Job Purpose
To grow the agile skills in the organisation by establishing standards, policies and practices for the introduction and sustainability of Agile methodologies. Ensure that relevant people in the organization are upskilled in the principles of Agile as well as the standards, policies and practices adopted by the organization.
Job Responsibilities
Drive the adoption of Agile at x to ensure that x reaches a maturity level as per the strategic objectives.
Providing input into the formulation of x’s Agile transformation strategy
Drive the Agile transformation plan, through Agile teams
Provide feedback for the continuous improvement of the Agile framework at x
Provide subject matter expertise to aid the organisation in understanding, using, and internalising the x methodology
Stay abreast of best practices in field of expertise to inform the strategy in order to guide the teams
Seek opportunities to improve business processes, models, and systems though agile thinking
Engage with the entire organization system and the Leaders who guide them.
Develop a partnership with Leaders to accelerate the transformation journey.
Develop a partnership with Leaders to accelerate the transformation journey.
Facilitate Big Room Planning events and open dialog sessions to enable delivery.
Evaluating and advising fit for purpose Agile frameworks.
Coaching Senior Management and leadership on Agile Practices to enable them to support, lead and drive the transformation.
Advising process, policies, and structural changes on an organizational level to align to Nedbank project governance. Apply agile strategies to overcome resistance to change across the enterprise
Provide guidance and consultation when onboarding willing buyers into adopting the new Agile methodologies
Lead and facilitate community of practice conversations to share information and knowledge with the Agile community in the organisation.
Provide Periodic on the job training to the teams to embed Agile practices.
Apply system thinking to surface and resolve the anti-patterns, inefficiencies, and dysfunctions.
Essential Qualifications - NQF Level
Advanced Diplomas/National 1st Degrees
Preferred Certifications
Scrum Coach. Certified, Scrum Trainer. Certified, Scrum Professional, Program Consultant Trainer Certification, Program Consultant Certification, Agilist Certification. Certified Scrum Professional
Minimum Experience Level
3 - 5 Years as Scrum Master I (DM)..
7-10 Years experience in software development. (7 years in Agile Software Development)
Experience in Scrum principles, practices, and theory.
Experience applying concepts and techniques from multiple agile approaches including Extreme Programming, Lean, Scrum, Kanban and Safe
Technical / Professional Knowledge
Agile Development (Proficient)
Working in Team (Proficient)
Training techniques (Proficient)
Strategy and Strategic Planning (Proficient)
Change Management (Proficient)
Planning and Organising (Proficient)
Agile practise (Expert)
Behavioural Competencies
Influencing
Coaching
Resolving Conflict
Adaptability
Collaborating
Facilitating Change
Please contact the x Recruiting Team at +27 860 555 566
Let’s break this down into 100 actionable lines covering the full scope: growing Agile skills, setting standards, policies, practices, and sustaining Agile adoption in an organization. I’ll structure it in 5 categories for clarity:
Conduct an Agile skills assessment for all teams.
Identify skill gaps across different roles (PO, Scrum Master, Dev, QA).
Develop a role-based Agile training program.
Introduce Agile onboarding for new hires.
Provide certification opportunities (CSM, PSM, SAFe).
Run practical workshops on Scrum, Kanban, and Lean principles.
Offer hands-on simulations of Agile ceremonies.
Establish mentorship programs pairing experienced Agilists with newcomers.
Schedule regular coaching sessions for teams.
Teach Agile mindset and principles, not just processes.
Train leadership on servant leadership and Agile support.
Conduct cross-functional team training to foster collaboration.
Introduce continuous learning paths with online Agile resources.
Encourage communities of practice for knowledge sharing.
Run internal hackathons to practice Agile delivery.
Provide scenario-based problem-solving exercises.
Develop Agile competency frameworks per role.
Encourage peer-to-peer learning and workshops.
Introduce Agile games to build understanding in a fun way.
Provide training on metrics, reporting, and Agile dashboards.
Train teams on effective backlog management.
Build negotiation and conflict resolution skills in Agile context.
Offer workshops on scaling Agile practices.
Encourage teams to present Agile learnings in internal forums.
