The Agile Fluency® Model was created in 2011 by Jim Shore and Diana Larsen. Shore and Larsen observed that many organizations undertake agile transformations that fail to deliver on their stated benefits. The Agile Fluency Model (AFM) helps organizations realize the stated benefits of adopting agile ideas.
Aspect
Explanation
Definition
Agile Fluency is a concept that describes an organization’s level of proficiency in practicing Agile principles and methods. It recognizes that there are different stages of agility, each with its own set of practices and benefits. Agile Fluency helps teams and organizations understand their current state of Agile adoption and work toward higher levels of effectiveness.
Key Concepts
– Fluency Levels: Agile Fluency identifies four levels of proficiency: 1. Focusing on Value, 2. Delivering Value, 3. Optimizing Value, and 4. Strengthening Values. Each level builds upon the previous one and represents a higher degree of Agile maturity and capability. – Value Delivery: The primary goal of Agile Fluency is to deliver value to customers consistently. – Continuous Improvement: Agile teams strive for ongoing improvement in their practices and processes. – Adaptability: Agile Fluency emphasizes adaptability to change and customer feedback.
Characteristics
– Clear Progression: Agile Fluency provides a clear progression path for teams and organizations to follow. – Focused on Value: Each fluency level focuses on delivering value to the customer and the organization. – Measurable Outcomes: Agile Fluency encourages the measurement of outcomes and results to assess progress. – Customizable: Organizations can adapt Agile Fluency to their specific needs and context.
Implications
– Enhanced Performance: Higher fluency levels often lead to improved team performance and productivity. – Customer Satisfaction: Delivering value consistently can result in higher customer satisfaction. – Innovation: Agile Fluency encourages a culture of innovation and experimentation. – Market Competitiveness: Agile organizations can respond more effectively to market changes and customer demands. – Employee Engagement: Agile practices can contribute to higher employee engagement and satisfaction.
Advantages
– Improved Agility: Agile Fluency helps organizations become more agile and responsive. – Value Alignment: Teams and organizations can better align their work with customer needs and organizational goals. – Higher Quality: Agile practices often lead to higher-quality products and services. – Adaptability: Agile organizations are better equipped to adapt to changing circumstances. – Customer-Centric: Agile Fluency keeps the focus on delivering value to customers.
Drawbacks
– Challenges in Adoption: Transitioning to higher fluency levels can be challenging and require significant effort. – Resource Requirements: Implementing Agile practices may require investments in training and tools. – Resistance to Change: Some individuals and teams may resist Agile practices initially. – Cultural Shift: Achieving higher fluency levels often involves a cultural shift within the organization. – Measurement Complexity: Measuring outcomes and progress can be complex.
Applications
– Software Development: Agile Fluency is commonly applied in software development and IT projects. – Product Development: Many product development teams use Agile Fluency to improve their processes. – Project Management: Agile principles are applied in project management and delivery. – Organizational Transformation: Agile Fluency can guide organizational transformations toward agility. – Team Development: Agile Fluency helps teams mature and develop their Agile skills.
Use Cases
– Scrum: An Agile framework that aligns well with the principles of Agile Fluency. – Kanban: A visual management method used to improve workflow and processes. – Lean Agile: Combining Lean principles with Agile practices for continuous improvement. – Extreme Programming (XP): An Agile software development methodology. – Agile Coaching: Coaches can use Agile Fluency to assess and guide teams.
Future Trends
– Scaled Agile: Agile Fluency concepts are being applied at the enterprise level with frameworks like SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework). – Hybrid Approaches: Organizations may adopt hybrid approaches that blend Agile Fluency with traditional project management practices. – Remote Work: Agile Fluency can be adapted to remote and distributed work environments. – AI and Automation: Agile organizations may explore AI and automation for efficiency and innovation. – Sustainability: Agile Fluency can incorporate sustainability practices into Agile approaches.
Please Note: Agile Fluency is a registered trademark of Agile Fluency Project LLC
To help organizations realize these important benefits, agile teams must pass through four distinct zones of fluency.
Here, the creators of AFM define fluency as actions a business performs without thinking. Often, these actions are performed in high-pressure scenarios where there are many distractions or competing elements.
