Doing Agile Right: Transformation Without Chaos
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-05-11 11:55:37
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Darrell Rigby
- ISBN：163369870X
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
Agile has the power to transform work--but only if it's implemented the right way。
For decades business leaders have been painfully aware of the huge chasm between their aspiration for a nimble， flexible enterprise and the reality of silos， sluggishness， and frustrated innovation。 Today， agile is being hailed as the essential bridge across that chasm。 Agile， say its enthusiasts， can transform your company， catapulting you to the head of the pack。
Not so fast。 In this clear-eyed and indispensable book， Bain & Company thought leader and HBR author Darrell Rigby and colleagues Sarah Elk and Steve Berez provide a much-needed reality check。 They dispel the myths and misconceptions that have accompanied agile's growth--the idea that it can reshape your organization all at once， for instance， or that it should be used in every function and for all types of work。 They affirm and illustrate that agile teams can indeed transform the work environment， make people's jobs more rewarding， and turbocharge innovation--but only if the method is fully understood and implemented the right way。
The key， they argue， is balance。 Every organization must optimize and tightly control some of its operations。 At the same time， every organization must innovate。 Agile， done well， frees and facilitates vigorous innovation without sacrificing the efficiency and reliability essential to traditional operations。 The authors break down how agile really works， show what not to do， and explain the crucial importance of scaling agile properly in order to get its full benefit。 They then lay out a road map for leading the transition to a truly agile enterprise。
Agile isn't a goal in itself; it's a means to the end of a high-performance operation。 Doing Agile Right is the must-have guide for any company trying to make the transition--and for those already there， a way to avoid or recover from its potential pitfalls。
Reviews
Createpei
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An excellent evidence-based resource on the best practices for creating and implementing agile based teams and enterprises。 Easy to read， plenty of real life case studies， and well researched with plenty of citations。 Definitely a keeper and will be referred to again and again！ I don’t often thank authors for writing a book but thank you to Rigby， Elk， and Berez and Harvard Business Review Press for creating such a great book on this timely topic！
JB
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Read it because we are undergoing an agile transformation at work。 It is a book written by Bain consultants explaining how they named a concept， so basically a dictionary for business bullshitting。
Tomasz Maj
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Good but not great。 A bit stating the obvious， but three things that I liked:- lean is not for innovation- agile is the best approach to bringing innovation to companies- involve HR early in agile transformationWhat I didn't like:- it should be outcomes and outputs - I don't agree， we need to drive an outcome based approach， outputs will create confusion- bashing of big bangs- promotion of their own external materials Good but not great。 A bit stating the obvious， but three things that I liked:- lean is not for innovation- agile is the best approach to bringing innovation to companies- involve HR early in agile transformationWhat I didn't like:- it should be outcomes and outputs - I don't agree， we need to drive an outcome based approach， outputs will create confusion- bashing of big bangs- promotion of their own external materials 。。。more
Don Putnam
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a really great book to consider if you are in the agile transformation space， either as a coach， scrum master or manager / executive。the big take-aways I took from the book:1。 agile is about innovation， both in terms of creating new products or services and how teams work。 as a side note， some folks I work with think that agile is about cutting costs 。。。 it's not; not directly。2。 companies / enterprises need to be very clear about goals and expectations。 if they don't have clear and embraced vis a really great book to consider if you are in the agile transformation space， either as a coach， scrum master or manager / executive。the big take-aways I took from the book:1。 agile is about innovation， both in terms of creating new products or services and how teams work。 as a side note， some folks I work with think that agile is about cutting costs 。。。 it's not; not directly。2。 companies / enterprises need to be very clear about goals and expectations。 if they don't have clear and embraced visions and strategies， becoming agile won't matter much。3。 planning， budgeting and how employees are assessed need to be 'updated' and aligned with an agile transformation。 otherwise interests （politics） will smother agility。for my part， I've been recommending the book to as many people as possible。 the folks who wrote this book seem to have a lot of great insights and large database of agile transformations and what to embrace and what to avoid。 seeing my division trying to transform - I am seeing a lot of problems going on， which the book describes and suggests solutions to。 。。。more
Tomas Liutvinas
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Can't really say much。 Seems interesting， I feel like I learned something， but need to read more on the topic or get more practice， probably both。 Can't really say much。 Seems interesting， I feel like I learned something， but need to read more on the topic or get more practice， probably both。 。。。more
Sunny Jaggi
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To Be Written
Jamie Pawlikowski
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Lots of great insights as someone who has been through this journey numerous times。 Having done Bain engagements previously I am not surprised how well they have crafted this book。
Nathan McMullin
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Great Down to Earth Approach to Agile ImplementionI really enjoyed this book。 It really drives to point out agile from the fundamentals and not the fads around it。
Karlyn Hixson
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Extremely informative and well presented。 Highly recommend！
