Agile Top Down in Timisoara - Organizational development towards Adaptive/Agile
The project started last year, Agile Top Down, provides a distribution at the level of the research and development center in Timișoara of the Agile concept and work techniques. Strategic project for the location, "Agile Top Down" aims, in the upcoming years, that the entire organization in Timisoara will be transformed into a location where the activity will be more transparent and faster adaptable to VUCA type changes (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity). In order to reach this level, an involvement is also needed at the management level.
Thus, in the engineering center in Timisoara was appointed a team whose role is to support the implementation of Agile at all levels of the organization, to provide a good framework for collaboration and exchange of information between different departments (Business Units, Human Relations, central functions etc.). The team is sponsored by Ciprian Samfescu, Head of CCN Continental Automotive Timisoara and coordinated by Florin Cagnea, Head of Instrumentation and Autonomous Driving CVS and Rares David, Head of VNI TSR SW IC / XD. Strategic partners are also the AGILE community from Timisoara, the Human Relations department, the “SW Academy” organization and the Continental Business System central group.
"The AGILE transformation of an organization takes time. The positive energy I started with is very good, growing, and the first results began to appear, not only in projects running with an AGILE setup, but also in the way of thinking and acting of some colleagues in management. The future now depends on us and on the speed with which we are willing to transform ourselves individually", says Ciprian Samfescu, the project sponsor.
Different projects are already in progress, in different stages, under the Agile umbrella. They aim for new solutions that bring more transparency, efficiency and better organization of work tasks, support accelerated learning, bring more speed to existing processes and offer new development opportunities to R&D colleagues. Two examples from AGILE implementations in the area of central functions are the projects developed by Facility and Travel that aim to increase transparency, a quick resolution of tickets and the creation of an overview that helps a better organization.
"Active adoption of agility has given us the perspective to use the challenges in our favor by identifying the opportunities given by them. And I am referring here to both organizational, internal and external ones, which are causing a major change around the world, not just in one industry or another. The world we live in is constantly changing, which means more than always being prepared for what is new: it requires a digitization in advance, a plus of flexibility and, above all, an agile approach to new situations with which we we are facing”, explains Christian von Albrichsfeld, Head of Country Continental Romania.
Leadership trainings are also among the activities aimed at promoting work models based on decisions made where information is, meaning decentralization.