1st Edition

Agile Strategy Management Techniques for Continuous Alignment and Improvement

By Soren Lyngso Copyright 2014
    444 Pages 49 B/W Illustrations
    by Auerbach Publications

    444 Pages 49 B/W Illustrations
    by Auerbach Publications

    Your strategic initiatives are constantly under fire due to the evolving nature of markets, technology, laws, and government. To ensure your strategy succeeds, it must remain flexible while confronting these shifting challenges. Agile Strategy Management: Techniques for Continuous Alignment and Improvement explains how to achieve this flexibility by building agility into the initiation, development, implementation, and governance of your strategic initiatives.

    The book details what it takes to initiate, develop, implement, and govern a healthy strategy that delivers the benefits expected by all stakeholders. It presents insights gained by the author’s organization over the last 25 years helping their clients achieve success with their strategic initiatives. Filled with real-world examples and case studies, it illustrates wide-ranging situations where the author’s company helped clients reach important business objectives.

    Readers can use the book to look up examples that describe the various ways to use agile methods and techniques for critical business functions, including:

    • Scope definition of strategic initiatives
    • Stakeholder identification
    • Team building
    • Project and program quality management
    • Change management
    • Procurement of resources
    • Solution development, implementation, and quality management
    • Strategy governance

    In this book, you will find guidelines that explain how to establish internal organizations for change and how to ensure these intermediate organizations stay motivated until final solution delivery. Presenting success stories as well as major blunders, the book can help you avoid many of the pitfalls that other organizations have experienced while governing their strategic initiatives.

    Introduction
    Knowledge Sharing
    Synchronization
         The Importance of Synchronization
    Why our Methods
         Agile Strategy Quality Management
         Quality Management Objects
    Strategy and Strategic Initiatives
         The Strategy
         The Strategic Initiatives
    Agile Principles
    Scope Establishment
    Stakeholder Identification
         The Balder Case
         The Private Bank Case
         The DANCOIN Cash Card Case
    Agile Team-Building
         No Excuse for Failure Principle
         Simulated Accept-Testing
    Assessment and Recovery of Projects in Trouble
         Medical Factory Implementation
         Complete Swap of All IT Systems in a Private Bank
    Strategy Quality and Successful Strategy
         Strategy Quality and People
         Strategy Quality and Risk
         Strategy Quality and Leadership
    Lessons Learned

    Team Building for a Strategic Initiative
    Get a Strategic Initiative Off To a Good Start
         The Sponsor Role
         The Coach/Facilitator Role
         The Unknown Unknowns
         Stakeholder Identification
    Key-Stakeholder Selection Examples
         A Merged ICT Consulting Enterprise Project Management Improvement
              Initial Problems and Needs
              Sponsor and Strategy Governance Team Member Selection
              Strategy Governance Team Members
         Web Catalog Factory (WCAT) Order Management Improvement
              Initial Problems and Needs
              Sponsor and Strategy Governance Team Member Selection
              Strategy Governance Team Members
         Private Bank Information Systems Swap
              Initial Problems and Needs
              Sponsor and Strategy Governance Team Member Selection
              Strategy Governance Team Members
    Organizations for Strategic Initiative Support
         The Project Office
         The Program Office
    Team Types for Strategic Initiatives
         The Strategy Governance Team
         Strategy Governance Team Members
         The Process Quality Assurance Team
         PQA Team Members
         The Process Governance Team
         The Process Governance Team Members
         The Workgroup Team
         Workgroup Team Members
         Cross Team Membership Value
    The No Excuse for Failure Principle
    The War Room
         The Private Bank Solution Swap War Room (Figure 2.8)
              Initial Situation
    Sponsor and Key-Stakeholder Risk
    Lessons Learned

    Strategy Process Quality Management
    Strategy Quality Management
    Strategy Quality Objects
         Strategy Quality Object Attributes
    SQM Facilitation and Initiation
    The PQA Method
         PQA for Destructive Conflict Prevention and Stakeholder Motivation
         The PQA Teams and the Cascading PQA Processes
    Prepare the PQA Workshop War Room
         Running a One-Day PQA Workshop
         Running a Two-Day PQA Workshop
    Prepare the PQA Team for PQA and PQA Workshop
    The PQA Process and Workshop Introduction
         PQA and PQA Workshop Introduction Examples
    The PQA Workshop
         The PowerPoint-Based PQA Team PQA Introduction
         Question and Answer Session
         Definition of Personal Visions and Missions
         Definition of Success Factors with Quality Control
    Definition of Critical Success Factors
         The PQA Matrix with Activity Definition
         PQA Activity Description and Assignment of an Activity Manager
         PQA Workshop Review Planning in the PQA Workshop
    The Activity Description Production
         The Activity Description Preparation
         The Activity Description Guideline
         Activity Description Example
    The PQA Reviews
         The Basic Activity Description Review Workshop
         The Risk Management Based Review Workshop and the Risk List
         The Strategic Initiative Planning Workshop and the Project Schedule
    The WCAT Case Study
         Activity Description Examples
    The Banking Information System Swap Case
         The PQA Non-Standard PQA Process
         The Non-Standard PQA Activity Description Meeting
         Complications from Not Following Standard PQA
         What We Could Have Done Better
    The Military Healthcare Information System Case
         Strategy Governance Team PQA Introduction
         Strategy Governance Team PQA Workshop Result
         Activity Description for FOSIS Implementation
    Lessons Learned
    Document Examples
         PQA Introduction to Participants (Appendix A)
         PQA Workshop PowerPoint Intro (Appendix B)
         PQA Workshop Result Example (Appendix C)

