choong pw

I am blessed to be in a company where they have a strong culture and values they adhere to. In fact, having a proper culture plays a more important role than the step-by-step process of who does what.

Having the transition from a local & traditional SME firm to an open communication MNC company was an eye-opener to me. Starting from working in a company without any agile practices, and proper project management tools. Tasks and scopes are delivered through verbal communication, and someone will just jot it down somewhere. We tend to just focus on the deliveries over the process. (Not to say that is wrong either)  Having gone through the process, it still drives deliveries but in a controlled manner. It becomes like a system where you have a knob to control those parameters.

As we start to evolve without proper coaching. Much better. We start leveraging on tools. Itemize to do. Agile practices in the team were still half-baked. Is not easy for people to forgo something they are so used to. As the lead during that period of time, without experience and a coach. Things eventually become back to a routine.

Since I moved on to a much establish MNC, seeing how the team operates. I started to re-envision back what I was striving for. You just blend into the system without needing much effort. Why?

Easier. Mindset, culture, and values.

They are clear in communication. What they honor and live-by. And above all is readily available. The Agile Methodology. The values of scrum Courage, Focus, Commitment, Respect, and Openness. The rituals. And more. All can be googled, learn, and experience first hand. Instead of trying to build a team that needs to constantly educate, why not build a culture where they will educate themselves to fit in? Create an environment where is open, easy to communicate, and learn from each other.

I guess the hardest is starting it, right? How? That’s where I believe we all need a coach, a mentor, or just somebody wise enough to inspire and advise. Paint the picture of the end goal and start working towards it. If no, reach out to the communities, youtube guru, or online course. And if you are reading this. I welcome you to reach out to me as well.

Why must we do this?

Not a must, just that I foresee the benefit outweighs a lot. Just having the process alone, level up the team by a lot. Imagine the days where a company solely relies on a specific individual that holds almost all the responsibility and accountability for the deliveries. Putting business first. Change it to the team first, and the team will take care of the business. The team is more in control and diversified in terms of the quality of the product and skillsets among the senior/junior.

We don’t choose the task base on skills. We pick according to what is ready. If you lack skills and knowledge, go learn it, pair, or seek advice. And be open and willing to learn. As the team grows, we start to trust and respect their judgment and this makes delegation much easier.

Project management wise also gets easier, and much more.

The team grows, the company grows.