Agility in Strategic Planning

1. Introduction

Imagine you are the captain of a ship in the middle of the ocean, where winds and currents are unpredictable. Instead of relying on detailed maps and fixed plans, you depend on the skill of your crew, quick adaptability, and constant monitoring of sailing conditions. This is exactly what it means to be an agile organization – having the ability to change direction on the go, respond to sudden challenges, and quickly redirect your resources to stay on the right course. In today’s business environment, characterized by rapid change and a high degree of uncertainty, organizations seek ways to adapt more flexibly and swiftly. Agility in strategic planning and management is becoming a key competence that enables companies to identify and seize opportunities, reduce risks, and increase innovation and stakeholder value [1], [2].

The learning outcomes of this unit are:

• i. define the concept of agile management and explain its principles (2/understanding);
• ii. analyze the key characteristics of agile planning (2/understanding);
• iii. apply the measurement instrument of the action plan and determine the level of goal achievement over time (6/evaluating);
• iv. design agile strategies for implementing the action plan (5/synthesizing).

2. Agile management

Agile management is a way of leading and organizing work based on adaptability, collaboration, and quick response to change. It involves a flexible and iterative approach to planning, decision-making, and implementation, emphasizing teamwork, feedback, and continuous improvement. Instead of following a rigid plan, the organization adapts to changes in the environment to deliver value to users faster and achieve strategic goals. In strategic management, agile management means managing the strategy through small, flexible steps. Rather than relying on long-term and unchangeable plans, the organization continuously monitors results, learns, and adjusts its objectives to remain competitive in a dynamic environment.

Agile management originated from the practice of agile software development, defined in the Agile Manifesto [3]. Its core principles include iterations, constant user feedback, team self-management, and continuous improvement. Managers become facilitators rather than controllers — they remove obstacles and encourage team autonomy [4]. A facilitator is a person who enables progress, helping a group work better together and understand their shared goals. A facilitator often remains neutral and does not take sides in a discussion.

Agile management in schools and universities involves a shift from strict, centralized control toward support and guidance of teams. Instead of all decisions being made by the administration with an expectation of perfect adherence to a fixed plan, leaders become mentors — removing obstacles, supporting initiatives, and fostering accountability at the team level. The key is to measure actual progress and learning processes, not just formal task completion.

For this purpose, methods such as Scrum, Kanban, Lean Startup, and Design Thinking are often applied:

• Scrum is a way of working that helps teams create valuable results in an organized and fast manner. Work is divided into short periods called “sprints” (usually lasting 2–4 weeks). At the beginning of each sprint, the team agrees on what to do, checks progress daily, and at the end of the sprint, presents results and lessons learned. The main idea: learn through small steps and improve continuously.
• Kanban is a method that helps visualize and better manage work. It uses a board (physical or digital) with columns such as “to do,” “in progress,” and “done.” Each task is represented by a card that moves across these columns as work progresses. The main idea: visibility, balanced workload, and avoiding team overload.
• Lean Startup is an approach to developing new products or services that says: don’t spend too much time and money before verifying what people actually want. Instead of a big plan, create a minimum viable product (MVP), test it with users, and decide the next steps based on feedback. The main idea: learn fast, spend little, and adapt to the market.
• Design Thinking is a problem-solving approach that starts with understanding people and their needs. The process usually includes several steps: empathize with the user, generate ideas, create a prototype, and test it. The main idea: put the user at the center and use creativity to find the best solutions.

Agile management is particularly important in the context of digital transformation, as technology continuously introduces new challenges in teaching, assessment, and communication. An agile approach allows for rapid testing of new ideas, learning from feedback, and continuous improvement of content and methods — in small iterations and with the involvement of all participants.

Example:

A good example of an agile way of working is the company Spotify, which in 2012 developed its squads and tribes model. Each squad is a small, autonomous team (around 6–12 people) with its own goal and freedom to decide how to work. A squad functions like a small startup — it plans tasks, sets priorities, and uses methods such as Scrum or Kanban. Several squads working on similar product areas form a tribe, which facilitates knowledge sharing, alignment, and joint presentations of results. Each tribe is led by a tribe lead, who helps teams secure resources and stay focused on shared goals. This model allows Spotify to maintain the agility of small teams while ensuring coordination for complex projects. Working in short cycles, called sprints, reduced the time from idea to finished product from several months to just weeks. In this way, Spotify demonstrates how agile management can be successfully applied in large organizations — while preserving speed, creativity, and team accountability [5].

3. Agility in organization

Organizational agility refers to the ability to adapt structures, processes, and culture to changes in the environment [6]. The key elements are:

• Structural agility: transitioning to small, cross-functional teams, as seen in ING Bank — in 2015, ING reorganized 3,500 employees into 350 squads, reducing the time to launch new services from 12 to 4 weeks [9].
• Cultural agility: encouraging experimentation and learning from failure, supported by Ericsson’s “Fail Fast, Learn Faster” initiative, which increased innovation speed and reduced R&D costs [7].
• Process agility: implementing CI/CD practices (Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery or Continuous Deployment — a set of practices and tools that automate software building, testing, and delivery), as in Microsoft, where adopting the DevOps model shortened the software delivery cycle from weeks to hours [8].

