Start-up owners can stand to benefit from Agile business strategies — but in order to execute properly, you need to be sure that each member of your organization is on-board with the strategy. As implied by its name, an Agile business strategy is flexible and can be adapted to a lot of business scenarios.
Here are some of insightful tips that speak to how you can adapt an Agile business strategy to suit your own business needs.
- Find the best Agile method for your needs.
There are a variety of Agile methods, and depending upon the situation, some yield stronger results than others. It’s truly a matter of understanding what needs to be accomplished. One of the most popular methods in the realm of development is Scrum. While Scrum may be ideal for a development scenario, it may not be the best fit for a business strategy that is in a maintenance stage or holding pattern. Looking at all of your available options and doing a bit of homework to determine which is the most meaningful to your short- and long-term goals is crucial.
- Find the right executive sponsor and the right support team.
Every project or program needs someone capable and competent at the helm. Although it’s extremely important to find the perfect fit for an executive sponsor to fill this lead role, that person will need a strong Second-in-Command to help them execute the daily responsibilities required by a project. Very often, an executive sponsor will have to multi-task to manage a laundry list of responsibilities. In order to ensure they’re able to best focus their energies, finding a support person — or persons — is essential. Identifying a team comprised of members from various levels within an organization to pitch-in, as needed, can also play a major role in ensuring the success of a project.
- Make sure you have a unique value proposition.
What’s your angle? Every business has something about it that makes it unique. Regardless of your service offering, each business has its own way of approaching how it delivers a service. Your business — and your business strategy — should have a specific value proposition that sets it apart from your competition. What is it? If you can’t immediately answer why you would choose your business over any of your competitors to engage on a project, your prospective clients may not be able to answer that question, either.
- Deliver continuous value.
Once you’ve established that unique value proposition, it’s up to you to deliver continuous value to clients. In order to do so, look to an Agile-driven strategy to help guide your path to continuous value. In order to forge and maintain strong business connections and build your reputation with clients and in your business’s sphere of interest, continuity of direction is of the utmost importance. Agile can help to guide your business along a more strategic path that will allow for employee, skill, and revenue growth.
—
E.J. Dealy is CEO of The Company Corporation, which provides affordable incorporation services to entrepreneurs and small businesses nationwide. In addition to filing corporations and limited liability companies (LLCs), The Company Corporation offers a wide range of products and services, including license and permit assistance, corporate kits, business education books, certificates of good standing, and more. The Company Corporation does not provide legal, tax, or financial advice.