The Agile Assessment Framework is an open-source tool to measure organizational Agility. It was developed after extensive research and consultation with subject matter experts. It defines various functional skills and competencies needed for an Agile team to succeed. These measures allow organizations to track their progress and improve their processes, making them more agile.
Measuring Agility is not a new idea. Many companies use surveys and iteration reviews to determine whether they are on the right path toward becoming more agile. This process can be long, but the benefits are well worth the effort. An agility assessment can also be a stepping stone to more complex transformations.
The main goal of an agility assessment is to measure an organization’s maturity against best practices. A benchmark model can help organizations adapt an assessment to their specific needs. Using the framework, organizations can quickly assess the status quo and identify areas of improvement. They can then decide which improvements to implement.
An entire team or an objective third party can conduct an agility assessment. In any case, it should be conducted using a combination of assessment dimensions. Each dimension represents a specific criterion or an area of focus. Finally, the survey results should be compared over time to identify trends and develop a shared understanding of an organization’s Agile maturity.
A team should define and agree on the key criteria they wish to measure to conduct an agility assessment. Next, they should vote on the criteria that are most important to them. Once a consensus has been reached, they can begin scoring each criterion. After each iteration, they should self-assess the grade they have received for each criterion. Ultimately, they should work to increase their score by one level for each criterion.
The results from the assessment should be documented and communicated. Using the framework as a basis, teams can then determine the next steps to reach each level. In addition, by comparing the evaluation outcomes, teams can determine whether they are progressing well. At the same time, the results can serve as a catalyst to motivate team members to keep going.
One of the major reasons why a company fails to become Agile is the lack of understanding of the state of its organization. Using an agility assessment framework, leaders can measure their progress and determine which areas need to be improved to achieve their business goals. As the data accumulates, they can also determine how to structure their organization more efficiently.
Whether an organization is just beginning its journey or has been at it for years, an agile assessment can effectively measure its success. It can reveal how dedicated a team is to Agile and provide a useful foundation for continuous improvement. Although the framework is imperfect, it can be a valuable baseline to determine how an organization is doing.