Ferdi Brannekämper
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“Agile was designed to create innovative solutions when what to deliver and how to deliver it are vague and unpredictable” which is a great description of where we find ourselves during this COVID-19 pandemic。 This book takes a very balanced look at Agile implementations in very successful companies。 It’s balanced in the way that it doesn’t paint a whimsical picture of perfect companies and environments。 It explains both the good and the bad。 It allows the reader time to reflect and think about “Agile was designed to create innovative solutions when what to deliver and how to deliver it are vague and unpredictable” which is a great description of where we find ourselves during this COVID-19 pandemic。 This book takes a very balanced look at Agile implementations in very successful companies。 It’s balanced in the way that it doesn’t paint a whimsical picture of perfect companies and environments。 It explains both the good and the bad。 It allows the reader time to reflect and think about the examples used。 It allows for own interpretation and does try and market and sell the idea that Agile is the silver bullet that fixes everything。 It even goes as far to acknowledge that companies do have a limited lifespan irrespective of Agile。 。。。more
Michael
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Good overall view of how to do agile right。 Interesting research on what goes right and wrong。 They also added a number of stories to help illustrate the ways to enhance and deliver outcomes with agile。 Good discussion of difference between enterprise agile and other hybrids。 Helpful as a manager with team members working on various agile programs。
Zsuzsanna
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I'd strongly suggest all companies thinking about transforming their operational model to read this book first， instead of blindly jumping into agile because it's what all the cool kids are into these days。 Think before you reorganize。 Plan before you reorganize。 Involve employees in planning who actually have to execute the plan before you give the go-to signal。 I'd strongly suggest all companies thinking about transforming their operational model to read this book first， instead of blindly jumping into agile because it's what all the cool kids are into these days。 Think before you reorganize。 Plan before you reorganize。 Involve employees in planning who actually have to execute the plan before you give the go-to signal。 。。。more
John Tyson
，
After finishing this book， I’m not sure I describe succinctly to someone who hasn’t read it exactly how to “do agile right”。 However， I think that’s less so because the book is disorganized and more so because “doing agile right” means applying certain principles in an organization in a way that must account for all the idiosyncrasies of an organization。Furthermore， I’m reading this through the lens of a large food manufacturing company with a long and complex supply chain， meaning rapid iterati After finishing this book， I’m not sure I describe succinctly to someone who hasn’t read it exactly how to “do agile right”。 However， I think that’s less so because the book is disorganized and more so because “doing agile right” means applying certain principles in an organization in a way that must account for all the idiosyncrasies of an organization。Furthermore， I’m reading this through the lens of a large food manufacturing company with a long and complex supply chain， meaning rapid iteration and innovation is decidedly less quick than in， for example， a software company。The end notes at each chapter are a good list， and the principles of agile leadership chapter was particularly helpful in articulating the role a leader could play in instituting agile practices。。。 I’m going to give it a go！ 。。。more
Kathy Cowie
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To be reviewed in the January-February issue of Global Business and Organizational Excellence。
Horacio
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Excellent book to understand Agile and their culture in the company and of course the book focus to company that want to be Agile。Reading the book you can have a lot insights and if you do read with another person （business partner or work colleague） will increase your understanding and also can try to apply what they are saying in the book or even your insights。 However the author make really clear， that the company want to the move to Agile， must start at the top of hierarchy （CEO， VPs。。）。
Fabio Modolo
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Concise， pragmatic description of key steps to implement agile， not following the frenzy but rather using whats useful。 Good examples from Bosch。
Juarez Poletto Jr。
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A good first book on the subject especially for those who are going through a digital transformation on their companies， probably everybody who's not there yet。 A good first book on the subject especially for those who are going through a digital transformation on their companies， probably everybody who's not there yet。 。。。more
David
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A good read on the right and wrong way to do agile， with principles to consider。 The challenge of doing agile better though is trying to convince teams and companies that there is a better way， which is the same struggle as trying to convince a flat-earthed that the world is round， no matter how much evidence you bring or how much you show them companies doing it better。
Jose Sanchez
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Es un estudio， que le Galatea experienciaTiene información valiosa y en particular comparto las preocupaciones del autor frente al mal uso de agilidad y big-bang en transformaciones。Sin embargo se nota aproximaciones con poca experiencia práctica， hay interpretaciones poco profundas de prácticas y aplicaciones。Lo dejaría como una buena teoría。
Marcelo Marzola
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Good intro to agile “why” but not agile “how”Fast reading but superficial for anyone who has worked with agile in the past。 Seems to cater better to board members that have to be convinced of agile then to executives looking to implement it。
Leandro Gonzales
，