Provide feedback and coaching on Agile ceremonies after live sessions.
Define standard Agile frameworks to use (Scrum, Kanban, SAFe).
Document standard roles and responsibilities for all Agile roles.
Establish a standard definition of “Done” for deliverables.
Define standard templates for user stories and acceptance criteria.
Create standard backlog structures for projects.
Implement standard Agile ceremonies (standups, retros, planning).
Standardize sprint lengths across teams.
Define standard metrics for velocity, throughput, and cycle time.
Create standard communication channels for Agile teams.
Develop standard reporting formats for leadership.
Establish guidelines for cross-team dependencies.
Standardize tools for project management and collaboration.
Define standard risk and issue management practices.
Create a standard process for prioritization and value delivery.
Set standards for stakeholder engagement and feedback loops.
Define standard templates for retrospective action tracking.
Standardize continuous integration/continuous deployment practices.
Establish guidelines for Agile testing and QA integration.
Define coding and review standards aligned with Agile principles.
Set standard practices for technical debt management.
Standardize Agile documentation practices.
Define standard escalation paths within Agile teams.
Establish standard knowledge-sharing practices across teams.
Standardize onboarding checklists for Agile adoption.
Define guidelines for scaling Agile across multiple teams.
Establish a policy for team self-organization.
Implement a policy for empowered decision-making at team level.
Create a policy for regular review of Agile maturity.
Define a policy for leadership support in Agile adoption.
Policy for iterative planning and continuous improvement.
Policy for cross-functional collaboration.
Define a policy for transparent reporting and visibility.
Implement a policy for handling external dependencies.
Policy for conflict resolution and escalation.
Create a policy for stakeholder participation in ceremonies.
Define a policy for mandatory retrospectives after each sprint.
Policy for measuring and rewarding Agile behaviors.
Establish a policy for knowledge sharing across teams.
Define a policy for adopting new Agile tools and practices.
Policy for team experimentation and safe failure.
Implement a policy for remote and hybrid Agile practices.
Policy for continuous feedback from customers and end-users.
Policy for using data to guide decision-making.
Policy for auditing and improving Agile practices regularly.
Policy for ensuring psychological safety within teams.
Hold daily stand-ups consistently.
Conduct sprint planning sessions with all team members.
Run effective sprint reviews with stakeholders.
Facilitate retrospectives with actionable outputs.
Prioritize backlog items based on business value.
Maintain a visual Kanban board for work tracking.
Use Agile estimation techniques (story points, T-shirt sizing).
Conduct regular backlog grooming sessions.
Track and communicate velocity and throughput.
Implement pair programming and code reviews.
Apply test-driven development where applicable.
Use automated deployment pipelines.
Foster continuous integration across teams.
Encourage knowledge-sharing sessions.
Run community of practice meetings regularly.
Use metrics to identify bottlenecks and improvement areas.
Celebrate team achievements and milestones.
Encourage cross-team collaboration on complex initiatives.
Capture lessons learned for future sprints.
Continuously refine Agile practices based on feedback.
Conduct periodic Agile maturity assessments.
Monitor adoption metrics across teams.
Adjust training programs based on evolving needs.
Maintain leadership buy-in and sponsorship.
Encourage a culture of continuous improvement.
Promote Agile success stories internally.
Set up long-term coaching and mentoring programs.
Regularly update standards and policies based on experience.
Reward and recognize Agile champions in the organization.
Embed Agile principles into performance evaluations and career growth paths.
Let’s break your statement “Ensure that relevant people in the organization are upskilled in the principles of Agile as well as the standards, policies and practices adopted by the organization” into Who, What, and How, specifically in a banking context.
Executive Leadership: CEO, CIO, CTO, Heads of Departments – to support Agile adoption strategically.
Middle Management: Branch Managers, Department Managers, Project/Program Managers – to lead Agile teams and enable change.
Agile Roles: Scrum Masters, Product Owners, Agile Coaches – to guide and facilitate Agile practices.
Business Analysts: To ensure requirements are aligned with Agile principles.
Developers & IT Teams: Frontend, Backend, QA, DevOps – to implement Agile practices in daily work.
