Author: Fernanda Cladera 

On November 9th, we attended a presentation on a successful implementation of the Disciplined Agile (DA) toolkit at Swissquote, a disruptive Swiss banking group founded in 1996. Our hosts were Edwige Fiaclou (Head of Talent & Methodology) and Laetitia Aegerter (Agile Coach), who shared their insights on the benefits of DA and the strategies they used to implement it successfully.

First let us introduce the Disciplined Agile ® (DA) toolkit. It is a toolkit that is allows for a flexible and customisable approach to delivering projects and products in a timely and efficient manner. It is particularly well-suited for companies that operate in a rapidly changing and highly competitive environment, such as Swissquote. By adopting DA, companies can improve their ability to innovate, deliver new products and services to market quickly, and respond to customer needs effectively.

Edwige and Laetitia shared their experiences leading the implementation of DA at Swissquote in a dynamic and fast-paced environment.

What were the key challenges you faced when introducing Disciplined Agile to Swissquote?

The first challenge was selecting the right Framework. It needed to be flexible enough to adapt to our context, and scalable to address the entire company, not just the Development Department. As with all change, one encounters resistance, and one needs to manage it. We had to actively communicate and explain the benefits of adopting Disciplined Agile, as well as how this approach could better meet our needs in achieving 'True Business Agility'.

Another challenge was aligning the different departments and establishing a common understanding of Disciplined Agile.

How did you use Disciplined Agile ® to fit the unique context of Swissquote? 

Disciplined Agile ® is not prescriptive, because it is a toolbox from which teams can choose practices that fit their context. It is flexible by essence, and one of its core principles is "Context Counts." This means that Disciplined Agile can be adapted to fit any organization or project, regardless of size, complexity, or industry. No matter the context, DA can help teams to improve their agility and deliver value to their stakeholders. The only condition from the Methodology Team is to make the “Choose Your WoW” visible and transparent to everyone.

What strategies did you employ to gain buy-in and support from different stakeholders within Swissquote?

We used different strategies in the following categories:

• Sponsorship: Our CTO is a strong advocate, who actively promotes Disciplined Agile. His technical vision includes the view that agility as a key enabler in achieving our goals
  
• Effective Communication: We actively communicate and endorse Disciplined Agile through interactive discussions, engaging employees and keeping them informed. One practice that DA emphasizes is making work visible. For example, our newsletters share the success stories of DA adoption by our teams. By communicating these efforts internally, and by promoting them externally within the agile community, we gain visibility and spark interest. These discussions provide us with valuable feedback and help us assess whether we are moving in the right direction.
  
  
• Engaging Workshops: Several training sessions were held where employees could experiment and use the DA browser for real-world scenarios. This allowed them to discover the power of DA. A new training program has also been implemented in the onboarding of new employees, so they are embracing this approach from day one.
  
• 'Deep-Dives': Upon request, the coaches are supporting the teams to improve their way of working. They dive into the teams' daily lives to understand their context and constraints. For this, they are using the DA concepts and practices through the browser, the Value Stream, and the guided continuous improvement process. As an important final action, they share their findings with other teams as well.
  
• Methodology Radar: The coaches continuously share the practices that they have trialled with the teams, along with insights gained. It is then the case that insights are available to everyone through team experiments to test them in their own contexts.
  
  
• Strategic Opportunities: In parallel, the company was undertaking a project to review the entire project lifecycle. We were tasked with supporting this new organization, and had the opportunity to drive the entire value-stream mapping, as well as guide the workgroup using Disciplined Agile.
  
  

What tangible benefits has Swissquote derived from Disciplined Agile in terms of project success and overall business agility?

We are at the beginning of our Disciplined Agile adoption journey, but thanks to a few practices and concepts, we are already observing benefits from this transformation:

• Clear roles and responsibilities: Thanks to value-stream mapping, we streamlined the process and highlighted roles and responsibilities more clearly. We are working on checklist tools that would support the team in feeling more comfortable and confident in their positions.
  
  
• Business Weighted Shortest Job First (WSJF): We applied a few techniques from the DA browser and implemented the WSJF technique to align stakeholders, and drive improved prioritisation through consideration of opportunities and enablement within requests.
  
  
• Emotional intelligence: Disciplined Agile greatly emphasises the creation of a 'safe space' within teams. We have introduced several interesting concepts, such as Goleman's Model, and have created workshops and exercises around these concepts. We have seen a drastic change in terms of collaboration, and interactions are now more efficient.
  
