Highlights, experience and learnings from an agile transformation in a previous company and how they can be applied to the agency model. Sharing great insights and tips for managers and leaders on how to approach an agile implementation in agencies.

1. Agile for Agencies
Leanne Page, Project Manager
2nd April 2014
How to apply agile principles to the agency model.

2. COMMON
THOUGHTS
OF
AGILE

3. We
can
only
do
water-­‐gile
in
agencies
as
clients
always
want
dates
and
costs.
COMMON
THOUGHTS
OF
AGILE

4.
Agile
is
for
soBware
development
houses,
not
for
agencies.
COMMON
THOUGHTS
OF
AGILE

5.
It’s
a
challenge
to
be
fully
agile.
COMMON
THOUGHTS
OF
AGILE

6. OBSERVATIONS
AND
EXPERIENCES

7. ADOPTED
AGILE
How
did
you
go
about
introducing
the
methodology?
“About
two
years
ago,
we
used
Agile
on
a
project
developing
func8onality
for
our
website,
with
a
small
team
of
about
seven
or
eight
people.
The
project
didn’t
go
exceedingly
well
for
a
number
of
reasons.
We
certainly
weren’t
focused
enough
on
business
value,
and
we
didn’t
get
the
right
customer
engagement.
We
hadn’t
changed
the
mindset
of
the
business
to
match
the
culture
of
Agile
so
they
were
s8ll
thinking
in
a
more
tradi8onal
way,
even
though
we
were
trying
to
put
itera8ve
development
in.
We
learned
a
lot
from
that
project,
about
Agile
and
about
how
to
get
the
business
engagement
we
needed.
At
the
end
of
the
pilot
we
decided
that
Agile
was
the
thing
for
us
but
that
we
hadn’t
executed
it
very
well.”
Mike
Croucher
–
Head
of
IT
Architecture
and
Delivery,
BriTsh
Airways
Source:
Informa/on
Age

8. Learnings
AGENCY
SUBSIDIARY
A
ROAD
OF
SUCCESS

9. LAYING
THE
FOUNDATION
FOR
EVERYONE

10. INFORMATION
EMPOWERMENT
COLLABORATION
CONSUMERS
MARKETS
BRANDS
AGENCY
PRINCIPLES
AND
VALUES
STANDARDS
AND
IDEAS
PROMISES
CREATIVITY
OWNERSHIP
VELOCITY
RESEARCH
MONEY
IDEAS
OPPORTUNITIES
PEOPLE
PROCESS
CONTROLS
PERCEPTION
POSSIBILITIES
ENERGY
INNOVATION
GOALS
OUTSIDE

11. INFORMATION
EMPOWERMENT
COLLABORATION
DOERS
THINKERS
IDEA
GENERATORS
COMMON
GOAL
INSIDE

12. INFORMATION
EMPOWERMENT
COLLABORATION
DOERS
THINKERS
IDEA
GENERATORS
COMMON
GOAL
EDUCATE
ACHEIVEMENT
BUSINESS
BOND
INSIDE
AGILE

13. WAYS
OF
HOW
WE
DID
IT

14.
SENIOR
ENGAGEMENT
§ Issued
an
agency
wide
survey/interview
–
drove
transforma/onal
change
§ Flipped
the
focus
from
‘Command
and
Control’
to
‘
Climate
Control’
§ Introduced
monthly
company
updates,
that
would
share
the
agencies
metrics,
profit
and
loss.
§ Shared
passions
that
were
separate
to
the
business.
GEAR
SHIFT

15.
SENIOR
ENGAGEMENT
§ Improved
business
alignment
–
Enhanced
ability
to
manage
change
§ Greater
sense
of
teams
being
heard
§ Investment
in
training
and
support
§ Introduced
a
lab,
that
business
ideas
could
be
built
and
tested
§ Providing
condi/ons
to
which
people
can
thrive.
WHAT
WAS
THE
IMPACT

16.
BRINGING
PEOPLE
TOGETHER
§ Showcases
of
peoples
work
became
agency
wide
and
not
just
kept
within
the
project
teams
§ Introduced
a
quarterly
coding
events
for
staffs
children
–
so
they
can
begin
to
learn
§ Socials
that
exposed
and
promoted
other
talents
within
the
agency
–
e.g..
Music
§ Created
and
built
their
own
tools
to
deliver
their
products
–
which
was
shared
with
the
client.
SMALL
ACTIONS

17.
BRINGING
PEOPLE
TOGETHER
§ Improved
team
morale,
increased
mo/va/on
to
‘shine’
and
project
visibility
across
the
agency
§ Wider
spectrum
of
achievement
and
collabora/on
-­‐
more
oXen
§ Celebra/ng
various
talents
of
the
individual
§ People
expressing
themselves
with
new
technology.
WHAT
WAS
THE
IMPACT

18. LEARNINGS
ON
THE
BIG
STAGE
§ Retrospec/ves
were
turned
into
agency
wide
events
–
a
weekly
event
held
by
different
parts
of
the
agency
to
increase
the
flow
of
informa/on
and
insight
§ Release
sessions
were
held
so
business/
agency
would
know
what
is
being
released
next.
§ Innova/on
workshops
were
created
for
business
and
technology
synergy.
IN
THE
HANDS
OF
THE
PEOPLE

19. LEARNINGS
ON
THE
BIG
STAGE
§ Created
curiosity
within
the
agency
and
sparked
learning
§ Agency
embraced
trial
and
error
§ People
can
provide
feedback
and
ask
ques/ons
more
oXen
§ Enhanced
project
visibility
and
shared
knowledge
§ Reduced
Cost//me
as
risk
mi/ga/on
across
the
agency
was
stronger
at
responding
to
change.
WHAT
WAS
THE
IMPACT

20. WHAT
WE
SAW
HAPPENING

21.
THINGS
TO
LOOK
OUT
FOR
§ Mastered
the
flow
of
relevant
data
and
informa/on
which
improve
user
and
client
experience
§ Planning
and
Resource
planning
is
never
rushed
§ Balance
and
breadth
of
peoples
skills
exposed
-­‐
inves/ng
in
people
becomes
a
business
priority
§ Re-­‐evalua/ng
project
success
metrics
regularly
-­‐
increased
visibility
of
the
roadmap
ROAD
TO
MASTERY

22. EVERY
SMALL
ACT
PUTS
SOMETHING
BIG
IN
MOTION
3
THINGS
WE
CAN
DO

23. Design
an
operaTon
that
can
test
the
following
aXributes.
CLEAR
VISION
AND
BUSINESS
GOALS
FOR
EVERYONE
PROMOTE
EMPOWERMENT
ENABLE
CONSISTENT
COLLABORATION
CREATE
OPPORTUNITIES

24. LEANNE
PAGE,
PROJECT
MANAGER,
M&C
SAATCHI
CONTACT
leanne.page@mcsaatchi.com
www.linkedin.com/in/pageleanne