Promise Goal Toolkit

A Promise to Our Students

The Department of Innovation and Agility is born out of the PAUSD Promise. Our charge is to assemble flexible teams to innovate and pilot ideas at the levels closest to our students. As laid out in the promise, we use key strategies to support district office operations. Some of these strategies include:

• Assess needs and build systematic support for staff innovation that allows creative ideas to be implemented.
• Collect early feedback from flexible teams, adapting as needed, and institute systematic support for staff innovation using an Agile/Scrum structure.
• Develop a structure to improve operations and increase the value-added by identifying criteria and strategies for adapting Agile/Scrum methodology on a large scale.

Where did it start?

Philosophy of Agile approach was originated from the software industry. Agile software development refers to software development methodologies centered around the idea of iterative development, where requirements and solutions evolve through collaboration between self-organizing cross-functional teams. The ultimate value in Agile development is that it enables teams to deliver value faster, with greater quality and predictability, and greater aptitude to respond to change. Scrum and Kanban are two of the most widely used Agile methodologies.

The video below will introduce you to the fundamentals of the Agile Methodology and its application to the educational setting.

Agile Purpose

There are several things that may have prompted you to be here. Maybe you are looking to build accountability within your team or encourage diversity of ideas in problem solving. Or perhaps you are looking to focus your work on data and promote continuous improvement. The Agile approach allows decisions to be tested and rejected early with feedback loops providing benefits that are not as evident in other methodologies. When incorporating agile methodologies into education, it is recommended that you integrate it into already existing structures. It is important to frame the conversations within the existing mission. Logic models and focusing on the 5 Ws are a great way to frame the conversation.

If you are not familiar with the PAUSD Promise, take some time to browse the site and get a sense of our missions and various projects design to meet this vision.

Resources

• Slides from video presentation
• Deep Dive Resources:
  • The School Principal 'Time-Clawback' Method
  • Unleashing the power of small, independent teams

From Industry to Education: A Journey

Education is the passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to those who prepare for it today. Malcolm X

Teaching through projects, interrogating the value of grades, attempting to make learning more meaningful and connected to young people’s lives and interests, thoughtful ways of using technology to amplify and share student work. These are just some of the ways teaching and learning are changing. But moving to these kinds of learning environments is a big shift for many teachers, schools, and districts; it’s hard to sustain change once the shiny newness wears off. That’s when people tend to slip back into old habits, relying on what they know best. The transformation requires a leader who understands how to manage change.

According to the veteran business consultant, William Bridges, "the business world is constantly transforming. When restructures, mergers, bankruptcies, and layoffs hit the workplace, employees and managers naturally find the resulting situational shifts to be challenging. But the psychological transitions that accompany them are even more stressful. Organizational transitions affect people, it is always people rather than a company, who have to embrace a new situation and carry out the corresponding change."

Agile Principles leverage people and give you a framework to establish efficient cross-functional teams.

Agile Is A Mindset

While Agile Principles provide useful guidance for those hoping to practice agile software development, they are not prescriptive. The Agile Manifesto does not outline any specific processes, procedures, or best practices for agile. And that is intentional. The creators did not set out to develop a rigid framework or methodology. Instead, they created a philosophical mindset for software development.

Because Agile is a mindset, it can be translated to other industries such as education. Leaders play an important role in establishing an agile culture in organizations. Adopting this culture may require a shift in thinking within your team. Be intentional with how you apply Agile Principles and include a discussion about the cultural mindset.

Resources

• Slides from presentation
• Deep Dive:
  • On Mindset: Developing a Growth Mindset with Carol Dweck
  • On Agile: Embracing Agile
• Citations:
  • Five Ways to Sustain School Change Through Pushback, Struggle and Fatigue
  • Agile Manifesto
  • Managing Transitions: Making the Most of Change by William Bridges

Agile Methodologies

Agile methodologies, which involve new values, principles, practices, and benefits are a radical alternative to command-and-control-style management. These methodologies spread across a broad range of industries and functions. Implementing Agile strategies comes in several varieties with some commonalities as well as unique characteristics. By taking people out of their functional silos and putting them in self-managed and customer-focused multidisciplinary teams, the agile approach is not only accelerating profitable growth but also helping to create a new generation of skilled general managers. Methodologies such as scrum, kanban, and waterfall are explored below.

Agile Continuous Improvement Cycle

A continuous improvement cycle consists of a number of sequential steps. These steps vary slightly from one design to the next, or from one organization to another. However, they are all intended to measure the effect of an organization's policies and operating procedures. An ongoing improvement cycle with frequent feedback from the stakeholders is embedded in the Agile methodologies through user stories. We will look at user stories in the next section, which focus on taking this theory to practice.

Resources

• Slides from video presentation
• Citations: Embracing Agile

Let's start applying Agile principles and methodologies to your practice. The application process is simple and efficient.

• Establish a clear vision (5W's and user stories)
• Establish prioritization (MOSCOW model)
• Break down your implementation plan (sprint goals)
• Evaluate frequently for continuous improvement (root cause analysis)

Resources

• Slides from video presentation
• Agile Project Management Tool (Spreadsheet)
• Deep Dive:
  • Transforming IT at Steelcase: An Agile Case Study
  • The Ultimate Guide to Implementing Agile Project Management (and Scrum)

Educators are eager to improve their practice with new ideas. Without purposeful and mission-driven work that is aligned at the institutional level, educators will end up working in silos and not feeling supported when they encounter barriers. Some of the projects implemented in silos are not sustainable with staffing changes and puts preserving the institutional knowledge at risk. Institutional alignment through agile at a large scale may require more work up front, but in the end, it allows the establishment of rhythm and alignment between sprint goals happening at different departments. When that happens, everyone is working together as a unified school district to work towards a common vision and goals. The video below introduces how we can leverage the team, program, and portfolio levels of work using scrum of scrum and RACI (Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed) models.

Resources

• Slides from Presentation
• Deep Dive: The RACI matrix: Your blueprint for project success