    Solution Provider Procurement
    Bank Information System Swap Risk
         Procurement Risk Mitigation
    Bank Case Procurement Risk Response
    The Requirements Specification
    Solicitation for Competent Contractors
         The Solicitation Process
         Commitment of Internal Workpackage Workgroups
    The Call for Tender
         The Workpackage Workflow Documentation
    The Tender Material
         The Workpackages for Contracting
         The Framework Agreement
         The Framework Agreement Consultative Service Agreement
         The Framework Agreement Statement of Confidentiality
         Escrow Clause
    Choice of Solution Providers
         Core-Banking COTS Setup Proposals
    Lessons Learned
    Document Examples
         Framework Agreement (Appendix D)
         Consultative Service Agreement (Appendix E)
         Statement of Confidentiality (Appendix F)

    Strategy Implementation
    The Coffee Bean Strategy Implementation Methods
         Implementation
         Development
         Quality and Project Management
         Simulated Accept-Testing
    The Information Requirements Study
         Workflow-Based or Consolidated Report-Based IRS Documentation
         The IRS Organization
         The IRS Process to Produce the IRS Consolidated Report
         IRS Process Duration Estimation
         IRS Participant Motivation
         IRS Section Interviews
         Manager Interviews
         IRS Report Consolidation
         PQA Closing Out IRS
         The IRS Consolidated Report
    The Object Lifecycle Analysis
         Matrix Usage
         Diagram Usage
    IRS Case Studies
         The Defense Healthcare IRS Consolidated Report
         The Private Bank Sectional Report
    Solution Design and Development
         Design Documentation
         Training Documentation
         User Guide Documentation
    Simulated Accept-Testing
         Test Model Handling
         Test Result Documentation
    Final Accept-Testing and Sign Off
    Solution Operation Kick-Off
    Lessons Learned
    Document Examples
         IRS Intro to Participants (Appendix G)
         OLA PowerPoint Intro for IRS Consolidation (Appendix H)
         IRS OLA Consolidation Intro (Appendix I)
         IRS Section Report Example (Appendix J)

    Strategy Governance
    Negotiation
    Estimation and Forecasting
         Monte Carlo Simulated Forecasting
    Strategic Initiative Key Performance Indicators
         Classic Strategic Initiative KPI
         Agile KPI
         Solution Quality Evaluation
    The Compound Expected Value
    Communication
         Workgroup Manager Communication Management
         Governance Team Communication
         Project Office Communication Support
         Program Office Governance Team Communication Support
    Lessons Learned

    Agile Strategic Management Recap
    Stakeholder Involvement
    Agile Team Building for Strategic Initiatives
         Sponsor and Coach/Facilitator Roles
         Teams for Agile Strategic Initiative Governance and Management
         The "No Excuse for Failure" Principle
    Strategy Process Quality Assurance
         Other Strategy Quality Management Tools
    Solution Provider Procurement
         Procurement Lessons Learned
    Strategy Implementation
         The Coffee Bean Methods
    Strategy Governance
         Negotiation
         Estimation and Forecasting
         Strategic Initiative Key Performance Indicators
         Communication
    Appendix A: Luxembourg Process Quality Assurance of Enterprise Management Implementation Project
    Appendix B: WCAT Order Management Improvement Planning
    Appendix C: Delivery of Consultative Services Framework Agreement between Bank and Solution Provider Contract no. 999
    Consultative Services Agreement under Delivery of Consultative Services Framework Agreement 999 between Bank and Solution Provider
    Appendix G: Introduction to Participants in Information Requirements Study
    FOSIS Information Requirements Study OLA Consolidated Report Extract with Summary and Conclusion 2013
    Order Handling IRS Section

    Biography

    Soren Lyngso, MA (Econ) from Copenhagen University, PMP, General Manager, Facilitator, and Coach has more than 30 years of experience from general, project, and program management and from implementation of complex business and IT solutions in different industries and countries. Experience has been gathered from Danish and international projects spanning maintenance of oil production platforms, factory implementation in the pharmaceutical industry, container line system implementation, distribution of toys, cash card system implementation, defense facility management, and in private banking and asset management solution implementation.

    Currently his main occupation is teaching and coaching project and program managers on all levels in Europe and the Middle East. He has published his quality model for strategically aligned solution implementation on his website www.lyngso.lu.

    Enjoyable reading ... . Large corporations and organizations are spending a significant amount on business change with high expectations for return on investment. But in many cases business process changes don’t deliver. In his book, Søren Lyngsø clearly demonstrates practical experiences from initiatives that have failed, but also provides answers on how to secure success while practicing Agile Strategy Management. Søren Lyngsø clearly sets up solid guidelines for success implementing strategic initiatives.
    —Niels Bonde, Business Engineer at CGI

    I first got to know Søren Lyngsø when I headed up IT in one of Europe’s largest financial institutions. Søren was brought in to run a development and subsequent implementation program, and within a very short timeframe he demonstrated what full engagement and strong academic methodology can accomplish in a complex organization. When I moved to a new senior position in another Financial institution, I inherited the responsibility for a large scale Change project aiming at replacing all in-house developed banking applications with one Core system. The project required staffing with people who could operate in a very difficult, complex and highly regulated environment, and therefore we needed to have a program manager who had both the competence, energy and commitment. Søren was hired as Program manager and In close cooperation with the management team, Søren not only succeeded in organizing the program, he also ensured the delivery of required results.
    —Jakob K. Bruun, Senior Partner, Implement Consulting Group

    Being agile in your strategic decision making is vital for every business leader, CEO, and board member. In an ever-changing world and business environment you have to be capable of making high quality strategy decisions. Use this book as an inspiration of how to build, develop, and orchestrate high quality strategies in your company. It is a huge gift to get more than 25 years of experience served to you on a silver platter.
    —Claus Råe, Head of Architecture and IT Security, Danmarks Nationalbank