Remember that classic Reese's commercial? Two people collide—one eating chocolate, another with peanut butter—creating a combination that becomes the perfect sugar rush. That's exactly how Lean Agile for OpEx was born: not in a classroom, but through real client deployments where teams needed to win quickly and frequently.
As we enter Q4 with our focus on deployment and sustainment, we're launching this course built from battlefield experience, not textbook theory. Here's the story behind the system that meets practitioners where they are to achieve world-class results.
Key takeaways:
- Discover how two client failures led to a breakthrough methodology.
- Learn why starting in the "wrong" place often leads to the right results.
- See how Lean's systematic thinking collides with Agile's speed to create exponential value.
THE SINGAPORE EXPERIMENT: WHEN AGILE NEEDS A TARGET
A trade commodity finance team in Singapore wanted to implement the Spotify way of working across their global teams. We built cross-functional teams, established daily standups, and followed a solid Scrum model. Success, right?
Not quite. Teams were churning through weekly backlogs efficiently, but it felt like sophisticated business-as-usual. We were counting completed items but couldn't tell if we were actually winning. The energy was high, but the impact was ambiguous.
The breakthrough came when we informally mapped their client onboarding value stream. The revelation hit hard: their current process couldn't support growth projections. Suddenly, Agile had its villain to chase. This is where management saw a much bigger opportunity. They realized this value stream approach was the perfect mechanism to connect operational activities upstream to the country's strategic plan, or X-Matrix.
This insight transformed the project. It was no longer just about operational efficiency; it became a powerful tool for strategy deployment. By using a Lean Agile lens, we could align the team's targeted improvements directly with the "North Star" initiatives on the Hoshin Kanri plan. We introduced Value Stream Analysis and Kaizen workshops to populate backlogs with improvements that closed strategic gaps.
The teams now had sequential weekly targets tied to measurable business impact, ensuring their work advanced the company's most critical objectives in a disciplined, takt-time manner. The Scrum purists might call this waterfall, but results don't lie—the teams transformed from activity-focused to outcome-obsessed, driving both operational and strategic success.
THE INDIA ULTIMATUM: WHEN TIME TRUMPS METHOD
"I don't have time for that Lean Six Sigma bull****." Those were the exact words from a client facing a $5 million contract loss. They needed to compress a marketing field study from 12 weeks to 4 weeks, and a previous improvement event had yielded zero implementation. They didn’t think training was the answer; they needed a rescue.
We threw out the playbook. Instead of months of analysis, we ran accelerated onsite mapping, future state design, and gap planning. The result? Twelve targeted Kaizens to close the performance gap.
But here's where Lean principles saved the day. Rather than overwhelming the team with twelve simultaneous improvement projects, we created a pull system: a maximum of two Kaizens running simultaneously, with the third only launching after the successful closure of a current one. This structured approach prevented chaos and ensured focused execution.
The result? They met the 4-week deadline and kept the contract. It was a powerful demonstration of how a tailored, consultative approach delivers when off-the-shelf methods fall short.
THE REESE'S MOMENT: WHEN OPPOSITES CREATE EXCELLENCE
These deployments revealed something profound. Whether clients started with Agile energy or Lean systematization, they needed both.
Agile without direction is chaos. Lean without speed is paralysis. Together, they create a methodology that adapts to reality while driving results that matter. They create excellence.
Lean Agile for OpEx crystallizes this hybrid approach:
- Value Stream Sprints: Rapid value stream discovery using time-boxed iterations, creating dynamic maps that evolve with understanding rather than static documentation that collects dust.
- Outcome-Driven Backlogs: Agile backlogs populated through systematic value stream analysis, ensuring every sprint delivers measurable business impact, not just completed tasks.
- Experimental Operations: Every change becomes a hypothesis with clear success criteria, creating a culture where "failure" becomes fuel for improvement rather than blame.
This methodology-neutral approach ensures flexibility and adaptability, allowing organizations to tailor solutions to their unique challenges. Learn more about methodology-neutral consulting here.
MEETING YOU WHERE YOU ARE
Traditional training assumes you start at the beginning. Reality? You're thrown into the middle of complex situations with incomplete information and demanding timelines. You may think a standard training course is the solution, but the real challenge often requires a more integrated strategy.
Lean Agile for OpEx acknowledges this messy truth. Whether you're wrestling with:
- Cross-functional teams that lack clear objectives (Singapore scenario)
- Time-compressed transformations with zero room for error (India scenario)
- Operations that need both speed and systematic improvement
Lean Agile for OpEx adapts to your starting point while guiding you toward world-class performance.
WHY THIS MATTERS FOR DEPLOYMENT AND SUSTAINMENT
Our Q4 theme of deployment and sustainment isn't coincidental.Â
Most improvement initiatives fail not because the ideas are wrong, but because deployment happens in isolation from operational reality.
Lean Agile for OpEx solves this by:
- Rapid Piloting: Test improvements in weeks, not months.
- Pull-Based Implementation: Scale only what works, when capacity allows.
- Embedded Learning: Build improvement capability into daily operations.
This is how you move from short-term fixes to creating a culture of continuous improvement that delivers lasting value.
YOUR NEXT MOVE
The gap between traditional improvement approaches and market reality isn't closing—it's widening.
Organizations that bridge this gap first will dominate their industries. Lean Agile for OpEx gives you the battle-tested framework to lead this transformation. Whether optimizing manufacturing workflows, accelerating service delivery, or scaling technology operations, this approach provides the foundation for sustainable competitive advantage.
Ready to discover what happens when your chocolate meets our peanut butter?
Explore the Lean Agile for Operational Excellence course, developed from real-world deployment experience, to implement, implement, implement with precision and purpose. The results might surprise you—and your competition.