The four fluency zones of the Agile Fluency Model
The first two zones of fluency focus on changes at the team level, while the last two focus on the organizational level.
Here is a look at each:
Focus on value
In this zone, agile teams focus on delivering products or services that are most likely to deliver value to customers, users, or sponsors.
Scrum and Kanban frameworks are likely to be used by highly collaborative teams.
Collaboration means a reduced likelihood of delays and misunderstandings, improving efficiency.
Deliver value
Teams who are fluent in the second fluency zone deliver value early and often using XP practices such as Scrum or Kanban-XP hybrids.
By delivering on concepts in a timely fashion, flaws or inefficiencies are exposed early and corrected.
Aside from increasing quality standards, teams tend to have higher morale because they can deliver great results in a predictable fashion.
Optimize value
Optimizing teams lead their respective markets by understanding what the market wants while still meeting the needs of the business.
These teams use shorter feedback cycles with a focus on customer satisfaction and ROI to increase innovative business agility.
Aligning organizational goals with consumer needs, they also foster a sense of trust and camaraderie throughout the business.
Optimize for systems
Also known as strengthening teams, these teams seek to optimize the entire value stream of the enterprise.
To achieve this, they may use one or more of the four zones in combination.
However, this zone is often resource-intensive and fluency is difficult to master.
It requires expertise in innovative management theory, innovation, cross-pollination of perspectives, and agile work practices.
It’s also important to note that the AFM is not a framework or methodology. Each fluency zone is a collection of choices representing a mature system.
That is, there is no requirement to progress through the zones to reach a desired state.
Ideally, the business will identify its needs at a particular point in time and select a fluency zone accordingly.
Since each zone brings a unique set of benefits and challenges, decision-makers must consider the trade-offs of each zone and not assume that doing more is better.
Key takeaways
The Agile Fluency Model helps businesses realize the potential benefits of incorporating agile work practices.
The Agile Fluency Model is based on four zones of agile fluency, which is defined as the ability of a business to perform agile practices without thinking in high-stress environments.
The Agile Fluency Model is not a framework for linear progression. Instead, each zone offers businesses a unique blend of benefits and challenges according to their specific needs.
Key Highlights
Origin and Purpose of the Agile Fluency Model (AFM):
Created by Jim Shore and Diana Larsen in 2011.
Developed to address the issue of failed agile transformations and help organizations realize the benefits of agility.
Understanding the Agile Fluency Model:
AFM defines fluency as actions performed without thinking, even in high-pressure scenarios.
Four distinct zones of fluency:
Focus on Value: Teams deliver valuable products/services using frameworks like Scrum and Kanban.
Deliver Value: Teams deliver value frequently using practices like XP (e.g., Scrum or Kanban-XP hybrids).
Optimize Value: Teams lead markets, focus on customer satisfaction, and align organizational goals with consumer needs.
Optimize for Systems: Teams optimize the entire value stream, requiring expertise in various areas.
Key Points about AFM:
AFM is not a framework or methodology; it’s a model of choices representing maturity levels.
No linear progression required; organizations choose a zone based on their current needs.
Each zone offers unique benefits and challenges, and trade-offs should be considered.
Key Takeaways:
AFM assists businesses in realizing the benefits of agile practices.
AFM is based on four fluency zones, indicating the ability to perform agile practices seamlessly under pressure.
AFM emphasizes tailoring to specific needs and understanding the trade-offs of each zone.
Please Note: Agile Fluency is a registered trademark of Agile Fluency Project LLC
Framework
Description
When to Apply
Agile Fluency Model
The Agile Fluency Model is a framework developed by Diana Larsen and James Shore that describes how teams evolve in their adoption and proficiency with Agile practices. It categorizes agile adoption into four fluency levels, each representing a different stage of team capability and effectiveness.
– When assessing the current state of Agile adoption and proficiency within teams or organizations. – For guiding Agile transformations and setting realistic expectations for progress and improvement over time.
Scrum Framework
Scrum is an Agile framework for iterative and incremental development, emphasizing teamwork, collaboration, and delivering value to stakeholders in short iterations called sprints. It provides a structure of roles, events, and artifacts to guide teams in Agile development.
