Impediments Backlog Over Change Management

Is change something that is under strict command and control at your organization?

In Scrum, the concept of impediments ideally becomes a catalyst for change from the bottom up. I have seen organizations make change something that becomes very restrictive. In an Agile organization, being able to move quickly is critical to continuous improvement and business agility.  If it takes months to years to make changes, a business may suffer from not being able to adjust quickly enough in a dynamic business setting.

  • Try having an impediments backlog for your organization’s teams

All teams put impediments in this backlog and work together to prioritize them. It is transparent to the entire organization and leadership ideally owns the backlog.  Leadership takes on the role of helping to serve the teams through removal of these impediments rather than a top down change control forum.  This provides a mindset of Lean thinking and going to see the problems from a leadership perspective.

If you haven’t done something like this and would like to try, discuss this with a Scrum Master to get the initial impediments backlog creation meeting organized. Have a Scrum Master facilitate the meeting, help the teams create the backlog, and prioritize the initial items. Also, invest in relationship building with leadership at all levels and get them involved in the discussion and ownership around the impediments backlog.  To drive change organizationally it will take transparency and people at all levels working together.

Have you tried having an impediments backlog and if so, what was your experience? What things have you tried to drive change at your organization?

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