#191 – Agile and Efficiency

If your “agile transformation” started in IT/technology, and this silo eventually refers to the CFO, the initiative has probably been sold as a way of making IT/technology product development more efficient (i.e., cheaper and faster), because it’s seen as a cost. We’re sorry to say, but the CFO is very likely going to be disappointed.

What will typically happen, though, if you get to invest properly in going agile, is that your effectiveness will increase (i.e., achieving better outcomes)—so, your customers’ happiness will skyrocket, which might lead them to buy more or become more loyal. Therefore, if you’re in a for-profit organization, start anchoring with Executive Management that the ‘why’ of working agile is primarily about delivering better results and not about reducing costs (which could also happen, of course).