– When organizing work into iterative cycles, fostering collaboration, and delivering value incrementally in software development projects. – For teams seeking a lightweight Agile framework with defined roles and practices.
Kanban Method
Kanban is an Agile method for managing workflow, visualizing work, and limiting work in progress (WIP). It emphasizes continuous delivery, flow, and optimizing the efficiency of the process. Kanban boards are used to visualize tasks and their progress through various stages of work.
– When visualizing and managing workflow, limiting work in progress, and optimizing the efficiency of processes in software development or other knowledge work environments. – For teams seeking a flexible Agile approach that accommodates different workflow styles.
Extreme Programming (XP)
Extreme Programming (XP) is an Agile software development methodology that emphasizes technical excellence, continuous feedback, and shared ownership. It includes practices such as test-driven development (TDD), pair programming, continuous integration, and frequent releases.
– When focusing on technical excellence, delivering high-quality software, and embracing collaborative practices in Agile software development projects. – For teams seeking a disciplined and engineering-centric Agile approach.
Lean Software Development
Lean Software Development is an Agile methodology inspired by Lean manufacturing principles, emphasizing delivering value to customers, eliminating waste, and optimizing the entire software delivery process. It prioritizes customer satisfaction, continuous improvement, and respect for people.
– When aiming to deliver value to customers efficiently, reduce waste, and improve the flow of work in software development projects. – For organizations seeking a holistic approach to Agile that aligns with Lean principles and values.
Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe)
SAFe is a framework for scaling Agile practices across large organizations, enabling them to deliver value faster, more predictably, and sustainably. It provides guidance for coordinating multiple Agile teams, aligning strategy with execution, and fostering a culture of continuous improvement.
– When scaling Agile practices to large enterprises with multiple teams and complex projects. – For organizations transitioning to Agile at scale and seeking guidance on governance, portfolio management, and coordination across teams.
Disciplined Agile Delivery (DAD)
DAD is an Agile framework that extends Scrum, Kanban, and Lean principles to address the full delivery lifecycle from project initiation to deployment. It provides guidance on adapting Agile practices to different project situations, scaling Agile, and integrating with traditional methods.
– When needing a flexible Agile framework that can be tailored to different project contexts, including large-scale enterprise initiatives. – For organizations seeking to blend Agile with traditional project management approaches.
DevOps
DevOps is a set of practices that combines software development (Dev) and IT operations (Ops) to improve collaboration, automate processes, and deliver software more reliably and rapidly. It emphasizes continuous integration, delivery, and deployment, along with cultural and organizational changes.
– When aiming to streamline software delivery, increase deployment frequency, and improve collaboration between development and operations teams. – For organizations seeking to accelerate the software delivery lifecycle and enhance overall agility.
Agile Project Management
Agile Project Management is an approach that applies Agile principles and practices to project management processes, emphasizing flexibility, customer collaboration, and iterative delivery. It adapts traditional project management methods to Agile contexts and focuses on delivering value early and often.
– When managing projects in Agile environments and adapting project management practices to Agile principles and values. – For project managers and teams transitioning from traditional to Agile project management approaches.
Continuous Improvement (Kaizen)
Continuous Improvement (Kaizen) is a philosophy and methodology focused on continuous improvement, emphasizing small, incremental changes to processes, products, or services. It encourages employee involvement, innovation, and problem-solving to drive organizational excellence over time.
– When fostering a culture of continuous improvement and innovation within an organization. – For teams and individuals seeking to improve processes, practices, and outcomes continuously.
AIOps is the application of artificial intelligence to IT operations. It has become particularly useful for modern IT management in hybridized, distributed, and dynamic environments. AIOps has become a key operational component of modern digital-based organizations, built around software and algorithms.
Agile started as a lightweight development method compared to heavyweight software development, which is the core paradigm of the previous decades of software development. By 2001 the Manifesto for Agile Software Development was born as a set of principles that defined the new paradigm for software development as a continuous iteration. This would also influence the way of doing business.
Agile Program Management is a means of managing, planning, and coordinating interrelated work in such a way that value delivery is emphasized for all key stakeholders. Agile Program Management (AgilePgM) is a disciplined yet flexible agile approach to managing transformational change within an organization.
