The context
Our US-based client develops medical devices and software. In order to grow and innovate, the organization needed ways to scale up product development with multiple interdependent teams and to deal with uncertainty due to innovative technologies.

Our work
To understand the current state and skills, we started with an assessment where we identified key success and failure factors versus the client’s strategic objectives. We did this in close collaboration with small groups where we visualized all findings, root causes and effect on sticky note walls so that we could brainstorm on possible solutions at the same time. Results were further elaborated in an offsite that we facilitated.

We trained teams on agile culture and methods, both at the team and program level, with a focus on how to handle dependencies and integrations. We trained key individuals on SAFe and value streams and guided a pilot in order to run experiments with this new way of working.

In order to foster innovation and distributed leadership, we designed and facilitated 2 waves of leadership development programs using a Design Thinking approach in order to let high-potential employees work out important challenges and apply leadership techniques at the same time, with the aim to foster both innovation and distributed leadership.

Since the client works in an FDA regulated environment, we designed an e-learning program to help all employees learn about how to create agility despite the constraints imposed by regulations.

The result
Our client is now able to handle product development with high complexity, interdependencies and unknowns. Inter-team collaboration has improved both between product development teams and between product development and operations. Scoping is now done the agile way with focus on value outcomes rather than feature outputs. Teams are now more empowered with the 60+ employees have learned hands-on leadership behaviors. 200+ employees learned how to use agile in a regulated environment by going through the e-learning lessons during their daily work.