A good book to spread Agile。 For agilists， there is practically nothing new， perhaps the list of studies that supported the conclusions with their evidence。As the great proposal of the authors， already published in HBR May – June 2020 （"The agile C-suite"）， is the formation of an agile team at C-level， perhaps it is a catalyst for changes in companies: the agilists in the trenches could find support at the top of the company in combating excessive bureaucracy。It is a good gift/reading for an Exe A good book to spread Agile。 For agilists， there is practically nothing new， perhaps the list of studies that supported the conclusions with their evidence。As the great proposal of the authors， already published in HBR May – June 2020 （"The agile C-suite"）， is the formation of an agile team at C-level， perhaps it is a catalyst for changes in companies: the agilists in the trenches could find support at the top of the company in combating excessive bureaucracy。It is a good gift/reading for an Executive Director or VP， for example。 The book would be able to foster good conversation。 。。。more
Paula
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Good book on implementing agile in organizations， especially large ones。 I especially liked the suggestions on how to make the agile and operations team work together。 Also， a good intro to agile leadership even if one is already familiar with agile software development principles。 I did miss however more examples on how and when to NOT do agile - the book is obviously championing agile， and it does warn of falling into the fad trap， however I wished for more failure stories as well， not only su Good book on implementing agile in organizations， especially large ones。 I especially liked the suggestions on how to make the agile and operations team work together。 Also， a good intro to agile leadership even if one is already familiar with agile software development principles。 I did miss however more examples on how and when to NOT do agile - the book is obviously championing agile， and it does warn of falling into the fad trap， however I wished for more failure stories as well， not only success stories。 Isn’t the willingness to share failures part of the agile principles anyway？ 。。。more
Luis Enrique Carrillo Arquiadez
，
Truly good and easy to get！Practical guide to clear many misconceptionsClear account of how agile can help companies and their people become better。 Pragmatic and solid approach and essay read
Matthew Jacobs
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Great book dedicated to executives who are curious on how they can adopt agile principles to change all major layers of the operating system from the teams to the org chart。
J。 Ryan
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Doing Agile Right: Transformation Without Chaos started a little rocky for me。 However， it quickly redeemed itself by providing excellent and practical insights and advice for implementing and integrating Agile practices within and across an organization。 The key takeaways that spoke the most to me were:1） Organizations benefit by implementing Agile practices in the manner and scope that brings the most value。 （e。g。， Agile isn't a fad， and a rip-and-replace implementation is bound to fail。） 2） T Doing Agile Right: Transformation Without Chaos started a little rocky for me。 However， it quickly redeemed itself by providing excellent and practical insights and advice for implementing and integrating Agile practices within and across an organization。 The key takeaways that spoke the most to me were:1） Organizations benefit by implementing Agile practices in the manner and scope that brings the most value。 （e。g。， Agile isn't a fad， and a rip-and-replace implementation is bound to fail。） 2） The most successful Agile organizations are the ones who have figured out how to efficiently and effectively integrate the old "command and control" （aka bureaucracy） method of management with Agile methods。 3） Implementing successful Agile practices is unique for each organization， or it should be。 Trying to copy another organization's Agile practices is a good way not to get Agile right。4） Agile practices must be practiced at the C-suite to scale Agile within an organization well。5） It's all about creating value for the customer。 Yes， this is a basic tenant for Agile， but Darrell Rigby presented this concept in a way that made it hit home for me。 I appreciated that authors acknowledge that there are many Agile frameworks available and that most organizations succeed by utilizing some customized combination of these frameworks。I think a sentence in the book blurb summarizes the benefits best: "Agile， done well， frees and facilitates vigorous innovation without sacrificing the efficiency and reliability essential to traditional operations。" I recommend this book to anyone interested in scaling Agile practices within their organization。 。。。more
Josh Clausen
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If you’ve already read about Scrum， you probably won’t learn anything new here。
Kristof Verbeke
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Good book， good lay-out， and explanation of Agile。 Really mostly good if you don't know a lot about Agile。 Lacked a punch or these extra valuable insights， felt like a sales pitch to starter using agile， instead of really coming up with something more concrete。 Still pretty easy and fast read。 Would recommend if you don't know much about Agile， good starting point， especially if C-level。 Good book， good lay-out， and explanation of Agile。 Really mostly good if you don't know a lot about Agile。 Lacked a punch or these extra valuable insights， felt like a sales pitch to starter using agile， instead of really coming up with something more concrete。 Still pretty easy and fast read。 Would recommend if you don't know much about Agile， good starting point， especially if C-level。 。。。more
Phil
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Excellent practical guide on how to go about enterprise wise skills organisations and some of the pitfalls of poor approaches。 Would love to have seen more of the HR side such as rewards and recognition， but a great business savvy perspective
Hannes Lindblom
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I got some very important takeaways from this book on how to balance agile and bureaucracy。 All in all a good overview of agile principles applied in the real world， based on data。 Mabye a bit too lengthy and repetetive in the long run though。
Ryan Morton
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