Agile business crisis management

While the current crisis in Agile jobs is obvious, there is also hope for practitioners who are willing to improve their skills, share knowledge and network with colleagues.

This article outlines effective strategies for thriving in challenging times, emphasizing that growth and success can be achieved by harnessing the strength of community and readily available resources. Also check below how I can support you on your journey.

What you can do to improve your professional standing

To improve your agility—no pun intended—and resilience in the face of the current agile jobs crisis, I recommend that you engage in a continuous journey of learning and development, focusing on deepening your understanding of principles, sharing knowledge, and expanding your professional network through a variety of hands-on activities :

Deepen your understanding of agile principles

Let’s start honing your craft to overcome the Agile jobs crisis:

1. Regularly read and analyze the Agile Manifesto and the Scrum Guide: Set aside time each week to reflect on one principle from the Agile Manifesto or a section of the Scrum Guide. Write down how you have applied this principle or rule in your past projects and how you might do it differently.
2. Engage in reflective practices: Start a personal journal to document your daily practices, recording successes, challenges, and lessons learned. Think about how your processes align with Agile values ​​and principles.
3. Experiment with applying the principles: Start a “pet project” within your organization or community that allows you to apply Agile principles in a new context. Document the process and results to share with others.
4. Write articles or blog posts: Choose a specific principle each month and write an article or blog post about how it can be effectively applied. Share these texts on professional networks and ask for feedback. (Don’t get frustrated if your initial efforts don’t generate a large number of responses; the important thing is to get started and stick with it.)
5. Read books and listen to podcasts: Meet all the books you’ve ever wanted to read. And don’t forget all the podcasts on Agile. (I myself have a pile of unread or partially read books that exceeds a meter in height.)
6. Collaborate with other practitioners: Host or join monthly roundtables with colleagues to share insights, experiences and best practices. Use platforms like LinkedIn Groups or Meetup to find or create such groups. (Check out my LinkedIn group, Agile Clinic.)
7. Mentor or teach others: Offer free training to startups or non-profit organizations. This offer will help you improve your coaching skills while contributing to the community.
8. Participate in advanced workshops or trainings: Identify workshops that offer interactive real-world problem-solving scenarios. Look for sessions that use role-playing or simulation games to deepen your understanding of the principles.
9. Attend conferences or webinars: Select events that offer case studies or insights into innovative applications of Agile principles. Give preference to interactive sessions where you can ask questions and talk directly to the speakers. (See the Hands-on Agile Meetup community below.)
10. Participate in community discussions: Join forums or groups on social networks. Participate in discussions regularly, offering insights or asking thought-provoking questions. (For example, you may have noticed that I’ve been posting a lot of questions in various LinkedIn groups to stimulate thought and discussion.)

Expand your skills to overcome the agile business crisis

Then, sharpen your facilitation, teaching and technical skills so you remain adaptable:

1. Develop strong facilitation skills: Practice leading a volunteer group or special interest club. Use these opportunities to experiment with new facilitation techniques, such as release structures, if you haven’t already.
2. Improve your coaching skills: Enroll in a course specifically for developing coaching skills. Practice these skills in different contexts, including working outside, to improve them.
3. Improve communication skills: Join a local Toastmasters club or similar to practice public speaking and communication in a stimulating environment.
4. Acquire skills to work with (digital) tools: Choose a new research tool every month. Create video tutorials or tutorials based on your learning and share them with the community. (There are plenty of free tools out there. Moreover, I’m not just talking about software applications, but also, for example, canvases and other frameworks that extend “Agile”.)
5. Study of organizational change management: Sign up for a short course or prepare for a challenging certification. Take advantage of volunteer opportunities to practice these skills in a real-world setting. (Coursera is a good place to start your search for a change management course.)
6. Learn about different frameworks: Create a study group with peers interested in learning SAFe, Kanban, or other frameworks—set goals to apply one new aspect of the framework to a project each quarter. (You may not like SAFe; however, it is a dominant player in large organizations. Face it.)
7. Learn about new technologies: Join online courses or webinars focused on, for example, AI, blockchain or IoT technologies. Explore how they can be integrated into Agile projects. (If you’re not yet exploring Generative AI and its impact on your industry, you’re missing out.)
8. Build expertise in specific industries: Choose an industry and dive deep into its challenges and opportunities. Offer free webinars that share Agile solutions to industry-specific problems.
9. Understand budgeting and finance in an agile context: Offer to assist in a project budgeting session, incorporating Agile principles into the financial planning process.
10. Develop metrics and reporting techniques: Work on a personal project to explore different metrics in an agile context. Offer to prepare metrics analysis reports for a small team or project, providing insights and recommendations.

