To be or not to be agile, that's the question. 

What is more worthy the action of the spirit,

suffer the misinformation of unjust fortune,

or oppose the arms to this torrent of calamities,

and end them with proactivity and innovation?

To be or not to be Agile. That's the question, isn't it? In this fun adaptation of the most famous soliloquy in the world - the play of Hamlet - is where we seek to reflect the most sensitive and poetic side of agility. In itself, agility derives from simplicity as a philosophy of life. Having a thirst to create, being permeable to sudden change, being in constant search of finding value in small things and empowering people within their diversity, are sentences that somehow give a defined shape to what constitutes the competence of agility or being Agile.

If we dare to answer Hamlet's solitary question, but in our adapted version, there is only one option to select: be Agile. In today's world, where the currency is dynamism, companies that still maintain traditional management systems should even question themselves a little more about what they want for their companies and where they are aiming: are they really where they always wanted to be?  That's why all paths lead to agility.

A lot of Agile here, a lot of Agile there. What is this all about and why is it so useful for companies? To delve into this wonderful dimension of innovation, it is advisable to start by knowing a little about one of its many areas of application, Project Management (PM).

Project Management + Agile

Whether they are artistic, construction, technology or sales projects - just to give a few examples - they are all equally important and worthy of being carried out. At a business level, for example, these plans are important because they generate business value, that is, a palpable benefit from the tangible and intangible as well.  By this we refer to the prestige of the brand and the entire set of values that it inspires both for its clients and for its own collaborators. 

Increasingly, results need to be obtained in increasingly shorter periods of time. Furthermore, projects are developed in extremely complex environments that undoubtedly affect management methods. We are talking from the technical, economic, social, environmental and political point of view. 

This scenario is where the figure of project management appears. It is about the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to the activities of a project to meet the defined objective within a given period of time.

The objective when carrying out project management is to obtain an original and practical product that manages to satisfy the needs of your company's client.

Now, when does agility appear? The first step comes from adopting an agile mentality - described at the beginning of the note - and secondly it brings with it its methodological application, that is, Doing Agile. Its real usefulness in these circumstances lies in providing people with a shared point of view and then being able to adopt a specific approach, when developing products and services in a work environment. 

Whatever the organization, it is necessary for it to accompany the transformation towards agility, especially if we take into account that it is not only a way of doing but of being. Those companies that continue to maintain their traditional schemes have surely asked themselves during this time, how it is possible to make the transition from an established organizational culture to a totally different one. Although it is something that can inspire a little fear and uncertainty, we must not forget that everything that involves simplification of steps and reduction of time will surely become a benefit for any company.

It's all about going step by step, respecting the processes of each area, trying to have a team specialized in agile methodologies that execute mentoring and advisory actions.

That is why if we focus only on the procedural, it is most likely that the new procedures that have been put into practice will end up returning to their origins - the traditional - if the organizational culture was never worked to shift towards flexibility. 

On the contrary, if these beliefs are more agile than the processes themselves, they tend to speed up. In other words, the collective vision of the human teams that work within companies is what will determine the degree of difficulty that those responsible will have to face when making the transition. 

Agile Doing involves an iterative approach that focuses on delivering value during short work cycles, to obtain quick feedback from the interested client and thus be able to better adapt to new requirements.

In terms of project management, there are 4 commandments that configure the management process as an agile project: 

• Prioritize the individual and their interactions so that they are happy with what they are doing and are aware of their usefulness to the project

• Focus on developing a product or service that meets customer needs, rather than focusing on obtaining documentation

• Close collaboration with the client to ensure fluid communications

• Quick and efficient response to circumstantial changes, instead of focusing on respecting previous planning