Agility in a Digital World: An Integrated Approach to Staying Agile and Connecting the Worlds of Yesterday, Today, Tomorrow, and Beyond.
The digital challenges of the future are complex and multifaceted. There is no single lever to pull; changes are happening simultaneously across all areas, both inside and outside organizations. For instance, artificial intelligence will significantly impact the further individualization of society, while governments and businesses grapple with the digital burden of the past, only to be overtaken by new digital capabilities that will further disrupt their current status quo. To respond agilely, an integrated approach is essential, connecting the worlds of tomorrow and beyond with those of yesterday and today.
The world beyond tomorrow focuses on the implementation of future legislation and the integration of new technologies and systems. Think of challenges like climate change, the deployment of artificial intelligence, upcoming legislation (such as the Digital Services Act), emerging markets, and major system changes (such as rebuilding the VAT system).
The world of tomorrow focuses on what we currently know about upcoming legislation, current societal themes, and the modernization of technologically outdated systems. Specifically, it addresses challenges that enhance system usability. For government bodies, the priority is to organize information properly and to reduce technical debt in execution organizations. This world creates a crucial link between the world beyond tomorrow and the present by breaking down existing and future challenges into small, prioritized projects aimed at addressing and integrating these changes.
In the world of today, teams turn priorities into concrete products with clearly defined end results (Definition of Done, DoD). These products are delivered in sprints lasting a few weeks. Every three to four months, there is an evaluation of what has been delivered in the preceding period, what will be done in the next period, or whether to discontinue certain efforts.
This world focuses on the continuity and transparency of current digital processes. Specifically, it involves assessing availability, disruptions, and recurring issues. These analyses indicate where tomorrow’s systems need improvement and how to prevent disruptions. This ensures a balance between continuity and agility.
To become agile, it’s essential to have a connection between strategic, tactical, and operational processes—essentially connecting the world beyond tomorrow to the worlds of yesterday and today. Traditionally, many organizations do this by assigning these processes to different owners and responsible parties. There’s often one-way communication: decisions are made at the top with limited knowledge of operational and tactical challenges. As these decisions cascade through the organization, they face reality and are often questioned, leading to compromises to hold everything together. Many organizations lack a feedback loop to the top. It starts with recognizing this two-way communication from top to bottom and back. This requires attention to the strategic-tactical connection as well as the tactical-operational link.
The strategic-tactical connection primarily revolves around the worlds of tomorrow and beyond. The world of tomorrow is shaped by projects for which capacity and knowledge are currently available. The world beyond tomorrow requires insight into the knowledge and capacity needed in the future, with an understanding that it’s not just about adding more resources. Those working on the world of today and tomorrow must be brought into the loop regarding the changes headed their way.
The connection at the tactical and operational levels focuses on linking the world of yesterday with that of today. The world of yesterday provides insights into what determines today’s continuity. By analyzing incidents and problems, you gain insight into past issues. This can involve technological disruptions or poorly formulated requirements that were later digitized. In essence, what’s needed is an analysis of (potential) disruptions in digitized processes to be prepared for them.
Interestingly, some companies no longer revert to a situation where the problem didn’t exist (rollback), opting instead to roll forward: creating a new situation where the problem has already been resolved. A prerequisite for this is an organized set of digital components, which many companies and governments lack.
All successful, agile IT organizations embed IT within their core processes. Knowledge of digitalization is readily available among involved business partners, encompassing everything from strategy to digital processes. Various processes establish connections at the planning, securing, and monitoring levels. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are shared from the world beyond tomorrow down to yesterday and today, and vice versa.
For example, the percentage of transformation (implementing new digital business processes) influences absorption and realization capacity, capacity management significantly affects production and service delivery, and service quality impacts the world of today and tomorrow through incident and problem management.
To address the world of today effectively, it is crucial to foster employee trust and engagement and equip them with the right knowledge and skills. This requires employees to adapt to the newly demanded knowledge and competencies. Currently, many IT knowledge areas are structurally changing due to artificial intelligence (AI). Understanding AI’s role in agility, productivity, and workforce effectiveness is essential. This involves more than just creating requirements, epics, and delivering code—it also involves knowledge retention, cohesion, and drawing connections between systems.
The experience of successful, agile IT organizations shows that they follow a system-enforced methodology. The task isn’t complete unless it’s documented correctly. These systems are connected to visual dashboards where information converges. Agile work requires rigorous discipline from all participants.
The world of today can be well-managed by teams themselves, provided they operate within the priorities (set three months in advance) of the world of tomorrow. Work estimates are evaluated biweekly, and a culture of transparency is essential. This means that employees can and dare to show what has been achieved and are willing to be vulnerable. Management must give these teams the space to operate. The involvement of executives (business, IT, and the Board of Directors) is essential. For example, Ralph Hamers (formerly ING) visited teams quarterly to discuss their questions and challenges and emphasize the importance of their work.
What we can learn from successful teams is that they know the customer well and work efficiently. Customer intimacy is achieved with dedicated teams that work in a domain for an extended period. Operational excellence is primarily achieved by being transparent and looking across boundaries. Dedicated teams should work in a domain for several years (up to four years). Mobility is part of employee and team development.
A culture that allows failure, provides space to learn, and values employees is key to successful large organizations. Success arises from the dedication and engagement of personnel. The motto is “under-promise, over-deliver” rather than vague promises. Directing concrete and measurable team and organizational results increases credibility and helps justify the need for increasing IT investments. It is crucial that executives and external stakeholders understand what has been delivered for the investment, that it is market-competitive and efficient, and the value added.
At QA Consulting, we know how to connect the world beyond tomorrow to yesterday. We achieve this with small expert teams working according to the cloverleaf method, securing the outcome of an agile organization from various perspectives. Along the axes (Management & Organization, People & Culture, Processes & Procedures, and Tools & Technology), we ensure the organization realizes the connection from strategy to execution. Fundamentally, it means adjusting strategy every three months based on new insights. This requires a broad view of societal and technological developments.
Management & Organization concerns the governance and control of the organization—aligning processes to achieve the long-term goals of the organization. Components include Governance and Organizational Models, Strategy, Policy, Cohesion, Meeting Structures, Leadership, and Decision-Making.
Employees are always the most important factor in an organization. Computers and applications may take over many activities, but employees remain essential within organizations. Employees involved in digitalization must possess a wide range of knowledge, skills, and competencies. Components include Competency Profiles based on e-CF, Hard Skills, Soft Skills, Recruitment and Selection, Onboarding/Offboarding, Collaborative Working, and Employee Satisfaction.
Digital products or services are the outcomes of processes within the organization. They give meaning to the organization’s raison d’être. Customers want digital products and services at an acceptable price and quality. Components include Legislation and Regulations, Policy and Frameworks, Processes (traditional), and Procedures (operational).
Information technology is essential for executing, managing, and controlling processes. This includes technical infrastructure (networks, computers, printers), information systems for business processes, and other technical tools. Components include Technical Infrastructure, Devices (workstations, phones, and other devices), Enterprise Applications, Business Enabler Technologies (e.g., virtual or augmented reality, Internet of Things), and Process Support Tools, such as architecture and cost tools, portfolio and change management tools.