Participation in the community

In the end, you never walk alone; reach out to your colleagues to overcome the current agile jobs crisis together:

1. Join Agile and Scrum user groups: Actively participate and offer to organize or speak at meetings. Meetup.com is a good starting point.
2. Get involved in online Agile communities: Share your experiences, ask questions and support others in their enquiries. Set a goal to connect with a new practitioner each week, focusing on different industries or specializations. (You can quickly meet your colleagues in LinkedIn, Subreddits, or Meetup groups.)
3. Start a podcast or YouTube channel: Focus on sharing practical tips, interviewing other practitioners and discussing the application of agile practices in different contexts. (Don’t underestimate the power required to do this, not to mention the technical aspects.)
4. Participate in coaching or mentoring programs: As a mentor or mentee, get deeply involved in the program to maximize learning and networking opportunities.
5. Share and discuss case studies or success stories: Write your own experiences or those of your network to share lessons learned and best practices. (Become known as someone who supports the community; there’s no better way to build a personal brand.)
6. Actively contribute to blogs or social media groups: Regularly post insightful content, engage with others’ posts, and contribute to building a positive knowledge-sharing community. (Algorithms love meaningful comment threads. LinkedIn, for example, ranks these threads at the top of all comments, greatly increasing your visibility within the community.)
7. Volunteer at conferences: Offer your skills in organizing, facilitating or even speaking at events. Community-led Open Space or Barcamp events are often interested in volunteers. (Agile Camp Berlin, for example, was built with the help of volunteers in organizing and running the event.)
8. Contribute to open source projects: Find projects that are looking for practitioners to help guide their development process.
9. Collaborate on research projects or papers: Contact academics or practitioners working on Agile research and offer your insights or collaboration. (Consider using ResearchGate for an initial analysis of who is working in the field.)

How I can help you overcome the agile business crisis

There are several ways I can give you credit for navigating the Agile jobs crisis; you don’t have to start from scratch:

• Through my blog and e-books, I can provide you with detailed insights and advanced strategies on Agile and Scrum, deepening your understanding and equipping you with innovative “Agile” approaches.
• With my book, The Scrum Anti-Patterns Guide, I can improve your understanding of Scrum, guiding you away from common pitfalls and toward effective strategies to improve your Agile practices and results.
• Join my Hands-on Agile Slack community. I will provide you with a valuable network where you can exchange ideas, gain different perspectives and discover solutions to your agile challenges, all of which will contribute to your professional growth.
• Don’t miss the opportunity to connect directly with your colleagues in my Hands-on Agile Meetup group, where I can connect you with thought leaders, real-world insights and practical advice.
• Finally, subscribe to my Food for Agile Thought newsletter for regular updates to stay well informed and one step ahead on your agile journey.

Conclusion

Despite the challenging landscape, the path for Agile practitioners is not without hope. By taking the time to hone your skills through available resources, generously sharing your insights, and collaborating intensively with your peers, not as competitors, but as vital networking allies, you can weather these turbulent times. This collaborative approach enriches your expertise and strengthens the agile community, creating an inclusive scenario.

What are you already doing to educate and support the Agile community? Tell us your approach in the comments.