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Agile Planning for the Fast-Paced Digital Age
Nimble, Flexible and Collaborative: A NEW Planning Approach for a NEW Age
"Agile" is a method we usually associate with product or service development, but what does it have to do with Planning?
Today’s fast-paced, rapidly changing world demands us to be quick and nimble, not slow and rigid, and embrace a new mental framework of creativity, try-out, and re-iteration. But, due to traditional education and business management practices, we have been taught to think in a very linear way, where we are expected to make rigid, pre-defined plans, execute them rigidly, and experimentation is frowned upon. The new Digital-Age reality requires us to upend this practice and embrace new ways of operating: flexible thinking, non-linear planning, frequent feedback, rapid adjustment, team co-creation, and an environment where experimentation is not punished but actually welcomed. This new practice is the essence of what is known as Agile Planning, an essential new skill to master if we want to be successful in the Digital Age.
"Agile" is a method we usually associate with product or service development, but what does it have to do with Planning?
Today’s fast-paced, rapidly changing world demands us to be quick and nimble, not slow and rigid, and embrace a new mental framework of creativity, try-out, and re-iteration. But, due to traditional education and business management practices, we have been taught to think in a very linear way, where we are expected to make rigid, pre-defined plans, execute them rigidly, and experimentation is frowned upon. The new Digital-Age reality requires us to upend this practice and embrace new ways of operating: flexible thinking, non-linear planning, frequent feedback, rapid adjustment, team co-creation, and an environment where experimentation is not punished but actually welcomed. This new practice is the essence of what is known as Agile Planning, an essential new skill to master if we want to be successful in the Digital Age.
Objective
The aim of this course is to equip professionals and managers with the new thinking and practices that are essential to do basic Planning in the fast-paced world we now live in. This is the new "Agile Way" to do Planning, which replaces the old, linear planning methods that are too rigid and slow. Whether your task is Strategic Planning, Tactical Planning or Project Planning, the "Agile Planning" techniques apply equally. You will learn how to Design, Develop, Distil and Deploy an "Agile" Plan, which is the art and science of applying Agile Thinking to a planning process. Using exercises and examples to reinforce critical concepts and implementation methods, trainees will learn to apply Agile Planning techniques in a real-life case study which is used throughout the entire course.
Outline
Introduction to "Agile"
We start with a brief introduction to "Agile": its meaning, history and roots. Agile as an offshoot of Lean Thinking will be explored, as well as its beginnings in software development and related concepts such as Scrum. Applications of the Agile method in multiple industries will be presented to provide context of what it is in practice. "Lean Start-Up" will also be referenced in terms of its relationship to new Planning practices.
Agile Thinking
Agile Thinking is the set of essential thinking patterns needed if we want to act with greater speed, flexibility and agility. It is the "thinking" behind the Agile methods and techniques. One of the essential Agile Thinking models is "PDCA", a poorly understood concept that is sometimes confused with project management. PDCA is a virtuous cycle of thinking, trying and learning in the pursuit of innovation and improvement. In many ways, PDCA is the basic underpinning of Agile Thinking.
How Agile Applies to Planning
Once the basic ideas of the Agile method and Agile Thinking are understood, we can then explore how they apply to the time-honoured practice of Planning. We will go through each step of a typical Planning process (formulation of ideas, break-down of tasks, setting milestones, allocating resources, etc) and compare them with the "Agile Way" to do Planning, which will focus on non-linear thinking, consensus-building, hypotheses, experimentation, continuous feedback, and quick adaptation.
Practicing "Agile Planning"
Participants will get to apply their new-found Agile Planning knowledge to a particular planning activity. A real simulation exercise will be used to practice Agile Planning thinking patterns and practices so that participants will learn how planning the Agile Way actually gets done. The exercises will be done in teams to reinforce the power of teamwork and collaboration when doing Agile. The critical notion of "Build - Measure - Learn" will be introduced.
