Have you adopted the Agile Manifesto?

The c-suite is responsible for the organisation's improvement and innovation posture.

In today's fast-paced business environment, this means having the ability to adapt to change and pivot quickly when necessary.

One way to do this is by focusing on foundational concepts when problem-solving, ideating and eventually building or producing.

The Agile Manifesto is a set of guiding principles that promote flexibility and adaptability in the face of change.

It emphasises the importance of customer satisfaction, teamwork, and continuous improvement.

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By adopting the Agile Manifesto, organisations can focus on solving real problems and creating value for their customers through a series of iterative and incremental processes rather than trying to solve everything at once.

The Agile Manifesto's 12 principles give a clear roadmap for achieving this focus. For example, the first principle states that the highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of valuable software.

It highlights the importance of prioritising customer needs and continuously working to improve products and services.

The second principle emphasises the importance of welcoming changing requirements, even late in development.

In today's fluid business environment, the organisation must adjust to new information, and strategies and reorganise when necessary.

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The fourth principle speaks to the place of deliberate collaboration between business teams and developers.

By having these teams working closely together, the organisation can ensure that it is meeting customer needs.

This collaboration is cemented by the sixth principle, which states that the most efficient and effective method of conveying information is face-to-face.

In a post-covid world, we are rewired for remote work, the ability to read emotion, get immediate clarity on an issue or feed off collective energy and camaraderie in a standup cannot be overstated.

On the technology front, in an increasingly API-first world, with every conceivable part of the building stack commoditised, the battle for the consumer will be won by those adaptive enough to preempt where possible or quickly respond to insight and feedback to meet changing preferences and needs.

As you lead or as part of a team creating customer-facing products and services, you must adopt a process that will support a culture of continuous improvement and innovation.

This manifesto may offer a great starting point. Build on it as you find fit for your dynamic team.

Njihia is the head of business at Safiri Express.