On this interview, Samant Kumar, Portfolio Supervisor at Capgemini, delves into the transformative energy of Agile methodologies and their software throughout industries. From overcoming resistance to alter to integrating AI for optimized outcomes, Samant shares actionable insights and private experiences shaping his method. He additionally discusses his imaginative and prescient for the way forward for Agile practices and the position of mentorship in growing the subsequent technology of leaders. Learn on to uncover the methods driving innovation and flexibility in at present’s fast-paced enterprise atmosphere.
Your journey in Agile transformation is actually inspiring. Are you able to share a defining second or key challenge out of your profession that considerably formed your method to Agile program and portfolio administration?
A defining second in my profession unfolded as I spearheaded an Agile transformation at Capgemini. This was greater than only a change in challenge administration methodology; I used to be asking my firm division to pivot to a wholly new mind-set and dealing. The idea of Agile had been round for practically twenty years, primarily within the software program improvement world. It was a response to the perceived flaws within the “waterfall” means of growing software program, a course of that ran sequentially by the phases of necessities, design, coding, testing, and at last, deployment. Agile posited that there have been higher methods of doing all this—higher as a result of they had been extra more likely to lead to “satisfied customers” and high-quality software program. Even earlier than its title was coined by 17 tech rebels who convened in Snowbird, Utah, in 2001, a number of colleges of thought had coalesced round casual strategies of working that had been very very similar to what we now name Agile. My firm had already experimented with Agile strategies earlier than, however nothing so complete as what we had been about to undertake.
Agile transformation usually requires cultural shifts inside organizations. How do you method resistance to alter, and what methods have you ever discovered handiest in fostering a really Agile mindset amongst groups and stakeholders?
Resistance to alter is one thing you’ll discover in any transformation, and I’ve seen it occur within the work that I do at Capgemini and IBM. One of many methods that I’ve discovered useful is beginning small and organising pilot groups that may produce early wins. In examples from my work at IBM, we’ve been in a position to launch pilot initiatives which have demonstrated vital enhancements in productiveness and collaboration throughout the groups concerned. These wins have served to construct up confidence within the Agile methodologies we’re utilizing and have helped to cut back the pure resistance that folks should adjustments in working practices.
Given your in depth involvement in conferences and symposiums, what rising traits in Agile transformation are you most enthusiastic about, and the way do you see these traits shaping the way forward for challenge administration?
Talking at main conferences like Agile 2024 and PMI Houston’s fiftieth, I’ve felt a selected thrill over the convergence of Agile and AI. Why? As a result of AI is changing into a severe participant in Agile processes, utilizing its predictive analytics superpower to extract beneficial insights from the info that drives our initiatives. That is beginning to occur, as exemplified by my current PMI Houston workshop on how AI is remodeling Agile. Right here, I mentioned a couple of of the methods AI is making Agile much more adaptive and optimized and is beginning to type a coalescence of kinds with the Agile working system.
Together with your experience in AI and automation, how do you see these applied sciences enhancing Agile processes and outcomes? Are you able to share any particular examples the place AI has performed a pivotal position in an Agile transformation initiative?
AI and automation enormously improve Agile methodologies, serving as complementary instruments. We at Capgemini have infused our Agile method with AI-driven instruments to help in dash planning and crew efficiency evaluation. What do you get? Optimized useful resource allocation and predicted bottlenecks. We’ve got a wealth of real-world examples however let me share only one. In one in every of our initiatives, AI-powered analytics recognized some obtrusive but refined inefficiencies in the best way we labored, which had been slowing us down by way of time to supply. Counting on nothing greater than the info that had been already obtainable to them (e.g., our Jira tickets), our AI instruments acknowledged patterns that (in real-time) hinted on the likelihood of one thing going awry and/or taking longer than anticipated.
You’ve been acknowledged with quite a few awards to your contributions to Agile program administration. What do these accolades imply to you, and the way do they affect your drive for steady enchancment in your work?