Agility within an organization means the company’s ability to quickly and effectively adapt to changes in the environment — whether these involve new technologies, market shifts, or customer needs.

An agile organization does not operate through rigid hierarchies and long-term, unchangeable plans; instead, it relies on collaboration, open communication, and flexibility.

Rather than all decisions being made “top-down,” agile organizations give greater autonomy to teams, allowing them the freedom to make decisions within their projects. This encourages faster responses, innovation, and a sense of responsibility. The core idea is that plans are continuously adjusted instead of being created once and followed blindly.

4. Agile paradigm in education

The agile paradigm in education is based on the idea that the learning process should occur in a way similar to how agile organizations operate — through small steps, continuous feedback, and adaptability. Instead of the traditional approach, where the teacher lectures and students passively receive knowledge, the agile approach encourages active participation, collaboration, and student independence.

In agile education:

• teaching is planned in shorter cycles (iterations), similar to “sprints” in the Scrum method;
• students receive quick feedback and have the opportunity to continuously improve their work;
• emphasis is on teamwork, problem-solving, and knowledge sharing;
• teachers act as mentors and facilitators, not just lecturers;
• the goal is not only to acquire content but also to develop critical thinking, creativity, and responsibility.

In an educational context, agility allows teachers and students to quickly adapt teaching content and methods according to actual needs and feedback. The key idea is to think of learning as an iterative project, where goals, materials, and assessment methods are continuously aligned with expectations. On the other hand, full implementation of the agile approach in education is not entirely possible, as the system has strictly prescribed curricula, standards, and outcomes. For example, a teacher cannot arbitrarily change topics at any moment. However, agility can be fostered within the existing system through more flexible class organization (e.g., project- or theme-based learning within the prescribed curriculum), active learning methods where students play a greater role in planning and assessment, an iterative teaching approach that adapts content and assignments to student progress, and increased collaboration among teachers that supports joint planning and idea exchange.

Examples of applying agile methods in teaching:

• Scrum sprints for projects: Students work in two-week cycles (sprints) on projects, defining specific sprint goals (e.g., case analysis, prototype creation), holding daily brief meetings for coordination, and presenting results to the group. This structure ensures frequent feedback and reduces the risk of discovering problems too late [11].
• Kanban boards for task management: A physical or digital board is used in the classroom with columns such as to do, in progress, and done. Students move their tasks across columns, which increases progress visibility and helps track priorities. This approach reduces delays in submitting student work and promotes independence [12].
• Lean Startup experimentation: In subjects like entrepreneurship or STEM workshops, students formulate hypotheses about the effectiveness of learning materials (MVP), test them in small groups, collect feedback, and adjust content accordingly. This prevents the introduction of untested methods to the entire class [13].
• Design Thinking workshops: Through five phases (empathy, problem definition, ideation, prototyping, testing), students and teachers collaborate on solving real-world challenges (e.g., improving school spaces or digital tools). This process fosters creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking [14].

Empirical studies show that educational institutions adopting agile methods report increased student engagement, better timeliness in assignment delivery, and greater flexibility in curriculum adaptation [11], [12]. Teachers perceive agile tools as valuable aids in continuous professional development and faster problem-solving.

By introducing agile principles into education, institutions can build a culture of learning and innovation aligned with the dynamic needs of modern society.

5. Characteristics of agile management

The characteristics of agile management combine procedural elements of agile planning with key personal and team skills that enable organizations and educational institutions to respond quickly and continuously improve:

• Adaptability: a living plan that is regularly updated based on new information and feedback.
• Iterative cycles: working in sprints (4–12 weeks) with clear success criteria and evaluation of results.
• Value focus: prioritizing items with the greatest impact on the user, while postponing less important activities.
• Dynamic prioritization: continuous reprioritization of planned items according to strategic importance.
• Transparency and visibility: visible work status and obstacles via Kanban boards or digital tools.
• Measurable outcomes: defining goals as OKRs or KPIs instead of activities.
• Learning and improvement: retrospectives and continuous process adjustments.
• Flexibility: willingness to consider different perspectives and new approaches.
• Responsiveness: rapid reaction to the needs of teams, users, and stakeholders.
• Acceptance of failure: viewing failures as opportunities for learning.
• Creativity: encouraging innovative solutions and generating new ideas.
• Critical thinking: analyzing problems from multiple perspectives and making reasoned decisions.
• Problem-solving: systematically removing obstacles and challenges during implementation.
• Collaboration and teamwork: effective communication, respect for diverse opinions, and joint decision-making.
• Self-awareness: understanding the organization's strengths and identifying areas for development.
• Situation analysis: applying SWOT analysis to assess strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
• Continuous development: commitment to lifelong learning and professional growth.
• Goal prioritization: meaningful sequencing of strategic and tactical tasks.
• Resource management: efficient allocation of time, finances, and personnel.
• Goal orientation: focus on achieving defined results.
• Risk acceptance: readiness to experiment while systematically managing risks.
• Usability: focus on solutions that create real and practical value.
• Active stakeholder participation: involving all relevant participants in planning and decision-making.

