You are already agile. Something is getting in the way.
Most agility programmes begin by adding something: a framework, a certification, another layer of ceremony. This book begins by taking something away.
In The Key Elements for Business Agility, Alistair Corrie sets out 21 practical Elements. Each one is a way of thinking, working or focusing that contributes to smoother delivery, a better flow of ideas between brains, and reduced risk. None of them is theory. Every one is drawn from work Alistair has done himself, including the project that saved £4 million and delivered six times faster than the original plan.
The 21 Elements, in four categories
Focus: Outcomes, Value Now, Evidence, Customer
Organisational Design: Modern Leadership, Autonomy Mastery & Purpose, Decisions at the Source, Verbal Communication, Small Teams / Work in Pairs
Ways of Working: Collaboration, Show Don't Tell, Continuous Re-planning, Adaptability, Transparency, Short Cycles and Small Tasks
Approach & Mindset: Clarity & Context, Pilots & Experiments, Work Not Done, End-to-end Ownership, Simplicity, Curiosity & Learning
Written to be dipped into
Every Element has its own self-contained chapter of around seven pages, with a nutshell summary, real case studies, a self-assessment, and deliberate actions you can apply to the very next thing you do. You do not need to adopt all 21. Start with one. Think big, start small, act now.
Who it is for
Team leaders, project managers, executives, finance professionals, and whole cross-functional teams. Alistair qualified as a Chartered Accountant before spending a career delivering outcomes, which is why this book speaks as readily to people responsible for budgets and controls as to people responsible for delivery. It connects the Elements to the Agile Manifesto, the Scrum framework and wider business thinking, while remaining framework-agnostic and pragmatic throughout.
Alistair's definition of Agile is simple: figuring out the most effective way of delivering an outcome, within valid constraints. Not speed for its own sake, but nimbleness, less interference, and a faster flow of ideas between brains.
If bureaucracy, over-planning or rigid process has ever slowed your team down, this is a clear and human place to begin.
Part of the Born Agile Series.