It’s not just the slides. Jed has applied the knowledge and tools he learned in the course to multiple projects at work. A leadership development tool he learned about has helped him facilitate a workshop for leaders. In addition, he regularly uses StrongSuits, a tool he learned about in class, to facilitate conversations regarding performance, professional goals setting and team communication.
Jed's ultimate goal in taking the course was to improve communication across his company. Good communication may sound simple and straightforward, but the more stressed or siloed people are, the more communication breaks down. The consequences are far-reaching: lower employee morale and retention, reduced productivity, and delayed or failed projects.
The Benefits of Practical Learning
Jed has a Master’s degree in Project Management plus eight years of industry experience, and yet he’s quick to compare his week-long Enterprise Agility Deep Dive course with some of his Master’s level courses. The Master’s courses, he said, were very theoretical and offered a purely academic perspective.
This theoretical approach did not reflect how project management and change management work in the real world. They aren’t the clean, linear process depicted in academic texts.
In contrast, the Enterprise Agility Deep Dive, which includes the Enterprise Agile Coaching and Coaching Agile Transformations courses, was much more applicable to Jed’s day-to-day reality. In the real world, where projects regularly go wrong and organizational change stalls, a practitioner who can navigate change, assess progress, and make decisions quickly is more valuable than theoretical knowledge.
The Enterprise Agility Deep Dive course touched on all these concepts, supported by exploring industry agile and lean change management best practices, which deepened Jed’s expertise and confidence. In addition, the instructors had years of industry experience and hands-on knowledge to share, which made the class even more valuable.
Key Takeaway
Even though he works in a highly regulated industry, which is traditionally viewed as a barrier to agility, Jed is making an impact. The course material, which draws from the Lean Change Management ecosystem, has enabled him to more effectively co-create with his teams, helping them continuously improve their processes and communication.
Jed urges other agile practitioners to invest in practical and impactful learning offered in ICAgile-accredited courses. “The concepts that we learned about in the course, they can be used in any context in any organization,” he said.
