Welcome to the Year of Agile!

2020 was the year of shock, survival, and shutdowns.
2021 was the year of uncertainty, pivots, and adaptations.
2022 will be the year where the most Agile companies win.

As we all accept our new post-Covid realities, organizations are making more permanent decisions about how to move forward. Some have or will return to the office. Some have or will decide to never return to the office and instead become permanently remote or hybrid. And as we all move forward into 2022, the most Agile, adaptable, flexible organizations are going to thrive.

Agility is the key to more efficient, more effective, and more adaptable teams. If you’re not focused on becoming more Agile in 2022, you are going to be left behind. If you’re not expanding Agile to your leadership and your departments outside of IT, you are going to get left behind. If you’re not encouraging your Team Members to either become Agile or to continue to develop their Agile skills and certifications, then you are going to get left behind when they leave you for for an Agile company. That’s why Braintrust is officially declaring 2022 as the year of Agile.

Here’s a breakdown of the year: 

Jan-March (Forming)—your Team/Org may be uncertain a) if they need to be Agile b) are practicing it correctly or c) how to become more Agile. Q1 will be all about taking the groundwork you started to lay at the end of 2021 and turning it into actionable items.

• Chart your Agile Journey
• Level-Set your knowledge through training
• Get your Leadership on board
• What Scrum tools can help with Forming (Product Backlog, Team agreements, Definition of Done, self-organization

April-June (Storming)—you’re either introducing all new ways of working or exposing that you’ve been Agile-ish. Either way, you’re shaking up the Org and there’s bound to be pushback. That’s healthy! Q2 will be about redefining roles, goals, and continuing to level-set and train your Team.

• Study Organizational Agility
• Spread Agile beyond IT- engage HR, Marketing, etc.
• Identify roadblocks
• Study Scrum Values
• Reassess Team Agreements

July-September (Norming)—6 months into the Year of Agile, things should start to flow and “being Agile” should feel almost like second nature. This is when Team Members settle into their roles and have the bandwidth to think about how to improve themselves, their Team, and the Org. Q3 is about leveling up, getting advanced certifications, and ensuring the Org ends the year strong and reaches its goals.

• Dig deeper with Advanced classes and skills workshops
• Private/Team Training

October-December (Performing)—You made it! The end of the year is in sight, and you can confidently say your Agile Organization is thriving. Now is the time for Retrospectives, assessing any final year-end goals, and planning for 2023.

• Conduct personal and Team Retrospectives
• Pre-book 2023 training

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