One of my former colleagues asked for some advice today. He’d been approached about a role as a “Business Change Delivery Lead”.

The potential employer seeks candidates with Business Change experience and qualifications, but the details cover project management, change management, with a single mention of Agile PM certifications. Looking at the specification (the “job summary” is approximately 1,200 words), there was no other mention of Agile, Lean, or any other non-traditional way of effecting change.

The employer was missing a trick. I believe that if they broaden their horizon, the role provides an excellent platform for someone with Lean and Agile expertise to make a significant impact by embedding Agile and Lean practices into how the organization plans and delivers business change. With the right influence, such a person could help the organization transition to a more adaptive, customer-focused way of working, driving strategic alignment and operational excellence.

Unlocking the Potential of Business Change

Imagine a role where you’re not just delivering change but transforming how an organization approaches value creation—addressing complexity, aligning diverse stakeholders, and embedding sustainable improvements. Using Lean Change Management and Agile practices, an experienced change agent could tackle this head-on, turning potential challenges into opportunities for meaningful impact.

Here’s how:

🔍 Unravel Complexity Through Value Streams
Complex initiatives often face misaligned priorities and bottlenecks. The first step is mapping value streams to understand how workflows and identifying where it gets stuck. By leveraging Lean Change tools like change canvases and Agile frameworks like Kanban, you can make complexity visible, prioritize effectively, and align stakeholders around delivering value.

🤝 Co-Create Solutions, Not Oversight
Instead of “oversight and challenge,” shift the narrative to empowerment and co-creation. Engage stakeholders across functions to build shared accountability for outcomes. Lean Change emphasizes participatory practices like change canvases, option-based thinking, and collaboration workshops, fostering trust and ownership. Agile feedback loops ensure continuous alignment and adaptability.

🎯 Replace Bloated Plans with Experiments
Traditional approaches often over-rely on rigid plans. Use Lean Change’s experimental mindset to break big initiatives into manageable pieces. Run small, measurable experiments to validate assumptions early, learn quickly, and pivot if needed. Combine this with Agile’s iterative delivery to focus on delivering incremental value.

📊 From Metrics to Meaning
Move beyond tracking time, cost, and outputs. Introduce metrics that matter: flow efficiency, lead time, and customer outcomes. Lean Change emphasizes transparency with tools like visual change boards, while Agile methods ensure that delivery remains visible and adaptive. Together, they create a culture of informed, value-driven decision-making.

💡 Build a Culture of Leadership at Every Level
Turn “oversight” into servant leadership. Coach and mentor teams and leaders, empowering them to own the change. Lean Change principles prioritize human-centric approaches, while Agile focuses on servant leadership, creating a culture where everyone contributes to success.

🌟 Embed Change for Long-Term Success
Change isn’t just about implementation; it’s about adoption and benefits realization. Use Lean Change tools to assess adoption readiness and Agile retrospectives to reinforce learning and adaptation. Continuously measure benefits, refine processes, and celebrate wins to embed change into the organization’s DNA.

🎯 Align Projects with Strategic Value
Transition from traditional project-based thinking to a product-centric approach. Lean Portfolio Management can help align initiatives with strategic goals, ensuring that every piece of work delivers measurable value. This not only simplifies complexity but ensures resources are focused where they’re needed most.

🔄 Adapt to Dynamic Priorities
Urgency and priorities often shift. Lean Change’s dynamic prioritization techniques, combined with Agile’s flexible planning (e.g., PI planning or rolling-wave planning), keep the focus on what matters most, ensuring alignment across the organization.

💬 The Takeaway
This is more than delivering change—it’s about building a system that thrives on adaptability, collaboration, and continuous improvement. By addressing complexity, empowering people, and focusing on outcomes, Lean Change Management and Agile practices can drive transformation that sticks.

What challenges have you turned into opportunities when leading change? Let’s exchange ideas and inspire better ways to transform organizations!