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Addressing core challenges to foster a truly Agile, customer-focused business environment

Achieving Agile mastery

Achieving-agile-mastery

Abstract
Organizations applying the Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) encounter three common challenges: (1) translating traditional hierarchy in SAFe roles, (2) keeping a top-down approach in the definition of value-driving initiatives, and (3) managing program execution without seeking for adaptation. As a result, applying SAFe causes increased complexity and overhead to their current setup without achieving consistent business outcomes.
By creating a network organization, enhancing inclusiveness of bottom-up initiatives and focusing on creating teams autonomous in the production of value, companies will be able to apply SAFe to achieve a customer-centric and adaptive organization. As a consequence, that will lead to better business outcomes.
The aim of this article is to discuss these challenges and provide our insights on how to tackle them. Highberg's goal is to help leaders and change agents avoid them and significantly improve the effectiveness of the transformation towards Business Agility.

Ali Hajou

Francesco Corda

In this whitepaper, we compare Lean and Agile side by side.

Whitepaper: Lean vs Agile

whitepaper-lean-vs-agile

When is Agile working a good idea? And when is Lean working a better idea? In this whitepaper, we compare Lean and Agile side by side.

Belgian supermarket chain pioneers hybrid portfolio model, merging agile and traditional

Portfolio magic: Agile meets traditional

Portfolio-magic-Agile-meets-traditional

Over a period of six months, a group of consultants supported one of the major supermarket chains in Belgium to define a hybrid portfolio management model that would combine traditional and agile practices and processes. The intended goal of the hybrid portfolio set-up was to enable and streamline the execution of app and website products through Agile development teams in a waterfall environment. The hybrid portfolio management model would be trialed as part of the launch of a new business unit and continuously improved along the way as the implementation takes place.
With the launch of a new business unit, the company wants to centralize the competencies required to develop and launch website and app products. From experience with other product execution in traditional business units, the management team found the lead time and predictability thereof to be low and wanted to prevent similar challenges for the new business unit. Management also experienced misalignment in product priorities and therefore the cascading of strategy to execution. Highberg was asked to identify key challenges in the traditional set-up of business units and to propose a hybrid model that would prevent the same challenges and enable ultimate success.

Valerie Gögel

Effective strategy execution with enterprise architecture

Effective strategy execution

Translating the business strategy into reality is a complex task. The majority of organizations fail to successfully implement their business strategy. What is the cause of this and can enterprise architecture provide a helping hand? Discover five scenarios where you can use enterprise architecture to increase the likelihood of successful strategy execution.

Arie van Nistelrooij

Trends in how to improve strategy execution for responsive organizations

Agile strategy execution

Trends-in-Strategy-Execution

Towards an iterative strategy definition and execution process
 
The last decade, organizations are more and more confronted with different competitive pressures. Emerging technologies, rising consumer expectations, complex value chains and changes to the way people live and work are just a few factors that trigger organizations to rethink their strategy. Combined with a relatively poor track record on large scale change execution, this has created a need for organizations to reinvent their strategy definition and execution processes.

Jerom Fiedler

Koen Harbers

Trends in strategy-execution

Interim Management

Business Agility

Strategy & Change

Marielle Companjen

Interim Manager

Mariëlle is an energetic, pragmatic and result-oriented change and program manager with extensive experience in improvement projects at the interface of people and organization. She is always looking for opportunities to develop people and improve processes in order to bring the performance of teams to a higher level.
Want to know more? Connect with Mariëlle on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mariellecompanjen/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">LinkedIn</a>.

<title>Mariëlle Companjen | Highberg</title>

Mariëlle Companjen

Mariëlle Companjen

Interim Manager

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