What do I mean by continuous improvement?
One of the principles behind the Agile Manifesto states: “At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly.”
To be Agile is to be continuously improving. Our world is ever-changing and in order for us to cope with those changes we must seek to become better, to improve constantly.
I think continuous improvement is part of the habit of “sharpening the saw”, one of the 7 habits of highly effective people as explained by Stephen Covey. This is the habit of renewing yourself, physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually. By doing this you keep yourself ready to face new challenges as they come. Continuous improvement is a good mental exercise, it helps you learn more about what you already know and can also learn something new.
Why is continuous improvement important?
It is only natural for us, as living organisms in this word, to evolve. Continuous improvement is evolution. It is crucial to our survival. And it certainly applies to how we make a living, how we do our job and get money which we need to survive in our world right now. So basically continuous improvement is important because it helps us survive. If we don’t continuously improve, we can not adapt to the changes in our industry. If we can not adapt to changes, our jobs are at risk. If we lose our jobs we won’t have money for our needs.
What do I do to sharpen my saw?
Read articles and blog posts
I have developed the habit of reading at least one article or blog post every day. Doing this activity regularly helps me in a number of ways:
- I learn about latest trends on how to do my work or on how to be better in what I do
- I gain new insights to problems I am currently dealing with or have dealt with in the past. I can read about how other Agile practitioners solved the problems.
- I am able to collect references which I use when I teach about how to be Agile.
- My favorite authors become my mentors in a way. I can learn from them by reading their blogs. And sometimes I get to have discussions with them when I post comments on their blogs or articles.
I would recommend subscribing to your favorite blogs so you can easily get notifications when new content has been published. My favorite are blogs from Mike Cohn.
Read books
I usually read a book if I want to immerse myself in learning about a particular subject. Recently I have finished reading The Hitchhiker’s Guide to Agile Coaching. I’ve read this one cover-to-cover. Sometimes I would just read selected chapters of a book, just to focus on the subtopics relevant to what I am currently doing. Usually when I read a book, I try to apply what I have learned immediately so that I can better understand what I have learned and retain the knowledge.
Watch online training videos
I love how online training videos are more accessible these days. It is a nice alternative to just reading about a topic. You just have to make sure you are attentive to the video. Some online training sites have quizzes which will make you more engaged while some have projects you can do, so you can apply what you have learned from the videos.
My favorite online training sites are:
Attend meetups and conferences
Recently I have been attending the monthly meetups of the Agile PH community and it is great to hear about the insights and experiences of other Agile practitioners. Plus it is fun to go out and meet new people and break your daily routine at work once in a while.
I consider it a great privilege and opportunity to be able to attend conferences. There is a ton of knowledge and wisdom you can gain from listening and participating on the sessions to having side discussions with attendees. You get to share “war stories” and learn how somebody else from another part of the world is dealing with the same problems you encounter.
To make the most out of attending meetups and conferences you must make sure you participate in the discussions. Listen to what others are sharing. Talk with people. Engage in conversations.
Discuss with peers
You’re lucky when you have a group of people you can discuss with about what’s going on with your work. These individuals have the same role as you or at least have experience shouldering the same responsibilities that you have. Sharing stories and insights is a great way to learn. It is important to get a new perspective on challenges you face at work, it allows you to become better and more creative at handling upcoming obstacles.
Learn from a mentor
When you want to continuously learn and improve, that means you are always a student who needs a teacher – a master to surpass, a mentor to follow. If you are able to find a mentor who really cares about your growth and is generous in sharing with you all the wisdom he or she has gained, then you should do your best to take care of that relationship and learn all you can. Having a mentor is critical because you need someone to guide you. Somebody who has walked the path to get to where you want to be. A mentor is also someone you look up to, someone who you want to be. All of this gives you the drive and focus to be better, to improve.
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