The DACH30 working group is an association of agile coaches and change agents from large companies in D-A-CH. In this working group there are intensive discussions about a common understanding – in this context the “Book of Agile” was developed. It describes a common basic understanding about agility.

The basic understanding

Most people in the corporate world agree that flexibility and agility are essential skills in today’s more dynamic and less predictable business environment. Digitalization is accelerating the need for organizational structures and processes that are able to respond quickly to change.
Modern business approaches leverage the knowledge pool of Agile, Lean and Systems Thinking to achieve business agility. Agile companies are fundamentally different from traditional companies – not only in the development of customer solutions, but also in corporate governance and internal processes.

The specific problems of large companies

Established companies are often afraid to upgrade their operating systems to increase agility if they abandon key practices and mindsets that have supported their growth in the past. This seems to be a particular challenge for large companies.
Of course, there will be no universal “Lean-Agile operating system” that runs on all “enterprise hardware systems”. The operating system must be developed specifically for each company. However, some patterns can be observed that make successful implementation of agility more likely.
Large companies face particular challenges in integrating agile principles into their processes, governance systems and corporate culture.

The book Agile is about the challenges of these companies.