Unlocking Potential with Agile: A New Paradigm for R&D
Combining Agile and Scrum Project management methodologies transforms traditional lab processes
Agile has been the dominant project management approach for software development over the past couple of decades, but it’s less familiar in manufacturing and science-based environments where R&D cycles are long anddependent upon divergent and often discordant teams of specialists. However, today’s most innovative organizations, outside of software, have embraced Agile principles for their emphasis on autonomy in teams and continual process improvement.
Agile is considered more a philosophy and mindset rather than a specific methodology. It encompasses a simple set of principles:
- Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
- Flexibility and responsiveness over following a plan
- Continual improvement through short feedback loops
- Deliverables over projects
The first tenet—individuals and interactions over processes and tools—prioritizes the real-time perspectives of, and communication between, the humans doing the work over the adherence to pedantic procedures or technologies. This empowers staff to take ownership of the work and their processes while more openly sharing knowledge and challenges. The second tenet—flexibility and responsiveness over following a plan—emphasizes the value of fast adaptability to changing circumstances over blind allegiance to plans. This allows for more nimbleness on behalf of team members while acknowledging that however critical plans are, they rarely unfold in the time or manner predicted. The third tenet—continual improvement through short feedback loops—stresses the importance of constant improvement via regular, honest, assessments. This instills the practice of continuous evaluation of processes and outcomes. And finally, the fourth tenet—deliverables over projects—reminds Agile practitioners that what matters are tangible results, not busy teams spinning plates.
Scrum teams are small, multi-disciplinary, and cross-functional, fostering a more open environment for communication, knowledge sharing, and accountability.
For the lab manager well-seasoned in traditional workflows, where projects are typically linear, knowledge domains siloed, communication selective, and decisions hierarchical, the Agile mindset can appear like a radical change. However, its benefits include reduced inefficiencies, more flexible, cross-functional teams, and a happier, more innovative workforce.
In a 2019 Harvard Business Review article titled "Why Science-Driven Companies Should Use Agile," the authors share their observations of traditional lab operations: "For example, at one of our biotech clients, we found that clinical development groups were working without much coordination. They followed strict scientific process protocols and team members turned to their functional heads for all key decisions." The authors continued by citing their findings. "Our analysis found that the waste and inefficiency of this back-and-forth between individuals and their reporting functions cost about 30 percent of their time and productivity—and, most importantly, reduced the ability to iterate quickly despite the obvious benefits that faster adaptation would bring to a capital-intensive and uncertain process like drug development." The article goes further to describe how there's an emerging "agile science" that shifts the focus of research labs from a more conventional and bureaucratic ethos to one characterized by small, autonomous teams empowered to innovate processes and reduce inefficiencies resulting in increased productivity. "Consider a German chemicals company that adopted the agile principle of rapid iterations with early customer involvement in its R&D process. This new approach allowed it to increase its R&D productivity by 20 percent by either discontinuing projects or pivoting them in new directions early in the process. For example, thanks to early prototype testing with a small number of industrial detergent customers, the company decided to shelve research that would have otherwise resulted in a costly failure,” explained the authors.
The Agile Scrum approach
While the Agile philosophy is based on the four core principles—human-centered, flexible, iterative, and results-based—most practitioners utilize a "lightweight" framework called Scrum for its practical implementation. A lightweight framework is one that is more pliable and adaptable than a "heavyweight" framework, which prioritizes a strict adherence to rules. Its foundation rests on a few key pillars: transparency, inspection, and adaptation. Scrum teams are small, multi-disciplinary, and cross-functional, fostering a more open environment for communication, knowledge sharing, and accountability. This stands in contrast to most conventional lab operations where specialists often silo themselves into "expert domain fiefdoms." In these labs, minimal shared knowledge, top-down decision-making, and a limited sense of shared purpose are more the norm.
Scrum teams work in short development cycles called "sprints," typically lasting one to four weeks. This allows teams to focus intensely on a well-defined set of objectives, fostering efficiency, and adaptability. At the start of each sprint there is a planning session where the team selects the task or deliverable to be completed. The task is usually one small part of a larger, longer-term project or objective. Daily or weekly check-ins keep the team aligned, highlighting achievements, challenges, and upcoming tasks, while the "Sprint Retrospective" fosters continuous improvement by reflecting on that sprint's processes and results.
By adopting the Agile mindset and utilizing the Scrum framework, you can cultivate a culture of adaptability, collaboration, and ongoing improvement within your lab organization.
Another element of the Agile/Scrum framework is the Kanban board, which is your visual snapshot of the larger project in progress. A Kanban board can be either a large physical board mounted on a wall or a digital facsimile, accessed via a computer. Physical boards are more common as they offer a simple, highly visual picture of the project's status. The tool helps limit the current “work-in-progress” and balance the overall workflow. Moving tasks from “on-deck” to “in-progress” to “done” provides a tactile way for the team to think more tangibly about how to better manage resources, time, and processes. In a 2018 report published by the Agile Alliance, Kendra West, co-founder of an Agile affinity group at the Broad Institute, reflected on the benefits of Agile and the use of Kanban boards in academic labs. "A common complaint from the laboratories is that individuals aren’t connected to the work done by others in the lab; that they don’t know what’s happening in all areas of the lab. Many laboratories find success enhancing team communication and transparency using visual workboards, especially in more process-based labs where many team members are working on the same type of workflow. With so many projects or samples in flight at once, tracking work in a common location offers an easy way for lab members to stay in tune with what’s happening around them."
By adopting the Agile mindset and utilizing the Scrum framework, you can cultivate a culture of adaptability, collaboration, and ongoing improvement within your lab organization. These principles will empower your teams to not just be more efficient and innovative but also happier and more energized as they’ll be more invested in the process and the ultimate outcome. Agile/Scrum redefines the relationship between function, purpose, and efficiency. It allows the people doing the work to make decisions based on real-time feedback while gaining a more holistic understanding and appreciation for the entire lab ecosystem.