In August 2012, my team at DTCC Learning (DTCCL) reconfigured our organizational structure and adopted Agile as our approach to developing learning solutions. We did this in order to address client expectations for instant access to information, frequent updates and flawless performance of the learning solutions that they interact with.
Although we could not locate any published case studies on the use of Agile in learning organizations, we believed that the similarities between the learning development process and software development process made training an excellent candidate to realize some of the same benefits that other organizations around the world have experienced in software development.
The early results of the Agile implementation have exceeded our expectations. The average number of learning assets delivered to customers has increased from 20 per month to 35 per month, translating into a 15 percent increase in total learning solutions delivered compared to the same time last year. If the team had started the year at this pace, DTCCL would be on target to deliver 180 percent more learning solutions this year than we did in 2011.
The feedback from both internal customers and DTCCL employees has also been glowing. One internal customer praised the “quick turnaround” and “quality of work,” another related that his post-Agile experience with DTCCL has been “nothing short of positive.”
Even more uplifting is what has been said inside the team. One DTCCL employee said, “I get excited to come to work every day.” Another related that “I can’t believe how much work we’re getting done.”
Looking Ahead
While we are encouraged by the early results, there have been a few bumps in the road. Each of the newly formed learning teams struggle with its own unique set of challenges, but the fact that DTCCL team members know and believe they are empowered to solve these problems has created a level of engagement that we never anticipated. The experience to date is best summed up by the words of one employee who said, “We can really make our own decisions.”
