Why Are Enterprises Paying More and More Attention to Agile Management?

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World-renowned enterprises such as Google, Microsoft, and Amazon all highly advocate agile management, each having their own agile management team. Even the well-known WeChat and ZenTao are products of agile management. Originating in manufacturing, agile management has gained rapid popularity in the IT industry in recent years due to the industry's rapid development. However, agile thinking is applicable to all industries, and its degree of adoption depends on whether the industry's environment is volatile. Agile management represents the ability to succeed in uncertain and chaotic environments by creating and responding to changes. It is more adapted to the development and changes of the current era, helping enterprises more quickly and effectively cope with the new era.

The Agile Manifesto outlines four core values: individuals and interactions over processes and tools, working software over comprehensive documentation, customer collaboration over contract negotiation, responding to change over following a plan. From these four principles, we can observe the differences between agile management and traditional management methods.

People-Centered Team Collaboration

Although processes and tools are important for enterprise management, they cannot replace capable individuals and efficient interactions. The skills of individuals and their interactions are the most critical. When developing products, solving problems, or improving work methods, we should seek ways to enhance interactions and capabilities. During projects, product management and development teams must work together, and face-to-face communication is extremely important—it cannot be fully replaced by other forms. At the same time, leaders should respect and value team members' ideas, clearing obstacles for team development. Through these efforts, team members' efficiency will be significantly improved via collaboration, and their satisfaction with the team will also be high.

The Need for Continuously Improved Architecture

Agility advocates continuous adjustment and optimization, building products through small incremental steps: conducting analysis and design, then starting coding and testing to validate the design. Simple documentation is still necessary when information needs to be communicated to clients or personnel responsible for maintenance. A good architecture is the key to continuous product development. Architecture is designed, and establishing a feasible and simple architecture is the first step in sustainable development. Over time, the architecture will evolve, being continuously optimized and improved in each iteration.

Customer-Centric Service Awareness

Agility emphasizes the importance of customer participation. We should go beyond negotiation and attempt to enhance collaboration with customers. In practice, this means that product managers, marketing, or sales personnel should frequently seek and prioritize customer feedback during product development. By responding to customer suggestions, the development team can establish a more trusting cooperative relationship with customers. When collaborating with our own business partners, we should seek ways to enhance collaboration during development. Product management and development should work closely together rather than relying on contracts or formal procedures.

Iterative Awareness of Embracing Change

Because markets are evolving, user expectations and requirements are changing, and enterprises must respond to these changes in real time. If we handle customer requirement changes effectively, we will enhance our customers' competitive advantages. To encourage and facilitate responsiveness to changes, processes and work methods need to be established. While plans are necessary, they must adjust to changes. Spending a long time upfront to develop detailed plans can lead to significant rework. Agility advocates maintaining a certain level of redundancy and flexibility beyond established plans. At the same time, we need sufficient planning capability to assess business needs and judge their long-term impacts. This is an art of balance.

In recent years, as industries across the board have placed increasing emphasis on agile capabilities, the recognition of ACP (Agile Certified Practitioner) has grown in importance among enterprises. As a result, many project managers and product managers choose to pursue ACP certification. The ACP Agile Management Professional Certification helps individuals rapidly transition to an agile mindset, enabling them to gain more initiative in the face of ever-evolving markets and customers.

Challenges and Solutions in Agile Management Implementation

Despite its numerous advantages, implementing agile management is not without challenges. One of the common challenges is resistance to change within the organization. Employees who are used to traditional hierarchical management and fixed-process work may find it difficult to adapt to the more flexible and collaborative nature of agile management. To address this, enterprises need to invest in comprehensive training programs. These programs should not only teach the theoretical concepts of agile management but also provide hands-on practice. For example, through simulation exercises, employees can experience the benefits of agile teamwork and understand how to work effectively in an agile environment.

Another challenge is ensuring effective communication across different agile teams, especially in large enterprises with multiple departments and locations. To overcome this, enterprises can leverage modern communication technologies. Tools like Slack, Microsoft Teams, and Jira can be used to facilitate real-time communication, task management, and progress tracking. Regular cross-team meetings and knowledge-sharing sessions can also be organized to enhance information flow and collaboration.

Future Trends of Agile Management

Looking ahead, the future of agile management is promising. With the continuous development of digital technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data, and the Internet of Things, agile management will be further enhanced. For example, artificial intelligence can be used to analyze large amounts of data generated during the agile process, providing insights into team performance, customer needs, and market trends. This data-driven approach will enable enterprises to make more informed decisions and adjust their agile strategies in a more timely manner.

In addition, agile management will likely expand beyond the traditional project-based work and be applied to more aspects of an enterprise, such as organizational structure design, human resource management, and strategic planning. As the business environment becomes increasingly complex and uncertain, the principles of agility, such as rapid response to change, customer-centrality, and collaborative teamwork, will become even more crucial for enterprises' survival and growth.

In conclusion, agile management has become an essential management philosophy for enterprises in the current era. Its unique values and principles, combined with successful real-world applications, demonstrate its ability to help enterprises thrive in a volatile market. Although there are challenges in its implementation, with the right strategies, these can be overcome. As the business landscape continues to evolve, agile management will play an even more significant role in shaping the future of enterprises.