Agile processes are famous for transparency.
For anyone who doubts this, or is new to Agile,
- Transparency is implicit in the first item of the Agile Manifesto. Individuals and interactions are valued over processes and tools, and the best interactions happen when communication channels are open.
- Transparency is the first of the “three pillars” of Scrum (transparency, inspection, adaptation).
- Transparency also features prominently in the scaled frameworks built on top of Scrum. In the Nexus (Scaled Professional Scrum) framework, transparency is called for in all artifacts, dependencies and the state of the increment. I’m not personally as familiar with SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework) as I am with Nexus, but transparency is a core value of SAFe. I know even less about LeSS (Large Scaled Scrum), but you can read about transparency in LeSS here.
The benefits of transparency
Here’s what happens when groups work in a transparent way:
- Quality improves. When more people see a product during development, more imperfections are brought to light, and can be addressed before the product is released to customers. An open and safe platform for raising and resolving issues also incentivizes teams to perform better and improve quality.
- Metrics improve. When everyone can see first hand what’s happening in an organization, data and reporting are confirmed by observation. You may even discover better performance indicators when you have open communication and when data is collected directly at its source.
- Risks are mitigated. Transparency allows you to see ahead and gives you the opportunity to fix small problems before they become big ones. Risks, internal and external, are easier to spot. Planning is better, and the organization is more likely to see its way towards the most profitable path ahead.
- Product improvements are realized. Ideas find their way into the open where they can affect positive change. Confident teams that communicate well do better and more innovative work.
- Quality and productivity work hand in hand. An experiment published in the Harvard Business Review demonstrated that when cooks and customers could see one another, customer satisfaction improved over 17 percent, and service was 13 percent faster.
- Waste is reduced. Transparency saves you energy and time. When you synchronize with reality, less energy is wasted trying to be something you’re not. That energy can be used to fix anything that you would have wanted to hide. Spend less time re-framing stories and more time fixing things.
- Culture change. There is a snowball effect when you start being more open in your organization. People who are doing well are proud to share their success. It spreads. High performing teams model success and other teams improve.
How can organizations get better at transparency?
Scrum comes with transparency built-in. For teams who are brave enough to adhere to it, adopting the Scrum framework makes it easier to work transparently. Scrum teams use information radiators to display up-to-the-moment metrics. We meet daily to update one another on work in progress, collaborate and overcome issues. Product Roadmaps, and to an even greater extent, Product Backlog stories are openly discussed. Stakeholders and development teams flesh out product direction and specifications together. The team’s work is demonstrated at the end of each Sprint at the Sprint Review. If you practice the Scrum ceremonies, you are well on your way to reaping the benefits of transparency.
If you’re not using Scrum, you can still create room for mutual transparency to grow by bringing open practices into your daily routine. Encourage candid discussion during your regular status briefings. Simply listen. Hold meaningful feedback sessions after every increment that’s released. Involve the development team in roadmap discussions. Acknowledge that everyone working on the project has a vested interest, and when the project is a success, it is to everyone’s credit.
Aim for a pristine pool of shared information, and reap the rewards of transparency!