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Back to the beginning
First of all, what does it mean to be agile?
The concept of agility started in 2001 when 17 software developers came together to create the Agile Manifesto. They wanted to rethink traditional approaches to software development, moving away from rigid processes toward more flexible operations that help teams react to change faster.
At its core, agile encourages the prioritisation of:
- People over procedures,
- Working prototypes over detailed specs,
- Open collaboration over isolated planning, and
- Swift adaptation to change over sticking to a fixed plan,
These principles were a game-changer for software teams, enabling them to deliver faster and adapt to shifting requirements. Today, agile has expanded well beyond software, serving as a framework for any organisation that needs to stay adaptable,
innovative, and people-focused in a rapidly changing world.
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The agile advantage: Right decisions at the right time
Traditional organisations tend to operate like a well-oiled machine. They have in place stable, siloed structures with linear planning and controlled execution. This is a reliable approach that works well in steady, predictable environments, but it is less effective when faced with rapid or unexpected changes. Traditional methods often lead to slower responses and make it hard to pivot when the market shifts.
Meanwhile, agile organisations are fundamentally different. They are designed to turn change into an advantage. How? Agile organisations are built to be flexible and responsive, comprising networks of small, cross-functional teams with a culture that values people, fast learning, and rapid decision-making cycles. This structure allows them to pivot quickly, learn from every step, and respond to challenges as they arise.
Such a setup allows agile teams to test ideas early, learn from feedback, and adapt quickly. This iterative approach to development and deployment enables companies to meet customer needs precisely and swiftly. By bringing products and solutions to market faster, agile organisations can better meet customer needs and often stay a step ahead of competitors.
Doing agile: It starts with the culture and people
Creating an agile organisation is not just about acting fast. At the heart of every successful agile transformation is the focus on people and culture.
Scaling agility across an organisation requires a rethinking of the way everything works together. Strategy, structure, processes, people, and technology all need to be aligned to support a flexible and customer-focused way of working. This shift encourages a culture where teams feel safe to experiment, where learning is continuous, and where everyone is working toward delivering real value to the customer.
The ultimate goal: To create a mindset shift that places customer needs at the forefront, ensuring the entire organisation is geared towards providing exceptional value in every interaction.
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So what does an agile organisation look like?
According to research firm McKinsey, there are five key pillars that agile organisations would have. When all five come together, they form the foundation of a “truly agile” organisation.
- A shared purpose and vision across the organisation
Agile organisations are deeply customer-focused, and constantly seeking to meet diverse needs across the entire customer life cycle. This is a unified mission that drives everyone forward. Teams across the company stay alert to customer needs and changes in the market, adapting quickly to keep up. Resources are allocated flexibly, so support flows to wherever it’s needed most, making the organisation as responsive as possible.
- A network of empowered teams
Instead of traditional hierarchies, agile organisations have clear, flat structures that empower teams to work with purpose and accountability. These structures are designed to reflect and support the way in which different teams create value. Everyone understands their role and takes ownership of their work, minimising delays and confusion. With less time wasted on approvals and unclear roles, teams are free to focus on creating value.
- Rapid decision and learning cycles
Agile organisations work in fast cycles, experimenting and iterating to drive quick learning. This requires full transparency and sharing of information across teams. Information is shared swiftly and openly; teams are performance-oriented by nature, focusing on measurable impact rather than just activity. By continuously testing and adapting, they’re able to adjust in real-time to what’s working and what’s not.
- A culture that empowers and ignites passion
Instead of strict rules, leadership in agile organisations focus on building a culture of trust, collaboration, and motivation. The goal is to create a cohesive community and culture that can enable its people to create value quickly, collaboratively, and effectively. Leaders set a positive tone and reinforce cultural values by example, fostering a high-trust environment where people are motivated to do their best work.
- Next-generation technology that enables the agile framework
To make agility a reality, organisations need modern, real-time communication and work-management tools that connect teams and streamline work. Technology is no longer just a support function – it is integral to the agile framework, enabling the speed and flexibility that agile teams need to adapt and thrive. At the same time, technology practices also need to evolve to support the required speed and flexibility.
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Agility in action
Often, agile and digital transformation go hand-in-hand – as demonstrated by AK Gida, a leading milk and dairy producer in Turkey.
AK Gida is headquartered in Istanbul with six plants across the country. Its IT department, which consists of around 40 people, was looking for a way to speed up delivery processes but faced several hurdles, including:
- Low organisational transparency
- Scattered project activities across systems
- Delays caused by internal and external dependencies
- Difficulty managing multiple projects simultaneously
The company turned to Lean and Agile methods to address these pain points. Through a series of workshops, the team explored various ways of working and chose to adopt a hybrid approach – by integrating Kanban for work categorisation, with Scrum for iterative, two-week sprints. They implemented regular feedback loops, such as daily stand-ups and retrospectives, to ensure continuous improvement and greater team involvement.
The results of this agile transformation were impressive. The company noted a 54% improvement in cycle time, 23% reduction in lead time and 21% improvement in block time with third-party suppliers. Most importantly, they achieved complete work transparency across the organisation, which supports better and faster decision-making at all levels.
By embracing agility, AK Gida was able to significantly improve its delivery processes, streamline operations, and lay a solid foundation for future growth.
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Popular enterprise agile frameworks
Scaling agility means embedding it into every level of the organisation – from leadership to customer service. When everyone embraces agile values, agility becomes a core part of how the company operates, making it more resilient and ready to handle change.
Here are some popular enterprise agile frameworks that help create a value-centred environment and bring agility to the entire organisation:
- Kanban Maturity Model (KMM)
An optimised Kanban workflow can help teams improve delivery times by revealing bottlenecks while reducing wait times and blocked times for work items. With KMM, companies can apply this approach across multiple teams and levels, creating a cohesive system that connects individual projects with the organisation’s bigger strategic goals. This brings both structure and visibility to work processes, aligning everyone around shared objectives.
- LeSS (Large Scale Scrum)
LeSS scales the core Scrum framework to multiple teams while keeping processes simple and flexible. It promotes minimal prescriptive roles, streamlined events, and reduced organisational complexity. With a focus on cross-team collaboration and self-organising Agile teams, LeSS helps organisations build agility into larger projects without adding unnecessary layers of management.
- Scrum at Scale
Scrum at Scale extends Scrum to multiple teams working in complex environments. It emphasises tight coordination between Scrum teams and encourages a flatter organisational structure, which helps speed up decision-making. This approach enables multiple teams to collaborate effectively and ensures that product delivery remains fast and aligned with customer needs.
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Harnessing the power of purpose
In a world where change is the only constant, agile organisations have a clear advantage. They stay ahead by focusing on what truly matters: the customer.
Today’s customers expect more than just products. They expect meaningful solutions that provide real value, address their evolving needs, and align with social and environmental values. Meeting these demands is not simple. It calls for adaptability, customer-centred innovation, and a commitment to continuous improvement.
To make this possible, everyone in the organisation needs to have a shared purpose. They have to be united by a commitment to serving the customer – and have processes in place to empower them to embrace new ideas, make swift decisions, and implement change confidently. That’s agility.
For more information on NUS-ISS Executive Education Programme in Digital Agility, visit here. Up to 90% SSG funding for selected courses is available to Singaporeans and Singapore Permanent Residents (PRs).
For more information on NUS-ISS Blended Learning Programme in Digital Agility, visit here.