Lean is to fat as agile is to muscle: losing fat and building muscle mass results in better body composition, or rather, organizational composition! Lean involves eliminating waste, everything that’s unnecessary and doesn’t add value: unproductive meetings, multitasking, duplication of processes, etc. Agile involves developing muscle, which is equivalent to strength, adaptability, reactivity, movement, action, speed, and flexibility. And no, with agile I’m not talking about scrum: I’m talking about agile values and ways of developing more adaptable projects.
Some analogies between this metaphor and organizations:
- A minimum of fat is healthy and vital for the body, giving value: an operation needs essential fat to function. What Lean seeks is to eliminate excess fat and therefore what does not add value. It does not seek to eliminate all fat, because running out of it creates health problems. Thus, Lean is not about removing all approvals, hierarchies, or policies: it is about removing only what doesn’t contribute.
- Fat is lost on a daily basis through routine changes: small, everyday changes can boost fat loss, especially when there is a lot of fat. Eliminating sugar from your coffee, walking a little more, replacing fried foods with grilled foods, sleeping a little more… can work wonders. Just as Lean can do wonders for BAU (Business As Usual) by removing that bottleneck or limiting work in progress.
- Building muscle takes effort: It is necessary to intentionally and deliberately stimulate it to develop. The same goes for agile: agile projects require effort, energy, and intention. We need to dedicate time in our daily lives to developing muscle. You’re going to have to put in the effort and invest capacity and resources! You’re going to have to make room in your schedule to lift weights… That hour a day is a great investment for your health and metabolism, but we know it costs you. And unless you’re an athlete (or an organization with people dedicated exclusively to projects), ordinary people (and ordinary organizations) have to fit their “agile gym” into other activities.
- Having more muscle makes you lose more fat: Agile projects will have a fabulous impact on BAU, streamlining the operation. Muscle is a metabolically active tissue that is adaptable to the environment, as well as agile! If we manage to develop more muscle mass we will be more adaptable to the environment. In addition, good muscle mass is key to longevity. If you don’t want your organization to go extinct, build muscle!
- Excessive exercise is stressful: The benefits of exercise are undeniable; but it’s well known that overtraining can cause injury and imbalances in our bodies. Whether it’s Lean or Agile, it’s essential to live by their philosophies: don’t let yourself be overwhelmed by an excess of practices that generate more pressure and stress on the system. Also, remember that not all people are the same: there are those who train 4 hours a day and are in great health, and there are those who, after only 4 hours a week, already have symptoms of stress in their bodies. Thus, changes must be incremental and sustainable.
- A physical transformation requires a mental shift: Lean and Agile share the same origin and DNA. If we don’t change our way of thinking, “physical” changes won’t be sustainable over time. A new body composition requires a new way of thinking, that is, a different culture.
- Nutrition is key: What are we feeding our organization? What resources and inputs do we have for projects and BAU? How do we take advantage of them? Eating is not the same as nourishing oneself… having resources is not the same as being productive. Also remember that sh*t in, sh*it out! The quality of what we allow into our organization cannot be left aside…
- Every body is unique, so the same methods don’t work for everyone: the diet that works for your friend may not work for you. Yes, there are some general guidelines for good health (or good work…) but each body has characteristics that make it unique. The same thing happens with organizations, where replicating others without adapting can be a huge mistake.
- It’s more than changing body composition: it’s about living a purpose. Both Lean and Agile are just the means to a goal, not the end in themselves. Yes, feeling comfortable in your body and being healthy is essential. Having efficient processes, valuable projects, and good metrics in your organization reflects a healthy body! But… they are still just the body! Isn’t our body the vehicle to live and serve a greater purpose? Don’t organizations exist to generate value and impact in the world, beyond having a good bottom line?
What other analogy would you make?
Claudia.
