuous evolution based on near-term visibility and feedback. This is where well-defined strategic vision, high-level roadmaps, and incremental development with fast learning cycles come into play.
2. Build high-performing solution-based value streams
Encourage development teams supporting specific solutions to work closely together and become intimately involved with customers. This proximity allows for rapid feedback loops, ensuring a more customer-centric and agile approach to product development.
3. Cultivate a strong product and innovation mindset
Foster a culture prioritizing tracking business outcomes, customer feedback, testing hypotheses, and building products incrementally. This approach minimizes investment risk and encourages adaptability and innovation.
4. Implement Lean Startup Principles in your investment process
Embrace Lean Startup principles, encouraging a systematic, scientific approach to creating and managing successful products and businesses. Developed by Eric Ries, this guides generating validated learning, iterative product releases, and a Build-Measure-Learn feedback loop to support the creation of successful products. Applying these principles fosters a culture of experimentation and adaptability.
5. Leverage frameworks like Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) and Lean Portfolio Management (LPM)
Finally, to expedite your progress towards the above four, leverage frameworks such as SAFe and LPM. These frameworks, based on lean and agile methodologies, provide proven guidance on topics like product management, design thinking, lean startup, software engineering, enterprise architecture, strategic planning, budgeting and governance, etc. to enhance operating models for achieving business agility.
While each implementation is unique, leveraging such frameworks reduces the challenges associated with trial and error.
Cole: How do you see the intersection between agile methodologies and the entrepreneurial mindset, especially when it comes to product development and innovation?
Narang: The intersection of agile methodologies and the entrepreneurial mindset is a powerful space, particularly in the realms of product development and innovation.
To build an effective agile product development operating model, a robust entrepreneurial mindset is essential. Longevity in this dynamic market demands that every product team and value stream within an organization embrace this mindset.
At its core, the entrepreneurial mindset aligns seamlessly with agile principles. It involves working closely with customers, taking calculated risks, and constantly iterating based on feedback. The agile product development process is inherently entrepreneurial, incorporating the essential elements of building and testing hypotheses, validating assumptions, and navigating unknowns.
In essence, the marriage of agile methodologies and an entrepreneurial mindset creates a fertile ground for innovation. It's about fostering a culture that not only welcomes change and uncertainty but thrives on it, continuously seeking opportunities for growth and improvement.
Agile Software Development.
Cole: You've worked with notable companies like HP, Apple, and Amazon Labs. What common challenges have you observed in large enterprises that other organizations can learn from?
Narang: Working with prominent companies has provided invaluable insights into challenges that resonate across enterprises globally. While these challenges are universal, their scale and intricacy vary, shaping the landscape of organizational agility.
1. Shiny Object Syndrome
Managing multiple stakeholders with diverse perspectives amidst dynamic market dynamics often leads to 'shiny object syndrome.' Organizations may struggle to maintain a consistent direction, frequently shifting priorities. The remedy lies in cultivating a robust medium to long-term vision and roadmap, providing stability while allowing flexibility through continuous inspection and adaptation.
2. Lack of Alignment Across Layers
Scale brings complexity, requiring alignment across diverse stakeholders—development teams, architects, product managers, sales, and marketing. Clear communication of strategic priorities and regular big room planning sessions per solution area prove effective in mitigating this challenge.
3. Traditional Portfolio Management Practices
Conventional portfolio management practices, thriving on certainty, face hurdles in the dynamic realm of tech development, resembling more of an R&D process. Embracing uncertainty involves practices like rolling wave planning, frequent reassessment of strategic priorities, and implementing lean governance approaches for proactive decisions on pivoting or persevering.
4. Organizational Silos and Politics
Silos and politics within organizations constrain speed, accountability, and agility. A Lean Agile mindset-driven leadership, coupled with operating models that promote collaboration and value stream-based organizational structures, is pivotal in overcoming this challenge.
5. Resistance to Change
Persistent resistance to change, especially in the dynamic tech development arena, remains a significant challenge. Mitigating this involves a combination of training, coaching, and mentoring teams and individuals, fostering a gradual shift towards new, agile ways of operating.
Cole: What role does leadership play in fostering agility within organizations, and how can leaders enhance their leadership skills to drive innovation and adaptability?
Narang: Effective agile leadership is crucial in navigating the uncharted territories of tech development, guiding knowledge workers toward creating business value. Leaders play a pivotal role in cultivating an innovative environment, offering guardrails for product development teams to ensure predictable value delivery, and steering the development of a high-performance organizational culture.
Successful leaders embody essential perspectives, including coaching and mentoring, creating the necessary time and space for innovation, shifting focus towards meaningful business outcomes rather than mere outputs, advocating for a team-oriented HR structure, and adapting budgetary and governance practices to bolster innovation and agility. By embracing these principles, leaders empower organizations to thrive in the ever-evolving landscape of technology and business.
Cole: As a family man and entrepreneur, how do you manage work-life balance, and what advice would you give to aspiring leaders/entrepreneurs on maintaining a healthy personal and professional life?
Narang: Balancing family life and entrepreneurship, especially with the shift to remote work, is a journey of constant refinement. While spending more time at home, sharing lunches with my family, and taking breaks for quality moments with my kids have become more feasible, achieving work-life harmony demands intentional effort.
To optimize productivity and maintain a healthy balance, I prioritize tasks based on their significance, consciously avoid unnecessary work, and minimize distractions during focused work periods. Delegating and automating routine tasks free up valuable time for tasks that truly require my attention.
Ensuring a peak state of mind involves a holistic approach. Regular physical activity and self-care rituals contribute not only to personal well-being but also foster a sense of community within our professional space.
For aspiring leaders and entrepreneurs, my advice is to embrace the learning process. Define clear priorities, delegate effectively, and invest time in personal well-being. Establishing routines that support both personal and professional goals, along with periodic reflections and adaptations, is key to sustaining a successful and fulfilling work-life balance.
Here are five quick fire tips for entrepreneurs:
Embrace Change and Innovation
Successful entrepreneurs adapt to change and embrace innovation. Stay agile, be open to new ideas and continuously seek ways to improve.
Customer Centric Focus
Build a business with a customer centric mindset. Understand your customers needs, listen to feedback and tailor your products or services to meet their expectations.
Strategic Planning is Key
Develop a clear and strategic plan for your business. Outline your goals, identify potential challenges, and create a roadmap for success. A well-thought-out strategy keeps you on track.
Invest in Personal Development:
Your personal growth contributes to your business success. Invest time in learning, acquiring new skills, and staying updated on industry trends. A knowledgeable entrepreneur is a successful one.
Build a Strong Support Network:
Surround yourself with mentors, advisors, and a supportive network. Building meaningful connections can provide valuable insights, guidance, and a strong foundation for your entrepreneurial journey.
You can find Harry Narang’s website here, his LinkedIn profile here, and the website for his company, Unleashed Agile Consulting, here.
