I have written blogs about our team’s transition to the Agile methodology and how it related to our core convictions, but I wanted to share how it made us a stronger team. The transition was an uncomfortable process but was totally worth it.
Around this time last year, we were starting our transitions to the Agile methodology. I can tell you firsthand, it was not easy and was very uncomfortable. Although the Agile methodology is simple to understand, it can take people way outside their comfort zones. We had to learn to be very honest with each other even when it was not positive feedback. Discussing your mistake in front of your team is not easy. Accepting responsibility for things that may have gone wrong, learning from the mistakes, and discussing ways to prevent the mistakes moving forward is key to the Agile methodology.
This transition required us to change to an Agile mindset. We had to be brave in speaking up and accepting feedback in our retrospective meetings or “Post Game” as we refer to them. We had to learn that the feedback we were giving and receiving was an important step in ensuring our future projects are even more successful. We learned how to be completely open with each other. We learned not to take feedback personally. We realized these hard discussions needed to happen to understand what needed to change. We used the feedback to improve processes. This did not happen overnight. It took a lot of experimenting and reevaluating. Our team continues to come back to the table to make improvements that bring value to our customers.
The TriYoung Team now operates as a unit. Our team members are willing to pivot quickly and successfully when things happen. Change is always happening, what matters is what you do with that change. We decided to grow and adapt to the change. Agile is a journey that everyone on our team has chosen to continue together. Each member of our team collaborating towards a common goal has made us stronger.
