Agile is a competitive advantage, now more than ever. As insurers transition to hybrid work models, doing Agile well can have long-terms benefits in making organizations more accountable, flexible, and resilient. The discussion covered many topics, but a few key areas included communication, improving productivity, and focusing on the talent.
Communication is key in hybrid models.
When the pandemic forced everyone to work remotely, a level playing field was created. In the post-pandemic environment, where some return to the office while some remain remote, that democratization of work may be lost. It will be important for insurers to continue focusing on communication; they should experiment with collaboration tools and approaches that work best for their organization, lest they lose some of the hard-won benefits realized as a consequence of COVID-19.
Agile can help increase connectedness and break down organizational boundaries. Elaine Forsyth, a panelist in Novarica’s latest Insurer Client and Council Member Virtual Panel on Agile in the Post-Pandemic Era, noted that, “Team breakout rooms in virtual meetings allowed focus and concentration. And more importantly, everyone had a voice. There was no hiding, which is a critical gain from Agile.”
Hybrid work models may create greater friction at organizational boundaries and place pressure on scrum masters and managers, whose focus is impediment removal. They should check in with team members and key stakeholders one on one daily, whether it is in the physical office or a virtual room. Scrum masters should communicate the new behaviors they want to see in their teams and assist them to develop practices that optimize the new work model.
Novarica VP Deb Zawisza also underscored the importance of granting autonomy to Agile teams. These teams can self-identify solutions to the problems associated with evolving work models. The key may be allowing teams to be flexible in timing and approach and letting them test and learn what works. As panelist Christ Lowe noted, “Each Agile team has its own maturity journey, goals, and paces. Organizationally, we need to support where that Agile team is at the time. You can’t have the same standards and outcomes for each team.”
Focus on outcomes, and improve productivity through Agile.
One of the discussions was around measuring productivity in the post-pandemic world. Greg Driscoll noted that the focus should be more on value creation and less on the hours consumed. “In an Agile mindset, teams are doing two-to-three-week sprints, and they meet every day. You know you have that productivity; you don’t need the proximity of office space to see it.”
Focusing on the outcome and sprint objectives can also help organizations overcome resistance to Agile. Early in the Agile journey, there may be some pushback until teams start to see benefits. As one panelist noted, the opportunity to show proof points is important. It may also help insurers to “expect a J-curve for productivity initially; expect some people to take adjustment periods.”
Agile can, at times, have a reputation for being unstructured, but if properly executed, it’s actually a disciplined process. Scrum masters and managers can help coordinate communication and work across teams by establishing regular, cross-functional standups. A panelist also noted using a “team around the teams” concept to orchestrate delivery, where stakeholders look at the backlogs of each area to see if there are touchpoints that need to be synchronized.
Prioritize recruiting and talent retention.
Some leaders are starting to see loss of talent or a need for additional talent. Bringing new talent into an Agile team can have notable benefits. As Elaine noted, “We’ve put folks right out of school onto Agile teams; the intent is that the roles are blurred so that these folks can pick up different pieces of the backlog. The entire team can prepare to speak even on the first project; it’s a different kind of support.”
As insurers plan for the post-pandemic world, many are still grappling with the idea of “work wherever.” Managing a hybrid work model becomes even more challenging when multiple time zones need to be considered. For insurers, it will be a matter of how to best coordinate teams to work effectively when there’s little or no overlap. Flexibility and prioritization can be critical factors. “As long as teams are trying to be accommodating, the team members will find times that would be most productive and schedule accordingly.” Another panelist shared the concept of prioritizing work based on risk and created value and categorizing work items into “now, next, and later.”
On a final note, the panelists emphasized the importance of trusting their teams. As the panelists put it, “It’s the people. Let them make mistakes and work on productivity.” “Never underestimate the teams. Let them solve for themselves. Problems don’t need to be solved the same way.”
For more discussions like this, join us for our next Virtual Panel Discussion on Tuesday, June 8 at 1 PM ET, focusing on return-to-office plans. More details and registration for the session can be found here.
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