How do we rediscover the original inspiration of the Agile Manifesto and, in a very real sense return Agile to the wild?

At Cognitive Edge, we believe that as development cycles become more complex and time-to-market accelerated, Agile processes and developments need to become more adaptive and allow for deeper levels of sense-making and emergence, not less… Meanwhile, some industry players are striving to standardize and dumb down these same processes with one-size-fits-all frameworks (usually supported by an ‘easy’ certification).

Join Dave Snowden and a growing movement of Agile professionals as we explore alternative futures and ways of engaging in our work. This Masterclass picks up on the theme of Rewilding Agile, reflecting on new developments and tools in the past year in the context of a multi-methods, multi-tools ecosystem.

Live online session dates and times

• 21 February 2022, 13:30- 17:30 CET
• 22 February 2022, 13:30- 17:30 CET
• 7 March 2022, 13:30- 17:30 CET
• 8 March 2022, 13:30- 17:30 CET
• Supported discussion forums and self-study material
• Includes optional participation in AGILE tool BETA development cohorts

Training includes: 

• Pre-reading and video material in eLearning platform
• 4 live Zoom sessions of 4 hours each
• Offer you an additional private team / 1-on-1 consultation with Dave to explore questions and implementation ideas
• Each delegate will receive a physical facilitation kit (AGILE base pack)   

New developments for 2022 AGILE Masterclasses 

We welcome returning delegates to explore new developments live and in-person with Dave. What’s new or different from our last 2021 Masterclasses? 

• Explore new narrative work and SenseMaker applications in the fields of design, consumer insights and feedback collectors
• Constructor theory (new and emerging) as a way to create replicable results in complex systems
• Experiment with new GENBA-style public0access SenseMaker tools created specifically for AGILE applications such as user needs and team retrospectives 
• Physical AGILE Methods pack plus Extension packs for workshops and planning 
• One-on-one time with Dave Snowden for deeper discussions and Q&A – group size limited to 30 persons

Returning delegates: if you have attended a previous Rewilding AGILE masterclass with Dave Snowden in the past 3 years, we would like to offer you a discount of 20% of the normal price (15% of the early bird price). Write ”returning” in the comments field when registering. 

Masterclass Program Details 

Masterclasses draw on not only the content and experience of Dave Snowden but also the rich experiences, expertise, and questions that the participants bring. The Rewilding Agile Masterclass will cover the following content, tools, and activities. 

Sense-making and Strategy in AGILE 

• Rewilding Agile as a complex way of working with systems, returning to the original intent of the Agile manifesto and moving away from the standardised frameworks and fast certification structures flooding the market. 
• Three key frameworks review: Cynefin, Flexuous Curves and Constructor Theory 
• The deeper principles of complex adaptive systems and anthro-complexity that lead to the need for abductive research and exploration in complex design challenges. 
• Work with flexuous curves to understand the life cycle of management ideas, the ecosystem of the markets and how to spot and respond to signs of coming change, using them to your advantage to shifting market position in complex evolving spaces.
• Experience ways to assess a client or community’s current state, determine their desired direction and assemble solutions with innovative combinations of methods and practices.

Narrative Data and Sense-making tools

• The importance of rich quantitative and qualitative data in the development process, and the potential of various narrative and Sense-Maker tools to ‘open up’ the design and development to broader, more immediate user experiences and stories. 
• Explore narrative methods and new SenseMaker tools for applications including: 

• Unarticulated user needs mapping
• GENBA applications
• Retrospectives 
• Archetype and Persona construction

• Design logic and thinking – from Deductive to Abductive (and when to apply each) 
• Mapping the current situation and discovering adjacent possible – exploring change through narrative sense-making. 
• Techniques that can be applied in AGILE/Design to intentionally create Aporia and spark innovation or exaptation
• Work with the new Cognitive Edge Facilitation kits to prompt conversations with and within clients, including the first (beta) AGILE Extension Packs 

Development and Change

If we acknowledge that organizations and communities are complex systems, how then do we engage in leading, changing, and developing them in a way that is coherent?

• Discovering what is possible – shifting from platitudes and idealism to reality in development conversations… including the uses and abuses of narrative in consultancy. 
• Designing a resilient organisation based on complexity theory – alternatives to traditional teaming, designed for rapid recombination and flexibility.
• Moving from a focus on individual mindset, to changing the environment and creating the conditions for contextually appropriate change within an overall scaffolding.
• Methods to activate and connect the formal and informal networks and incentivise innovative team and cross-silo behaviour, including Entangled Trios and Social Network Stimulation
• Organisational design issues relating to balancing resilience and robustness, when to let go and when to consolidate. Shaping optimal granularity and communication protocols to ensure appropriate information and communication flows.
• Manage vs monitor – dynamic, sense-making alternatives to goals, targets, estimation and metrics for complex projects 

Who Should Attend?

The Rewilding Agile Masterclass brings together Agile coaches, scrum masters, product
owners, architects, consultants, and associated practitioners to explore the current state and
possibilities of the Agile world. The program and discussions are likely to benefit anyone
involved in strategizing, planning, facilitating, or decision-making within an agile environment.

Prerequisites

Please note that Masterclasses assume that participants have a foundational knowledge of the
Cynefin framework and the ideas around complex systems. Foundational learning
opportunities exist to close this gap if needed – please contact training@cognitive-edge.com