6. Agility in strategy development and implementation

When developing a strategy, agile principles are practically reflected through iteration and collaboration. A strategy is not created in a single move or meeting. Strategy development involves a larger number of participants who can work in smaller teams. Additionally, during the strategy creation process, tools for visualizing goal maps and interrelationships can be very useful.

On the other hand, in the implementation of the strategy — carried out through an action plan as mentioned in Topic 5 — the agile paradigm is manifested through the execution of the plan in smaller steps, with continuous measurement of progress and timely decision-making. Implementation in shorter cycles can resemble Scrum or Kanban approaches. When necessary, some parts of the action plan, and sometimes even the strategy itself, can be changed and adapted to new circumstances. In this way, the risk of strategy failure is reduced.

6.1. Examples of agile responses when implementing a strategy

The following section presents several hypothetical situations that may arise during the strategy development process, along with how agile management addresses them:

6.2. Examples of agile responses when implementing a strategy

Similarly, the following are examples of situations that can pose challenges during the implementation of a strategy, along with agile management solutions that help address them:

6.3. Designing an agile strategy

When we talk about designing an agile strategy for the creation and implementation of a strategy and action plan, we mean creating flexible ways of executing the plan that are continuously checked, adapted, and improved. In practice, this means setting the “rules of the game” for building the strategy and carrying it out—ensuring ongoing communication and coordination among teams, rapid learning, and readiness to change. Examples of agile strategies, i.e., principles of agile conduct in developing and implementing the strategic (action) plan, are given in the table below.

Table. Principles of agile conduct in strategic management

7. Conclusion

Agility in strategic planning and management combines flexible processes, iterative cycles, and key skills that enable organizations and educational institutions to respond quickly to change and continuously improve. Applying agile methods such as Scrum, Kanban, Lean Startup, and Design Thinking in teaching fosters collaboration, creativity, and responsible learning, while within management structures, it enables better team coordination and transparent goal tracking through OKRs. The characteristics of agile management—from adaptability and dynamic prioritization to embracing failure and continuous development—ensure that organizations remain focused on creating value and making timely decisions.

8. References

1. M. Rigby, K. Sutherland, and J. Takeuchi, “Embracing Agile,” Harvard Business Review, 2016. [Accessed: Aug. 1, 2025]
2. D. Denning, The Age of Agile: How Smart Companies Are Transforming the Way Work Gets Done, New York, NY: Amacom, 2018. [Accessed: Aug. 1, 2025]
3. K. Beck et. al., “Manifesto for Agile Software Development,” Agile Alliance, 2001. [Accessed: Aug. 1, 2025]
4. J. Appelo, Management 3.0: Leading Agile Developers, Developing Agile Leaders, Boston, MA: Addison-Wesley, 2013. [Accessed: Aug. 1, 2025]
5. N. Ivarsson and H. Nord, “Scaling Agile at Spotify with Tribes, Squads, Chapters & Guilds”. [Accessed: Aug. 1, 2025]
6. G. S. Day and P. J. Schoemaker, “Peripheral Vision: Detecting the Weak Signals That Will Make or Break Your Company,” Harvard Business Review, 2006. [Accessed: Aug. 1, 2025]
7. M. Mahadevan, P. Jacobs, and B. Schlatmann, “ING’s agile transformation,” McKinsey Quarterly, 2017. [Accessed: Aug. 1, 2025]
8. M. Paasivaara, B. Behm, C. Lassenius, and M. Hallikainen, “Large-scale agile transformation at Ericsson: a case study,” Empirical Software Engineering, vol. 23, no. 5, pp. 2550–2596, 2018. doi:10.1007/s10664-017-9555-8.
9. M. Humble and J. Molesky, “Why Enterprises Must Adopt DevOps to Enable Continuous Delivery,” Cutter IT Journal, vol. 24, no. 8, pp. 6–12, August 2011. [Accessed: Aug. 1, 2025]
10. S. D. Chow and L. Cao, “A survey study of critical success factors in agile software projects,” Journal of Systems and Software, vol. 81, no. 6, pp. 961–971, 2008. [Accessed: Aug. 1, 2025]
11. M. Neumann and L. Baumann, “Agile Methods in Higher Education: Adapting and Using eduScrum with Real World Projects,” arXiv preprint arXiv:2106.12166, 2021. [Accessed: Aug. 1, 2025]
12. K. Schwaber and J. Sutherland, The Scrum Guide, 2020. [Accessed: Aug. 1, 2025]
13. E. Ries, The Lean Startup: How Today’s Entrepreneurs Use Continuous Innovation to Create Radically Successful Businesses, New York, NY: Crown Business, 2011. [Accessed: Aug. 1, 2025]
14. T. Brown, “Design Thinking,” Harvard Business Review, 2008. [Accessed: Aug. 1, 2025]