Happy Agiliday July!

[Walter Buggenhout]

👋👋 Hi fellow group members and Agile Enthusiasts!

As I just became one of the new group leaders, together with @Peter Van de Voorde and @Ammar Ahmed Butt, I would first of all very much like the thank the Community Team for the opportunity to do this. And also send a warm and welcoming invite to all group members (old and new) to continue this group as a place of learning, meaningful discussion and connection!

✨ We intend to spark the discussion on a regular basis and - as the holiday season is rapidly approaching - I would like to kick this off with a discussion round on Continuous Improvement.

🏃‍♀️🏇🏎️ Agility is very much about speed: of delivery, of feedback, of adjusting strategy, of responding to change ... But even though the many agile frameworks, methodologies and handbooks incorporate mechanisms for continuous improvement, we all get caught so easily in the tunnel of delivery, delivery, delivery!

☕️ Every now and then, I like to take a step back from the rat race every now and then to reflect on the past couple of months - both personally as with the team - to:

• evaluate if we are still doing the right things;
• identify areas we need to invest in;
• but also decide on initiatives we would better change, or even abandon.

In short, it is 'taking a step back so we can move forward in a better way afterwards'.

🔮 I am very curious to hear what you are doing inside your teams, organisation or even personal life to do the same. That may very well relate to yourself, your people and practices and the tools you use ...

💡 Let's dive into the holidays with some great insights and tips! 

[John D Patton]

Beautifully said, @Walter Buggenhout.
Agility isn’t just about moving fast — it’s about moving mindfully.
Stepping back to assess not just our outputs, but our outcomes, is the essence of continuous improvement. In a world obsessed with velocity, it’s reflection that fuels real progress. Thanks for the timely reminder as we all look to pause, breathe, and grow with intention.

[Ala _Wisary_]

100%. We constantly feel the pressure to move faster, but there is no point to move fast if we are moving in the wrong direction. That's why it's more important than ever to slow down, step back and reflect on our intentions 

[Amanda Barber]

Since moving into software development, I've been part of literally agile teams, rather than Agile™️ teams. I think the key for all of my teams has been the ability to be flexible and/or nimble when needed, make shorter term plans with longer term goals in mind, and be open to continuous improvement around our ways of working. 

[Brita Moorus]

Congrats to the new group leaders! 🎉

Love this topic - our team does Friday check-ins to reflect and adjust weekly. Additionally, we share one “favorite failure” and what we learned. This keeps improvement continuous without the overhead. Curious to hear others’ tips too! ✨

[Walter Buggenhout]

I do love the favourite failure sharing a lot! I'm sure that could be an awesome topic for another discussion at some point, if people are comfortable enough to step up and share! 💙

Doing so requires quite a bit of courage and trust within the team. I see many teams already have a tough time sharing and celebrating their (hard worked and truly deserved) wins. But failures are indeed so immensely valuable if you can turn them into learning opportunities!

For the Jira Admins among us - haven't we all at some point accidentally renamed a status from a workflow once, only to find out later we had broken every single workflow where it was being used? 😛 

[Brita Moorus]

Absolutely agree, Walter! Building trust in the team takes time, but it really helps when senior team members are open about their own mistakes. It shows the juniors that it’s okay to fail sometimes - what matters most is learning and growing from it. That kind of honesty makes the whole team stronger 🙌

[Ala _Wisary_]

Thank you for bringing up this topic. Super important!
I would sometimes take a walk outdoors to disconnect and create the space to think about these things.

[Walter Buggenhout]

Totally with you on that, @Ala _Wisary_! Leaving the desk behind and literally stepping away from screens or the regular working environment can be really refreshing for the mind.

We sometimes do coaching conversations outside while walking, as it does create a different atmosphere.