Agile project management (APM) is a strategy that breaks large projects into smaller, more manageable tasks. In the APM methodology, each project is completed in small sections – often referred to as iterations. Each iteration is completed according to its project life cycle, beginning with the initial design and progressing to testing and then quality assurance.
Agile Modeling (AM) is a methodology for modeling and documenting software-based systems. Agile Modeling is critical to the rapid and continuous delivery of software. It is a collection of values, principles, and practices that guide effective, lightweight software modeling.
Agile Business Analysis (AgileBA) is certification in the form of guidance and training for business analysts seeking to work in agile environments. To support this shift, AgileBA also helps the business analyst relate Agile projects to a wider organizational mission or strategy. To ensure that analysts have the necessary skills and expertise, AgileBA certification was developed.
Agile leadership is the embodiment of agile manifesto principles by a manager or management team. Agile leadership impacts two important levels of a business. The structural level defines the roles, responsibilities, and key performance indicators. The behavioral level describes the actions leaders exhibit to others based on agile principles.
The andon system alerts managerial, maintenance, or other staff of a production process problem. The alert itself can be activated manually with a button or pull cord, but it can also be activated automatically by production equipment. Most Andon boards utilize three colored lights similar to a traffic signal: green (no errors), yellow or amber (problem identified, or quality check needed), and red (production stopped due to unidentified issue).
Bimodal Portfolio Management (BimodalPfM) helps an organization manage both agile and traditional portfolios concurrently. Bimodal Portfolio Management – sometimes referred to as bimodal development – was coined by research and advisory company Gartner. The firm argued that many agile organizations still needed to run some aspects of their operations using traditional delivery models.
Business innovation is about creating new opportunities for an organization to reinvent its core offerings, revenue streams, and enhance the value proposition for existing or new customers, thus renewing its whole business model. Business innovation springs by understanding the structure of the market, thus adapting or anticipating those changes.
Business modelinnovation is about increasing the success of an organization with existing products and technologies by crafting a compelling value proposition able to propel a new business model to scale up customers and create a lasting competitive advantage. And it all starts by mastering the key customers.
A consumer brand company like Procter & Gamble (P&G) defines “Constructive Disruption” as: a willingness to change, adapt, and create new trends and technologies that will shape our industry for the future. According to P&G, it moves around four pillars: lean innovation, brand building, supply chain, and digitalization & data analytics.
That is a process that requires a continuous feedback loop to develop a valuable product and build a viable business model. Continuous innovation is a mindset where products and services are designed and delivered to tune them around the customers’ problem and not the technical solution of its founders.
A design sprint is a proven five-day process where critical business questions are answered through speedy design and prototyping, focusing on the end-user. A design sprint starts with a weekly challenge that should finish with a prototype, test at the end, and therefore a lesson learned to be iterated.
Tim Brown, Executive Chair of IDEO, defined design thinking as “a human-centered approach to innovation that draws from the designer’s toolkit to integrate the needs of people, the possibilities of technology, and the requirements for business success.” Therefore, desirability, feasibility, and viability are balanced to solve critical problems.
DevOps refers to a series of practices performed to perform automated software development processes. It is a conjugation of the term “development” and “operations” to emphasize how functions integrate across IT teams. DevOps strategies promote seamless building, testing, and deployment of products. It aims to bridge a gap between development and operations teams to streamline the development altogether.
Product discovery is a critical part of agile methodologies, as its aim is to ensure that products customers love are built. Product discovery involves learning through a raft of methods, including design thinking, lean start-up, and A/B testing to name a few. Dual Track Agile is an agile methodology containing two separate tracks: the “discovery” track and the “delivery” track.
eXtreme Programming was developed in the late 1990s by Ken Beck, Ron Jeffries, and Ward Cunningham. During this time, the trio was working on the Chrysler Comprehensive Compensation System (C3) to help manage the company payroll system. eXtreme Programming (XP) is a software development methodology. It is designed to improve software quality and the ability of software to adapt to changing customer needs.
Feature-Driven Development is a pragmatic software process that is client and architecture-centric. Feature-Driven Development (FDD) is an agile software development model that organizes workflow according to which features need to be developed next.
