How We Work

We are framework agnostic and do the “hard yards” with our clients. We educate and train, partner and coach, and advise upon transition of the engagement. We typically begin with an assessment of an organization’s capabilities, identify their strategic positioning, and develop the roadmap for the engagement. Our team takes a comprehensive approach to ensure that you get the business outcomes you need. We combine expert, immersive training, practical coaching support at all levels, and ongoing support to make sure change sticks.

Our delivery maps roughly to Shuhari (Kanji: 守破離 Hiragana: しゅはり), the Japanese martial art concept which describes the stages of learning to mastery.

We believe it is important to baseline an organization in common theory and lexicon. First, we recommend picking a framework and attempting to apply it as designed. Typically, Scrum Master training is the initial exposure (Scrum Alliance or SAFe). Our trainers are internationally recognized thought leaders in Agile and Scrum. We bring both theory and deep practitioner knowledge. The classroom experience is a high-engagement, practical approach built on the instructional design principles of “Training from the Back of the Room,” which are recognized as the most effective means to achieve learning saliency and retention.”

Once organizations get exposed to a framework and start to implement it in context, coaching is inevitably required to help maintain best practices and make informed decisions on adapting the frameworks. We do not believe an army of coaches is required (or sustainable), and we know that it is important not to create dependencies on third parties if the intent is to create organic capacity and lasting change. We support and encourage the use of train-the-trainer programs to create internal capacity. However, it is always effective to have at least one dedicated coach in an organization to maintain momentum while new habits are solidified. Specific culture, organizational design, and the work itself typically dictate a nuanced approach to implementation. Additionally, these new practices represent a change in how individuals work and interact. This path of customization and change is made easier by bringing in professionals with both the experience and expertise to work alongside teams as they move through this journey. Hard Yards has experienced and certified coaches on staff to provide guidance and support. Our coaches have decades of training and coaching experience with hands-on, practical applications across a range of industries. Hard Yards coaches and consultants work directly with teams to ensure the key practices become embedded in the teams’ work, to cultivate internal change agents and champions, and to continually provide feedback on the progress of the implementation. Hard Yards coaches will spend hands-on time with teams during key Agile ceremonies taking a Do, Coach, Monitor approach. Our coaches establish a standard for how practices should be conducted by initially leading them for teams. Our goal is to move as quickly into coaching as possible, creating self-sufficiency for the organization while monitoring performance for a period to ensure the business objectives are met and continuous improvement becomes the norm. Hard Yards has developed modular content that we call the Scrum Master Accelerator and Product Owner Accelerators to help achieve that end.

Once the basics are put into place and working in context, measurement of performance and implementation of innovative best practices (e.g. innovation tournaments, design sprints, etc.) will improve enterprise capability. Hard Yards has developed a methodology to widen the aperture of measurement to determine the effectiveness of Agile processes. Measurement questions tend to coalesce into three primary facets: People, Process, and Product.

• People: Assess progress against the desired cultural, mindset, and behavioral shifts. Focus on sustainability.

• Process: Assess progress against speed, quality, and cost objectives. Focus on continuous improvement, the identification of bottlenecks, and impediments to the overall flow of work.

• Product: Assess progress against mission, organizational, or programmatic goals. Focus on outcomes, not outputs.