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#8 in our list of the Top 10 Characteristics of an Agile Organization is about finding the balance between sustainability and success.
In this 3-minute video, I share how organizations can achieve this balance through (1) stability, (2) sustainable pace, and (3) redefining success based on what the customer sees as most valuable, not just meeting the plan.
See my previous coverage of #10 Work/Life Balance and Jean’s #9 Being a Servant and Leader. Next up is #7 Contributing to the Community and the Company.
Ryan, how do you balance meeting revenue goals with creating a sustainable pace for your team? Is this a planning issue, cultural, other? Sometimes to meet revenue targets one must go beyond their capacity. It is very difficult to say to your (insert whomever you are reporting financials to, board, ceo, etc), there was additional revenue to be won but our team is maxed at current capacity. What can a person do in a scenario like this? I would be interested to hear your perspective on this, maybe in a future post.
Brendan, (Thanks for the comment)
Balancing the short-term and the long-term is a never ending battle for a business and for most individuals. I think it starts with view about the game you are playing. Are you playing the infinite game or the finite game? (credit Alistair Cockburn for that concept.) If you are playing the infinite game your tendency will be towards sustainable pace, with exceptions as needed. So, I believe your thinking models including sensibilities, perceptions and guiding ideas drive a culture toward sustainable pace. Agile concepts around capacity based planning gated by historical velocity are simply practices to help you keep the balance. Of course, folks who believe in “planning to get lucky” (credit Lee Devin and Rob Austin for that term) believe you should put slack in your schedule to increase your agility and innovation opportunities too. Certainly a good topic for a future blog post.
Ryan