A Gemba Walk is a fundamental component of lean management. It describes the personal observation of work to learn more about it. Gemba is a Japanese word that loosely translates as “the real place”, or in business, “the place where value is created”. The Gemba Walk as a concept was created by Taiichi Ohno, the father of the Toyota Production System of lean manufacturing. Ohno wanted to encourage management executives to leave their offices and see where the real work happened. This, he hoped, would build relationships between employees with vastly different skillsets and build trust.
GIST Planning is a relatively easy and lightweight agile approach to product planning that favors autonomous working. GIST Planning is a lean and agile methodology that was created by former Google product manager Itamar Gilad. GIST Planning seeks to address this situation by creating lightweight plans that are responsive and adaptable to change. GIST Planning also improves team velocity, autonomy, and alignment by reducing the pervasive influence of management. It consists of four blocks: goals, ideas, step-projects, and tasks.
The ICE Scoring Model is an agile methodology that prioritizes features using data according to three components: impact, confidence, and ease of implementation. The ICE Scoring Model was initially created by author and growth expert Sean Ellis to help companies expand. Today, the model is broadly used to prioritize projects, features, initiatives, and rollouts. It is ideally suited for early-stage product development where there is a continuous flow of ideas and momentum must be maintained.
An innovation funnel is a tool or process ensuring only the best ideas are executed. In a metaphorical sense, the funnel screens innovative ideas for viability so that only the best products, processes, or business models are launched to the market. An innovation funnel provides a framework for the screening and testing of innovative ideas for viability.
According to how well defined is the problem and how well defined the domain, we have four main types of innovations: basic research (problem and domain or not well defined); breakthrough innovation (domain is not well defined, the problem is well defined); sustaining innovation (both problem and domain are well defined); and disruptive innovation (domain is well defined, the problem is not well defined).
The innovation loop is a methodology/framework derived from the Bell Labs, which produced innovation at scale throughout the 20th century. They learned how to leverage a hybrid innovation management model based on science, invention, engineering, and manufacturing at scale. By leveraging individual genius, creativity, and small/large groups.
The Agile methodology has been primarily thought of for software development (and other business disciplines have also adopted it). Lean thinking is a process improvement technique where teams prioritize the value streams to improve it continuously. Both methodologies look at the customer as the key driver to improvement and waste reduction. Both methodologies look at improvement as something continuous.
A startup company is a high-tech business that tries to build a scalable business model in tech-driven industries. A startup company usually follows a lean methodology, where continuous innovation, driven by built-in viral loops is the rule. Thus, driving growth and building network effects as a consequence of this strategy.
As pointed out by Eric Ries, a minimum viable product is that version of a new product which allows a team to collect the maximum amount of validated learning about customers with the least effort through a cycle of build, measure, learn; that is the foundation of the lean startup methodology.
Kanban is a lean manufacturing framework first developed by Toyota in the late 1940s. The Kanban framework is a means of visualizing work as it moves through identifying potential bottlenecks. It does that through a process called just-in-time (JIT) manufacturing to optimize engineering processes, speed up manufacturing products, and improve the go-to-market strategy.
Jidoka was first used in 1896 by Sakichi Toyoda, who invented a textile loom that would stop automatically when it encountered a defective thread. Jidoka is a Japanese term used in lean manufacturing. The term describes a scenario where machines cease operating without human intervention when a problem or defect is discovered.
The PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) cycle was first proposed by American physicist and engineer Walter A. Shewhart in the 1920s. The PDCA cycle is a continuous process and product improvement method and an essential component of the lean manufacturing philosophy.
RAD was first introduced by author and consultant James Martin in 1991. Martin recognized and then took advantage of the endless malleability of software in designing development models. Rapid Application Development (RAD) is a methodology focusing on delivering rapidly through continuous feedback and frequent iterations.
Retrospective analyses are held after a project to determine what worked well and what did not. They are also conducted at the end of an iteration in Agile project management. Agile practitioners call these meetings retrospectives or retros. They are an effective way to check the pulse of a project team, reflect on the work performed to date, and reach a consensus on how to tackle the next sprint cycle. These are the five stages of a retrospective analysis for effective Agile project management: set the stage, gather the data, generate insights, decide on the next steps, and close the retrospective.
