Agile done right

#AskTheCEO Podcast

Ajay Kabra is the senior leader, evangelist, and main contributor to the Agile space for Xebia, a Global Technology Strategy and Consulting firm with Full Stack Software Engineering, Product Development, and Digital consulting capability to enable the digital transformation of enterprises using the latest technology and methodologies. Over the years, Xebia has organically built domain knowledge across industries and used a platform engineering mindset to help fortune companies digitize. Contact Ajay: Web: https://xebia.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajaykabra/ Contact Avrohom: Web: https://asktheceo.biz Facebook: AvrohomGottheil Twitter: @avrohomg Instagram: @avrohomg INTERVIEW HIGHLIGHTS: [00:34] Agile is a big buzzword nowadays; however, it’s not as simple as people may think. What are some of the complexities behind agile, and what might people not understand about it? [00:52] Agile has been on the market for nearly 25 years. [01:08] Agile demands that management give up the control to the team – decentralize your decision-making. [01:20] One of the challenges with Agile is that the senior leadership is afraid of giving control to the team. [02:00] Agile is, more than anything, a mindset shift. [03:01] What is the right mindset business leaders need to have in order to succeed with agile? You mentioned discipline. Can you share some examples of success? [07:18] One of the ways Xebia sets itself apart as an industry leader in software development is with its customer training. What is the right way to train clients in new technology? [08:00] The right way to implement solutions for your clients is to co-create them. [11:00] To train customers effectively, you have to sometimes engineer a crisis so that they learn how to react. [13:15] Besides serving clients, Xebia is also very active in the agile community. For example, Xebia organizes the Agile NCR event, which is held annually in the APAC region. Can you share with us a little bit about Agile NCR, as well as some of the upcoming exciting endeavors you will be launching here in North America in the near future? [13:45] A core value of Xebia is to share knowledge. [18:30] How do people connect with you to learn more about Xebia? Ajay: You can connect with Xebia at our website: https://xebia.com, and with me, personally, on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/ajaykabra/. [21:37] Do you have any parting words of wisdom to share with the audience? Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/Wbmc5w8fhUA