  
• Productivity: When the Methodology Team conducts a 'deep-dive', the first steps are analysing the backlog and tracking team productivity. By checking the few interventions, we have observed an improvement in productivity of ~20%. However, this is still the beginning.
  
  

Disciplined Agile has helped Swissquote to achieve 'True Business Agility', and in doing so, have improved in innovation, 'Speed-to-market', and responsiveness to customer needs.

If you are looking for a way to improve your innovation, delivery, and overall agility, we encourage you to learn more about Disciplined Agile. It is a powerful toolkit that can help you to achieve your business goals.

To learn more about Disciplined Agile, visit the PMI website.

A video replay of this event is also available on Youtube.

PMI Europe Leadership Institute Meeting 2024

Author: Thando Dube (PMI Swiss Chapter VP, MBA, PMP) 

I am thrilled to share insights and key takeaways from the recent PMI Europe Leadership Institute Meeting (LIM) held in Lisbon from December 1st to December 4th, 2023. This event provided an exceptional opportunity to connect, learn, and collaborate with fellow chapter leaders from across Europe.

Over the four days in Lisbon, Stefan Vesenmeier and I had the honour of representing our chapter at this annual gathering. Engaging with Chapter Leaders offered invaluable insights into their challenges, successes, and the impactful outcomes of volunteer-driven initiatives.
The LIM featured enlightening presentations on various topics, including PMI's global initiatives. Notably, the introduction of a Single Payment for PMI membership (Pilot Phase) and the forthcoming changes to PMI Global's strategy, set to be fully unveiled in Berlin in April 2023, were presented.

Thematic workshops designed to meet specific requirements for chapter functional areas were proposed. These workshops underscored the importance of learning and exchanging insights with other chapters, emphasising that the value of interacting and connecting with fellow Chapter Leaders far exceeds that of virtual meetings alone. Regretfully we were unable to participate in all workshops covering Volunteers, Membership, Partnership, and other functions, however, I did manage to attend the functional workshops on Marketing, which shed light on challenges faced by the chapters in aligning due to the broad and diverse tools being utilised. This emphasized the need for common marketing tools and affordable solutions globally.

During the event, 42 chapters were represented, and this year, our chapter proudly joined the ranks of the Top 6 chapters in Europe! With 1800 members, our chapter attained a major milestone, placing us amongst the top-performing chapters. It was a pleasant surprise for Stefan and I, to find ourselves grouped with the other 5 chapters in Europe, namely: France, Germany, UK, Italy, and Ireland. Although our two-person representation may have been humbling when compared with that of Chapters, who literally brought their entire Board Member Team, the atmosphere was characterised by a strong sense of sharing, and a dynamic that transcended chapter size.

A major highlight of the LIM Conference 2024 was the Awards Ceremony, where we celebrated the achievements of individuals and chapters. Congratulations to: Olalla Garcia Perez (PMI Galicia, Spain Chapter), the recipient of the 'Rising Leader Award'; Andreas Madjari (PMI Austria Chapter), the recipient of  the 'Chapter Leadership Impact Award'; and the PMI Southern Italy Chapter for achieving 'Chapter of the Year'.

27 chapters received special mentions for projects that embody PMI's cultural values. Our Chapter was recognized for its exceptional commitment to Social Impact & Youth Initiatives. Kudos to the entire team for their great achievement.

As a closing note, the event was a wonderful opportunity to connect with other chapters. Today, in my department, we are working closely and sharing ideas with 5 chapters that I would otherwise not have connected with, had it not been for introductions at the LIM conference. Further, our chapter has initiated organisation of joint events, in collaboration with other chapters. A key message that I want to share with the project community at large, is that AI is now part of the daily landscape. We need to embrace it and not view it as a threat, but as an enablement to project management.

Thando Dube

Connect with the author on LinkedIn.
Connect with Stefan Vesenmeier on LinkedIn.

Author: James Heidrich (PMP, ACP, DASSM, RMP, DAC, Prosci)

Dear PMI Switzerland Members,

As a passionate member of our community and a master's candidate, I am excited to invite you to participate in a pivotal survey for my thesis: "Exploring Programme Management Frameworks and Methodologies: The Path to Successful Business Transformations."
This survey aims to gather diverse perspectives and experiences from professionals like you, offering a unique opportunity to contribute to groundbreaking research in our field.