Adopting Agile Planning In Your Work and Your Personal Life
How to adopt Agile Planning as a regular practice in your personal and professional lives? We will explore ways to use the new techniques we have learned in different settings, both at work and at home. We will end by having an open group discussion of key learnings and personal experiences, sharing perspectives on how to think and act with more nimbleness and agility so that we can survive and thrive in the new Digital Age.
We start with a brief introduction to "Agile": its meaning, history and roots. Agile as an offshoot of Lean Thinking will be explored, as well as its beginnings in software development and related concepts such as Scrum. Applications of the Agile method in multiple industries will be presented to provide context of what it is in practice. "Lean Start-Up" will also be referenced in terms of its relationship to new Planning practices.
Agile Thinking
Agile Thinking is the set of essential thinking patterns needed if we want to act with greater speed, flexibility and agility. It is the "thinking" behind the Agile methods and techniques. One of the essential Agile Thinking models is "PDCA", a poorly understood concept that is sometimes confused with project management. PDCA is a virtuous cycle of thinking, trying and learning in the pursuit of innovation and improvement. In many ways, PDCA is the basic underpinning of Agile Thinking.
How Agile Applies to Planning
Once the basic ideas of the Agile method and Agile Thinking are understood, we can then explore how they apply to the time-honoured practice of Planning. We will go through each step of a typical Planning process (formulation of ideas, break-down of tasks, setting milestones, allocating resources, etc) and compare them with the "Agile Way" to do Planning, which will focus on non-linear thinking, consensus-building, hypotheses, experimentation, continuous feedback, and quick adaptation.
Practicing "Agile Planning"
Participants will get to apply their new-found Agile Planning knowledge to a particular planning activity. A real simulation exercise will be used to practice Agile Planning thinking patterns and practices so that participants will learn how planning the Agile Way actually gets done. The exercises will be done in teams to reinforce the power of teamwork and collaboration when doing Agile. The critical notion of "Build - Measure - Learn" will be introduced.
Adopting Agile Planning In Your Work and Your Personal Life
How to adopt Agile Planning as a regular practice in your personal and professional lives? We will explore ways to use the new techniques we have learned in different settings, both at work and at home. We will end by having an open group discussion of key learnings and personal experiences, sharing perspectives on how to think and act with more nimbleness and agility so that we can survive and thrive in the new Digital Age.
Who should attend
This course is aimed at Managers, Strategists, Planners, Project Managers, Programme Managers, Lean-Agile Practitioners, Business Transformation and Excellence leads, or anyone else who is involved in strategy, planning or project management of any type. The course is designed to be relevant to all kinds of industries, and across the private sector, government agencies and public institutions.
Testimonials
"Thank you so much John for a great session today! I’m very impressed about the content that you delivered in one day and really like your teaching style!"
- Tracy Xie, Learning & Development, Nielsen
"The session was great and I had great feedback from the team"
- Man-Wei Lee, Director Asia Customer Solution Centers, Dell Technologies
"This workshop is exactly what I needed! John brings with him a lot of experience from his past jobs and felt I took away useful concepts that I can apply directly at work"
- Sherlyn Ang, Education Officer, Ministry of Social and Family Development
- Tracy Xie, Learning & Development, Nielsen
"The session was great and I had great feedback from the team"
- Man-Wei Lee, Director Asia Customer Solution Centers, Dell Technologies
"This workshop is exactly what I needed! John brings with him a lot of experience from his past jobs and felt I took away useful concepts that I can apply directly at work"
- Sherlyn Ang, Education Officer, Ministry of Social and Family Development
Particular of John S. Hamalian
John S. Hamalian is a Change Catalyst with over 20 years of experience at General Motors, Dell and his own business, specialising in Innovation, Change and Transformation, Digital-Age Management, Strategy, Team Development and Lean/Agile Thinking. With assignments based in the USA, China, Korea, India and Singapore, he has held 2 Asia-Pacific Director positions. John coaches and trains organisations on how to innovate and transform, and is a lecturer at various universities, a published writer on Management and an active speaker at conferences, global corporations and public agencies.