Scaled Agile Lean Development (ScALeD) helps businesses discover a balanced approach to agile transition and scaling questions. The ScALed approach helps businesses successfully respond to change. Inspired by a combination of lean and agile values, ScALed is practitioner-based and can be completed through various agile frameworks and practices.
The SMED (single minute exchange of die) method is a lean production framework to reduce waste and increase production efficiency. The SMED method is a framework for reducing the time associated with completing an equipment changeover.
The Spotify Model is an autonomous approach to scaling agile, focusing on culture communication, accountability, and quality. The Spotify model was first recognized in 2012 after Henrik Kniberg, and Anders Ivarsson released a white paper detailing how streaming company Spotify approached agility. Therefore, the Spotify model represents an evolution of agile.
As the name suggests, TDD is a test-driven technique for delivering high-quality software rapidly and sustainably. It is an iterative approach based on the idea that a failing test should be written before any code for a feature or function is written. Test-Driven Development (TDD) is an approach to software development that relies on very short development cycles.
Timeboxing is a simple yet powerful time-management technique for improving productivity. Timeboxing describes the process of proactively scheduling a block of time to spend on a task in the future. It was first described by author James Martin in a book about agile software development.
Scrum is a methodology co-created by Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland for effective team collaboration on complex products. Scrum was primarily thought for software development projects to deliver new software capability every 2-4 weeks. It is a sub-group of agile also used in project management to improve startups’ productivity.
Scrumban is a project management framework that is a hybrid of two popular agile methodologies: Scrum and Kanban. Scrumban is a popular approach to helping businesses focus on the right strategic tasks while simultaneously strengthening their processes.
Scrum anti-patterns describe any attractive, easy-to-implement solution that ultimately makes a problem worse. Therefore, these are the practice not to follow to prevent issues from emerging. Some classic examples of scrum anti-patterns comprise absent product owners, pre-assigned tickets (making individuals work in isolation), and discounting retrospectives (where review meetings are not useful to really make improvements).
Scrum at Scale (Scrum@Scale) is a framework that Scrum teams use to address complex problems and deliver high-value products. Scrum at Scale was created through a joint venture between the Scrum Alliance and Scrum Inc. The joint venture was overseen by Jeff Sutherland, a co-creator of Scrum and one of the principal authors of the Agile Manifesto.
Six Sigma is a data-driven approach and methodology for eliminating errors or defects in a product, service, or process. Six Sigma was developed by Motorola as a management approach based on quality fundamentals in the early 1980s. A decade later, it was popularized by General Electric who estimated that the methodology saved them $12 billion in the first five years of operation.
Stretch objectives describe any task an agile team plans to complete without expressly committing to do so. Teams incorporate stretch objectives during a Sprint or Program Increment (PI) as part of Scaled Agile. They are used when the agile team is unsure of its capacity to attain an objective. Therefore, stretch objectives are instead outcomes that, while extremely desirable, are not the difference between the success or failure of each sprint.
The Toyota Production System (TPS) is an early form of lean manufacturing created by auto-manufacturer Toyota. Created by the Toyota Motor Corporation in the 1940s and 50s, the Toyota Production System seeks to manufacture vehicles ordered by customers most quickly and efficiently possible.
The Total Quality Management (TQM) framework is a technique based on the premise that employees continuously work on their ability to provide value to customers. Importantly, the word “total” means that all employees are involved in the process – regardless of whether they work in development, production, or fulfillment.
The waterfall model was first described by Herbert D. Benington in 1956 during a presentation about the software used in radar imaging during the Cold War. Since there were no knowledge-based, creative software development strategies at the time, the waterfall method became standard practice. The waterfall model is a linear and sequential project management framework.
Gennaro is the creator of FourWeekMBA, which reached about four million business people, comprising C-level executives, investors, analysts, product managers, and aspiring digital entrepreneurs in 2022 alone | He is also Director of Sales for a high-tech scaleup in the AI Industry | In 2012, Gennaro earned an International MBA with emphasis on Corporate Finance and Business Strategy.
