Work-Agile was founded to help our clients build high performance agile teams. It makes for happier engineers, happier stakeholders and more successful businesses!
How we serve?
We have a proven methodology that leverages best practice, Lean/Agile values and principles and our special sauce – performance techniques that are proven to work in practice.
In a world where agile coaches and transformations are commonplace, we aim to stand out by focusing on teaching teams to maximize their performance, not just teaching text-book Agile. We leverage much more than what ideology or training certifications can offer. We have pioneered a methodology that breaks down software team performance to the “Core 4” attributes. Focusing on these attributes and the fundamentals of the team’s operations, will indicate if they are maximizing their performance potential.
Founder’s Story
John McBreen – From the beginning of my software career, I focused on efficiency. It’s built into my DNA. I get annoyed with inefficiencies. One of my first jobs was working for a large consulting organization where I formed the “Process Improvement Group”. We called ourselves “PIG”! The name was ironic, because we were far from happy wallowing in you know what! However, it appeared management was content with the status quo. We wanted a clean process that was efficient and allowed us to offer the best service and maximum value to our clients.
As my teammates and I worked on client projects, we quickly realized that getting the requirements locked down, the software coded and tested, and ultimately delivered to the client was slow and had mediocre results impressing the customer. Recruiting frustrated engineers to our PIG group was fairly easy. We had meetings and lunches and talked about solutions.
However, when managers caught wind of our group challenging the norm and trying to find good solutions to our problems, they asked for a meeting to “share our findings” but defense mechanisms were recited and they led us on our way. Soon after, we were nicely asked to spend less time on the “PIG” team and focus on our client work.
I was dis-enchanted to say the least and couldn’t understand why the leaders of the business where not concerned with efficiency in our process! We wanted to do much more work (better output), get things done faster and make our clients happier! I was dumbfounded. I went on my way to other companies and continued to develop software at other organizations.
I worked for many companies, each with a unique management style. I’ve experienced waterfall, “command and control”, and even chaotic or zero process environments. I worked for small companies and well known companies such as Booz Allen, Fidelity Investments, and Cisco Systems. What I found, even recently, is that many of these companies continue to struggle with the same issues I faced years ago at my first consulting firm.
Continuing my journey, I moved from hands on developer to team lead and engineering manager. I studied and implemented Lean/Agile principles on many teams and watched as they transformed from a stuck and inefficient to well oiled machines! It’s challenging to achieve but very rewarding to see teams grow and prosper like this.
A few years ago, I founded Work-Agile to continue my journey helping teams maximize their performance. I’m dedicated to solving this problem by serving clients and teaching strategies and techniques that are proven to work in practice. I’ve found that leveraging Lean/Agile principles and values is a huge leap, but what makes the difference is adding practical and proven techniques, training and “in the trenches” coaching to make it truly work.
I hope you reach out and schedule a call to discuss your team and how we can help!
Work-Agile 