How Swift Collaborates with ICAgile to Advance Their Agile Transformation

Seven years into its agile transformation, Swift continues to see immense value in investing in agile education for its employees. That’s because leaders at the global finance institution know that investing in people leads to better business outcomes. The latest evolution of their journey: empowering teams to own their growth.

“We are evolving how we work, and I think that’s where leadership has recognized that it is time for teams to move further down their own path,” said Tze Chin Tang, a Senior Agile Coach at Swift.

For product teams at SWIFT, this has meant sending product owners to participate in a prestigious ICAgile-accredited expert program. The 8-month cohort program builds upon the foundation provided in the ICAgile Product Ownership classes by providing learners ongoing mentorship and support in their day-to-day context as they deepen their skills helping teams maximize the delivery of business value.

According to program participant Audrey Ng, “The course offered an opportunity to deeply reflect and ask myself questions such as: ‘What value does my work actually bring to the customer?’ It reminded me of the importance of customer centricity and prioritizing their needs in everything we do.”

Why Collaborate with ICAgile?

Why did Swift collaborate with ICAgile to create this program? First, the team at Swift wanted to work with a globally-recognized organization to create a rigorous internal program. “We wanted a program by Swifties for Swifties because we recognize that we work in a unique environment,” said Tze.

“The opportunity to exchange insights and discuss real Swift challenges with my peers was very valuable. In all the exchanges, I learned so much from my fellow course mates who gave me fresh ideas and perspectives,” said Audrey.

The Swift team used ICAgile’s industry-leading standards as a guide to create a program tailored to their context and culture. Then ICAgile verified the quality of the program and the proficiency of program graduates through the accreditation and assessment processes.

Swift leadership has also seen that ICAgile’s high-quality learning standards and accreditation process ensure that people truly get better at their jobs. There is high demand from employees for the program, and leaders believe that the knowledge and competencies employees gain from ICAgile-accredited training are more valuable than they would get from traditional, external classes.

“I saw that completing self-reflection tasks for each competency and discussing them with my mentor has been particularly valuable. It has helped me gain a clear understanding of my current standing and, more importantly, what I need to pivot, stop or continue in order to grow,” said program participant Paul Mogeni.

Business Outcomes of the Program

For Swift, investing in employees’ continual learning has many benefits for the business and the customers it serves. Connecting product owners from different parts of the organization has reduced silos and helped product owners resolve issues with their teams more quickly. In addition, as product owners continually improve, their teams are delivering more frequently and customer satisfaction scores are improving.