Background

What it means to be Agile at the Enterprise level To walk the walk, we were going to have to go further. We had only scratched the surface. Taking a fresh look at the way we were working. To realize the value we were starting to unlock.

A few things I wish I knew… Our journey to enterprise visibility came to be quite organically Not without it challenges – lots of lessons learned With this perspective, I would approach the journey differently than I did before

The list… Starting with Why… Our journey started with a significant shift in strategy. I don’t want to diminish the significance of that. We made a very important choice. To evolve our strategy toward a more purposeful mission.

Starting with why Clarity of purpose allowed us to unpack the what Many people who are struggling can’t articulate their strategy Without this foundational element, Enterprise Agility is not possible

The list… You really can do more than you think you can! Starting with Why… You really can do more than you think you can!

Your really can do more than you think 1 2 3 4 5 PRIORITY 1 PRIORITY 2 PRIORITY 3 PRIORITY 4 PRIORITY 5 Focus – we need to decide what we are and are not going to do The strategist believes in focus, prioritization eliminating distractions – all of the buzz words The reality is you need to get done what you need to get done – the five things is the problem

EVR 1.0 Often comes at a time when you are making important strategy Important types of focus but when combined with doing only “5 big things” Can lead to priorities that look like… Reach category credibility Improve the CX

Why? Fear leads to big, ambiguous outcomes The numbers is not important – clarity in which you define the result is False sense of security which upon reflection I realized was the problem in EVR 1.0

By defining clearer outcomes… Teams can actually swarm. Define a set of work and achieve the result. From Reach Category Credibilty to Launch the 15 products we need to round out assortment Empowerment from a goal of improving consumer CX by 5%

Capable of achieving many outcomes… In fact multiples of what I had originally designed With specificity we got clarity and focus. By actually having more outcomes, not less.

The list… Get the people right and the planning does itself.. Starting with Why… You really can do more than you think you can! Get the people right and the planning does itself..

Get the people right… For me, Enterprise Visibility was a process. We needed the right tools, routines and templates. I remember my first conversation with Sally and Dawn – she asked about how well the team was forming. Oh, that’s nice she wants to get to know us. She never asks a fluffy question.

The process matters, but its secondary… You can’t plan everything – your business is not static; you are flying the plane while tuning it up. Trust me – we tried! The people make the connections! The only way that happens is if the people have the visibility to know when things need to shift and are connected enough to share that. The change you are looking for is not incremental!

So, what do I wish I knew.. How important it is to form the right team to embark on this journey together The right skills and perspectives and investing in them as a team It does not come without a cost, the cost of not doing it is higher

All the characteristics of a high performing team Hypos, diverse in all the things that matter We didn’t trust each other and hadn’t laid the foundation for real teamwork We didn’t change the organization until we admitted we weren’t sure we trusted each other

Reap the benefits well beyond planning… We went from presenting, to having real strategy debates We started to speed increase, silos breakdown and true collaboration without intervention The planning processes were easy, you can’t underestimate the impact of the people

The list… Outcomes, OKRs, Increments – the framework doesn’t matter! Starting with Why… You really can do more than you think you can! Get the people right and the planning does itself.. Outcomes, OKRs, Increments – the framework doesn’t matter!

I’m a purest… Its amazing how helpful a framework can be. And how distracting when the focus. Set the stage for what you are trying to do. Guardrail for where you are headed.

There are a lot of frameworks that work.. Sally has given me some favorites but also Measure what Matters and Radical Focus Each tout their won way of structuring and organizing work More conversations about OKRs or outcomes, Trello or Kanban vs. Airtable.

Here is what I wish I knew.. NONE OF IT MATTERS! Pick a framework – one that is least controversial and stick with it. It’s a guardrail – not a science. Spend your time debating success.

If I could do one thing different… Spend less time debating the framework, more time pressure testing success More time ensuring we knew what success looked like, how to measure it, and where to find that information Why? Because transparency is key to accountability and you can’t succeed on this journey without it

The list… Starting with Why… You really can do more than you think you can! Get the people right and the planning does itself.. Outcomes, OKRs, Increments – the framework doesn’t matter! There is no end to the journey, get comfortable in the evolution

This one makes me laugh… “ Done is better than perfect. - Sheryl Sandberg But I am here to tell you that you are never done with Enterprise Visibility and if you are – you have it wrong.

Here is the truth… You have decided to try something new. It isn’t and end state, it’s a way of thinking. Each time you try to move the organization it will change. You are building new muscles, the day that stops you are dead.

Every change in the EVR was a major shift… Why? Our muscles were weak – we hadn’t used them every and so getting good at this would take time We didn’t set the right expectation – the way we did planning was always going to change as we adapted to what we were learning. Evolution is the constant.

The list… It starts at the top – culture trumps everything Starting with Why… You really can do more than you think you can! Get the people right and the planning does itself.. Outcomes, OKRs, Increments – the framework doesn’t matter! There is no end to the journey, get comfortable in the evolution It starts at the top – culture trumps everything

Boiling this down to five this was impossible.. I spent three years debating and negotiating and learned more about myself in the process I still laugh remembering the day I took this role – if I only knew then what I know now! I would have said no! And that would have been a bad decision for many reasons.

If I boil it down and am totally candid… Leadership and attitude – culture if you will, comes from the top. Servant leadership etc. and all these other management styles It’s the culture that tips the scales toward or away from a successful journey

To be truly agile.. You need to be willing to ask yourself the tough questions, your teams need to be able to say no and ask for help It needs to be ok to not know everything. The only way that happens, is if your culture allows it to. Everyone has to feel like they have a voice and that they can be heard.

The culture of your leadership sets the tone When leaders demonstrate those behaviors people feel like they can Psychological safety – without it your journey never gets started The thing I am most proud of the company is different because of it

“ In closing… THE KEY TO THIS JOURNEY IS TO SHOW UP… - SALLY ELATTA No matter where you are in your journey there is always time to reflect and think different and try something new

Thank you!