The awards I’ve obtained—just like the Globee Award, Claro Award, World Recognition Award, Cynopsis Standout Award, and the 2024 Most Pioneering Agile Program Supervisor of the 12 months from Ctoday—are validations of the work and collaboration that my groups have achieved. These honors function motivation and as a reminder that I always have to iterate on and enhance my very own method to Agile program administration. The awards aren’t nearly me; they’re in regards to the issues these groups and I’ve been in a position to do when entrusted with our numerous Agile transformations in locations like Capgemini and IBM. They usually remind me to pay it ahead and to mentor and coach others. When you consider it, Agile is about retaining a agency eye on the horizon and an ear to the bottom.
Your work spans a number of domains and industries. How do you adapt Agile methodologies to fulfill the distinctive challenges of various sectors, and what common ideas do you imagine are essential throughout all industries?
Working at Capgemini and IBM has allowed me to discover a variety of sectors, together with know-how, finance, and advertising and marketing. Throughout all these industries, the adaptable nature of Agile creates a extra environment friendly and efficient operation. Every sector has its particular customizable framework, but the pliability and effectivity that Agile presents are what make these frameworks work so effectively throughout many alternative conditions. In finance, for instance, Agile frameworks function inside regulatory and compliance buildings but additionally nonetheless break down the supply and suggestions loop into small, workable increments. In know-how and software program improvement, Agile frameworks haven’t changed the necessity for important documentation, however they’ve created extra fast supply loops and frequent iterations.
As an energetic mentor and speaker, you have interaction with numerous audiences starting from college students to business leaders. How do you tailor your mentoring and talking method to resonate with such assorted teams?
Once I’m mentoring at locations like adplist.org or with college students at Katy ISD, and even once I’m talking at business occasions, I regulate my method in keeping with the expertise degree of the viewers. With college students, I give attention to the fundamentals of Agile as a set of ideas for foundational practices. I ensure the scholars perceive that Agile is not only a strategy however an important mind-set. It’s one thing they’ll use to energy their future careers. With business leaders, I speak extra in regards to the specifics—scaling agile throughout the enterprise, for example, or the way to handle massive portfolios of labor beneath an Agile umbrella.
Agile transformation on the enterprise degree could be advanced. Are you able to stroll us by a selected case the place you led a profitable Agile enterprise transformation, highlighting the challenges and the progressive options you applied?
Main an Agile transformation at Capgemini was fairly an journey. It concerned spreading Agile practices not simply inside single initiatives however throughout a spread of enterprise models and numerous groups. A few of these groups put up a good bit of preliminary resistance, however we ultimately managed to win them over. Why? I feel it’s as a result of we discovered a means to make use of a mix of SAFe for enterprise coordination and Scrum for particular person groups, all whereas being attentive to each scalability and suppleness. That allowed us to keep away from “fake Agile” and as a substitute make actual progress. Getting our management to speak repeatedly, undergo the identical steady coaching, and function Agile champions in any respect ranges helped a fantastic deal too.
Your involvement as a choose in prestigious competitions and hackathons demonstrates your dedication to innovation. What qualities or attributes do you prioritize when evaluating groundbreaking concepts or initiatives in these settings?
In evaluating concepts for competitions corresponding to HackRice and HackUTD, I take into consideration the significance of innovation, feasibility, and the potential for impression. Actually groundbreaking initiatives are people who deal with real-world issues with inventive, sensible options. I additionally take note of how effectively groups collaborate, word their means to pivot when confronted with challenges and consider how successfully they iterate on their concepts. Throughout my time as a choose, I’ve discovered that the very best HackRice and HackUTD initiatives are people who not solely show technical excellence but additionally have the potential to create significant change of their respective industries.
Wanting forward, what’s your imaginative and prescient for the evolution of Agile practices, and the way do you foresee your position in shaping the subsequent technology of Agile leaders and frameworks?
Agile is more likely to interface extra with AI and machine studying sooner or later, particularly since these two applied sciences additionally symbolize methods of working which are real-time and evidence-based. Agile is more and more utilized in industries past software program improvement, and I anticipate its enlargement into different sectors. I work to affect the subsequent crop of Agile leaders by innovating in my Agile practices, by mentoring, and by sharing what I’ve discovered at talking engagements like Agile Tour Vilnius 2024, Agile 2024, PMI Houston’s fiftieth convention and expo, and the UTD Undertaking Administration Symposium.
