Rimagin Information
The Transformation Journey to Adaptive Zones
Making your organization adaptive and resilient in the digital age.
Transforming an organization
Moving an organization to build adaptive behavior into its DNA is a complex and challenging undertaking.
With careful planning and flexible transformation processes, the risk can be minimized and benefits can be accrued even at an early stage in the transformation journey. The transformation molds to the needs of the organization providing the just-right levels of reactiveness and adaptability needed.
Rimagin's 6-step approach can guide your transformation to business success.
The full Adaptive Zones Transformation Journey
There are six distinct parts to the AIZ transformation model, each provides, in its own right, tangible benefits for an organization and their interworking multiplies these benefits.
The model can be applied step-by-step at different parts of the organization to align with current business situation, to minimize risk, maximize learning and accrue benefits as early as possible.
There is no mandatory sequence in which the steps should be executed, and some organizations may already have parts in place so the order in which they are shown should be viewed as a recommended guideline for starting the journey should be adapted to organizational needs.
All steps follow Rimagin's AIR* implementation approach.
The steps also – where possible – build on existing processes and standards to minimize disruption and cost during implementation.
Each of the individual steps are explained below.
Adaptive Zones Transformation Steps
Step 1. MYRA
Description
MYRA (MakeYourRoadmapActionable) transforms strategic roadmaps into clear, actionable steps, based on a common functional language
This is done by describing each business requirement in terms of which business capabilities are needed to fulfil that requirement and using the portfolio or enterprise roadmaps to place these needed capabilities on a timeline.
In this way there is a clear mapping between requirement on one hand and standardised description of time and need on the other.
The set of business capabilities can be based on industry standards or developed in-house as appropriate.
Benefits
Creates transparency bridging the gap between business and IT so that they can work in harmony, accelerating progress and delivering tangible results.
Clarifies priorities and enables optimized resource usage
Identifies redundancies, bottlenecks and gaps in planning
Is an enabler for Adaptive Implementation Zones.
Ensures business requirements are not overly IT-focused.
Generates an organizational standard which enables adaptive and dynamic collaboration.
Step 2. ELPM
Description
ELPM (Enterprise Lean Portfolio Management) establishes the mechanisms, processes and artefacts to ensure strategic goals are aligned with business initiatives, that there is a clear alignment and prioritization across the organization and that customer-centricity and value generation is placed at the center of decision making
For the area in question, ELPM builds on existing structures and processes, adding or redefining them to structure requirements consistently, ensure clear responsibilities, budget realistically, and build customer feedback, business metrics and tools such as OKRs into decision making processes.
It may include processes such as lean budgeting, participatory budgeting, investment horizons and more depending upon the organizational need.
Benefits
Ensures that goals become clearer and more realistic
Reduces risk of misalignment
Supports more holistic and realistic resources planning
Increases End 2 End transparency breaking down silos
Builds market-dynamics and customer feedback into the processes as an enabler for business adaptability and resilience
Step 3. Team Capability Mapping
Description
Building a complex solution for modern digital systems requires in-depth knowledge not-only of the technology but also of and functional and business areas where the solution will be deployed.
To enable a team to flexibly move between contexts (what we term contextual mobility), we build in this step team capability profiles which describe not only the technical but also functional capabilities and business knowledge of the team.
We use the logic and language defined in step 1 (MYRA) to do this which enables a standardized mapping of potential team deployment areas to business needs
The steps addresses the tools, processes and change management activities in setting up and maintaining team competence profiles
Benefits
Improved transparency creates new deployment possibilities both for team and the organization.
Value-add-potential of teams can be used for competence and deployment planning.
Planning bottlenecks can be identified earlier leading to a more realistic roadmap planning.
Since the team’s value contribution can be more clearly explained, it adds to its motivation and increases alignment along organization goals.
Step 4. Aligned Team Development Planning
Description
Here, different parts of the plan start coalescing to provide additional benefits
This step puts in place the mechanisms to combine portfolio roadmaps and team competence profiles to identify future bottlenecks and redundancies and create competence development plans based on these
It does this by, on the one hand, combining available team capability maps to generate an overall organizational capability map and on the other hand, by generating an organizational capability needs map based on the portfolio roadmaps generated in steps 2.
The common language established in step 1 enables a comparison allowing easy identification of needs along a timeline which can then be used as input for timely team competence development planning.
Benefits
Transparency of what capabilities are needed when in the organization.
Clear view of competence needs and redundancies placed along a timeline to enable competence development planning.
Timely and appropriate competence development planning.
Risk reduction due to transparency and early planning information.
Higher motivation of teams through clear identification with value contribution.
Step 5. Standalone adaptive Implementation Zone
Description
In this step, we establish an Adaptive Implementation Zone (AIZ) or just Zone for short.
Processes are established so that the collaboration structures within an area such as a large solution can be dynamically changed on a regular basis to align with development needs.
A standalone adaptive Zone can be established independently of steps 1 to 3, however the benefits will then be limited to the area of the zone
The key points of this step are,
set up of appropriate meetings (or adaptation of existing ones),
training of change managers and key players such as RTEs and Product owners,
Definition of artefacts (such as solution planning boards) or adaptation of existing ones
Change management aspects
Benefits
Teams can dynamically align in collaboration structures most appropriate to their need
Increased knowledge sharing between teams
Reduced impact of Conway’s Law and associated architectural improvements –since the organization adjusts to the development need, not vice-versa
Better requirements, since they are not artificially decomposed to fit organizational structures
Reduced coordination overhead, since teams which have dependencies collaborate
Step 6. Implement CORE
Description
This is an organizational change which sets up all or a part of the line organization.
Line structures are designed for all, or a part of the organization based upon information such as:
Strategic goals and objectives of the organization,
Enterprise and portfolio roadmaps (including capability mapping),
Team competence profiles (technical, functional and business),
Current application landscape and team responsibilities
Current organizational structures and geography
Mechanisms for CORE organization, alignment, guidance and team development planning are established as are mechanisms for operational activities. Where possible existing structures are reused.
Benefits
Provides a stable meaningful home-base for teams, allowing the emotional freedom for teams to be able to dynamically change zones regularly making contextual mobility a reality.
Gives line organization a clear and meaningful relevance
Gives targeted upskilling a home and responsibility which is aligned with the organizational needs
Build a base for centers of Excellence removed from short-term focus of the development organizations
Start small and accelerate
In the initial phases, a transformation team is required to drive the change and guide the enterprise on its transformation path.
In larger organizations, multiple “area transformations” will be required, each contributing additional benefit.
It is advisable to have a small transformation team to guide the overall transformation, enable learnings to be transferred from one step to the next and to ensure integration of parts into the whole to build a true adaptive resilient organization.
Learn more about the Adaptive Zones Model
-
For a high-level description of the AIZ Model, download our business overview here. or check out the Adaptive Zones Model overview page
-
Find out about our services and interventions associated with dynamic zones:
-
MYRA (Make Your Roadmap Actionable)
-
-
If you want the real nitty-gritty, we recommend that you grab a strong coffe and check out our white paper.
-
Haven't found what you're looking for? Feel free to contact us for any queries!