Why Participate?

1. Influence the Future of Programme Management: Your insights will directly shape the understanding of how different methodologies impact business transformations, influencing future practices and strategies.
   
2. Access to the Final Thesis: As a token of appreciation, participants who choose to leave their email at the end of the survey will receive an exclusive copy of the completed thesis. This document will offer comprehensive insights and analysis, potentially benefiting your future projects and professional development.
   
3. Networking Opportunity: Your participation opens the door to future collaborations and networking with professionals who share your interest such as our planned PMO Community of Practice.
   
4. Enhance Your Knowledge: By engaging with the survey, you'll gain a deeper understanding of current trends and methodologies in programme management from the shared results.

Survey Details:

1. Duration: The survey will take approximately 8-10 minutes to complete.
2. Confidentiality: All responses will be kept confidential and used solely for the purpose of this research.
3. Feedback Option: Participants can opt to receive the final dissertation, and results will be shared in a future PMI Switzerland newsletter article.
   

How to Participate:

Please follow this link to the survey to begin. Your input is invaluable, and I sincerely appreciate your time and expertise.
Thank you for your support in advancing our field and contributing to a comprehensive understanding of programme management frameworks and their effectiveness in business transformations.

Warm regards,

James Heidrich

The PMI Swiss Corporate Networking Group: 3 Top-Class Meetings in 2023

Author: Martin Härri (PMP, PMI-SP, PMI-ACP, DASSM)

Whilst the focus of the Chapter is upon project management practitioners, the Swiss Corporate Networking Group (SCNG) brings together experts who are driving project management topics at an organization level, namely: Heads of Corporate PMOs; Portfolio Managers; Project Leads; Academics and others.

Founded in 2010, the SCNG meets 3 times per year for full-day conferences on topics chosen by the members. At these conferences, SCNG members (or subject matter experts from within their organizations), as well as PMI global and Swiss Chapter representatives, totalling approximately 30 participants, attend presentations and engage in knowledge exchange. So, let’s look back on the past year and reflect upon the topics currently trending in Swiss organizations.

Data-Driven / AI Projects (RUAG, January 2023)

By now, 'AI in project management' is all over the place, including PMI, which has launched the AI Resource Center. In January 2023, the topic had not yet surfaced, so it seems that we were ahead of time.
The first meeting of the year was hosted by RUAG, the Swiss defense company, in Thun (see photo). The participants were welcomed by the CEO, followed by an enjoyable and very interesting PwC presetation, provocatively titled "The failure of Artificial Intelligence in project management", which focused on 'Tech hype topics' which had failed to prove commercial value. Other presentations focused on how consistency of data quality helped Holcim to significantly improve project estimations; how the Program Lead of one of Procter & Gamble’s largest programs manages the tasks of project teams exceeding 2000 members; and how IBM uses AI to assess the health of projects in their portfolio.

Meeting in January 2023 at RUAG, with the CEO Brigitte Beck

Organizational Transformation (Holcim, June 2023)

Mid-year, the SCNG met in Holderbank, the location of the headquarters of a global building materials company, Holcim. The first presentation was a mind-blowing example of radical organizational transformation. The main product of Holcim is cement, accounting for ~8% of the global CO2 emissions. Now consider that Holcim’s goal is to be carbon-neutral by 2050! What an incredible challenge!
Another presentation conducted by PostFinance, discussed how the different project roles within the company had changed when the company moved to a large-scale Agile approach. As the final presentation, we even had Tahirou Assane, Director of Brightline at PMI, presenting virtually from Canada on PMI's Organization Transformation Initiative.

Linking Projects with Strategy (OM Pharma, October 2023)

The final meeting of the year took place in Geneva at OM Pharma. 3 companies, Skyguide, SIX and Nestlé, presented their approaches on the topic: "Linking Projects with Strategy". Following those presentations, a very high-ranking guest (having travelled from Paris to present), Lenka Pincot (PMI’s Chief of Staff to the CEO), shared the latest PMI Thought Leadership updates, including how the organization adapts its strategy according to emergent trends.

The SCNG is a unique organization within the PMI world. As far as we know, no other chapter worldwide has anything similar. And the success story continues... with the team already planning the next meeting on the topic of Portfolio Management, taking place in February 2024 at PostFinance in Bern.