Operations Teams: Risk, Compliance, Finance, Customer Support – to integrate Agile principles in non-IT functions.
Change Agents: Internal champions or ambassadors who will promote Agile adoption across the bank.
HR and Learning & Development Teams: To facilitate training, workshops, and continuous upskilling.
Agile Principles: Scrum, Kanban, Lean, SAFe, or other adopted frameworks.
Bank-specific Standards: How Agile is applied within banking operations, IT, risk, and compliance.
Policies: Guidelines for decision-making, reporting, governance, and regulatory compliance.
Practices: Daily stand-ups, sprint planning, retrospectives, backlog management, cross-functional collaboration.
Agile Mindset: Customer-centric thinking, adaptability, servant leadership, empowerment.
Tools & Platforms: JIRA, Confluence, Trello, or other internal project management tools.
Metrics: Velocity, cycle time, lead time, business value delivered, quality indicators.
Sustainability Practices: Communities of practice, knowledge sharing, continuous improvement loops.
Training Workshops: Role-specific hands-on sessions (Scrum Master, PO, Dev, Ops).
Certifications: Encourage official certifications (CSM, PSM, SAFe).
Mentoring & Coaching: Pair experienced Agilists with teams for real-time guidance.
Internal Knowledge Sharing: Lunch-and-learns, webinars, communities of practice.
Simulations & Exercises: Agile games, scenario-based exercises tailored to banking processes.
On-the-Job Practice: Embedding Agile in live projects with coaching support.
Tool Training: Practical sessions on tools used for backlog management, reporting, and collaboration.
Regular Feedback: Retrospectives, surveys, and metrics to track adoption and improvement.
Leadership Involvement: Executives and managers actively participate and model Agile behaviors.
Continuous Learning: Online courses, internal resources, and regular updates on Agile best practices.
💡 In one line for a bank:
“Upskill executives, managers, IT, operations, and support teams through targeted training, coaching, and hands-on practice in Agile principles, standards, policies, and tools, ensuring adoption is sustainable and aligned with banking operations.”
Agile maturity describes how well an organization has adopted Agile principles, practices, and mindset. Most models define 5 levels:
1. Initial / Ad hoc
Agile practices are sporadic or inconsistent.
Teams may try Scrum or Kanban, but processes are not standardized.
Success depends heavily on individual effort rather than organizational support.
Little to no metrics or structured feedback.
Focus: Awareness and understanding of Agile principles.
2. Defined / Repeatable
Agile practices are defined and repeatable in some teams.
Teams follow standard processes and ceremonies (stand-ups, retros, backlog grooming).
Some basic training or coaching exists.
Metrics like velocity or cycle time may be tracked, but inconsistently.
Focus: Standardize practices and tools across teams.
3. Managed / Established
Agile adoption is across most teams, with formalized processes and roles.
Leadership supports Agile principles.
Metrics are consistently tracked (velocity, business value delivered).
Teams collaborate across departments.
Continuous improvement is part of retrospectives and planning.
Focus: Measure outcomes, improve quality and predictability.
4. Quantitatively Managed / Integrated
Agile is integrated across the organization and aligned with strategic objectives.
Metrics guide decision-making (predictability, ROI, customer satisfaction).
Cross-team dependencies and enterprise-level planning (e.g., SAFe, LeSS) are in place.
Culture supports Agile mindset, servant leadership, and empowerment.
Focus: Optimize performance, align with business strategy.
5. Optimizing / Transformational
Agile is fully embedded into the organization’s DNA.
Continuous improvement is systematic and data-driven.
Teams innovate, adapt quickly, and deliver measurable business value consistently.
Leadership actively drives change, and Agile culture supports experimentation, learning, and scaling.
Focus: Transform business, sustain long-term agility, maximize innovation.
“Drive the adoption of Agile at X to ensure that X reaches a maturity level as per the strategic objectives.”
Drive adoption → Implement training, standards, coaching, and governance.
At X → Target teams, departments, or the whole organization.
Reaches maturity level → Define which level (e.g., Level 3: Managed) aligns with your strategic objectives.
Strategic objectives → Could be faster delivery, higher quality, better customer experience, or enterprise-wide innovation.