1. Interview Guide: Hiring Entrepreneurial Agile Team Members
Applications organizations are using Agile development methods for 34% more projects than last year, increasing the demand for developers that can effectively apply these approaches. However, many Applications leaders find that even their best Waterfall developers struggle to successfully transition to Agile methods. Our analysis of over 300 Agile teams reveals that developers that possess five entrepreneurial competencies are best positioned to thrive in Agile projects.
Who is an entrepreneurial Agile team member? Entrepreneurial Agile team members embrace new ways of working and partner effectively with team members and business and IT stakeholders in pursuit of business outcomes. They do not necessarily possess superior technical skills, but are able to build strong relationships, solve problems, and adapt to new situations.
What specific competencies distinguish an entrepreneurial Agile team member? The five entrepreneurial competencies that distinguish the best Agile team members are shown to the right and include: learning agility, commitment, business results orientation, collaboration, and stakeholder partnership.
Why is it important to hire entrepreneurial Agile team members? Agile teams composed of entrepreneurial team members are at least 50% more likely to achieve the desired impact on business objectives and speed-to-market than others.
The following pages provide a suggested interview guide for identifying, selecting, and hiring developers that display entrepreneurial competencies.
Competencies of Entrepreneurial Agile Team Members
n = 306 Agile team leaders.
Source: CEB 2015 Agile Improvement Diagnostic.

2. Entrepreneurial Agile Team Member Interview Questions
Competency
Sample Interview Questions
Assessment Criteria
Notes
Learning Agility
Demonstrates initiative to learn Agile practices and skills and to adapt to new situations
Tell me about the first job you ever had. What did you do to learn the ropes?
Describe a time you took on a stretch assignment at work, even though you weren’t positive you knew how to proceed at the beginning.
Adapts to ambiguous and unfamiliar terrain
Shows initiative in developing his or her skills
Commitment
Fully understands Agile methods and business value, and internally champions Agile practices
How would you convince a business partner who has only used Waterfall to use Agile?
Tell me about a time you felt a team member was not correctly adhering to Agile (or another methodology) practices. What did you do?
Embraces Agile practices and methodologies
Internally champions and advocates for Agile adoption
Business Results Orientation
Takes ownership for delivering business needs and achieving project objectives
Tell me about a time when you had to overcome significant obstacles to achieve an important outcome.
Give me an example where you’ve been held personally accountable for hitting a performance target. How did you go about ensuring you would meet it?
Understands the link between project goals, the business context, and organizational goals
Enthusiastically tackles challenging assignments

3. Entrepreneurial Agile Team Member Interview Questions (Continued)
Competency
Sample Interview Questions
Assessment Criteria
Notes
Collaboration
Is highly collaborative and works with others effectively
Tell me about a time when you had to work closely with someone whose personality was very different from yours.
Tell me about a time you needed to get information from someone who wasn’t very responsive. What did you do?
Effectively motivates and rallies team members
Is willing to work outside of his or her areas of expertise
Is viewed as a role model and is actively sought out by others for help
Stakeholder Partnerships
Effectively engages and influences business partners throughout the project
Tell me about a time when you needed to argue for your position with important stakeholders where some took a different position.
Tell me about a time when you were working with a large group of stakeholders who wanted different things and you had to prioritize.
Assesses business value of sponsor requests and challenges requests as needed
Adapts engagement approaches based on partner persona and priorities
Establishes a strong network across the organization