Agile agents

Agile agents support teams in studierendenWERKto make their internal collaboration more modern.

Interested?

Do you need support in one of the fields mentioned or simply want to find out more about agile methods? Just get in touch with us!

agile@stw.berlin

13 employees from various departments and areas of the studierendenWERKs have been trained as “Agile Agents” with the aim of supporting colleagues in all departments in testing and implementing more flexible ways of working in their teams.

We offer the teams of studierendenWERKs

We provide an initial insight into the questions: What does agile working actually mean? And what does agile working mean for my everyday work? studierendenWERK? What can be improved by using agile methods?

Are you planning methodical workshops for your teams or are you looking for an outside perspective to reflect on the work in the team or in a project in a retrospective or review? We conduct workshops or moderate certain events.

When does a meeting even make sense? What types of meetings are there and does the chosen form match the actual goal?

Which meeting serves what purpose, how often does who have to meet with whom and for how long on which topic?

The agile agents provide input on these topics and provide tips and tricks for organizing meetings (introducing different check-in/out formats, role-based work, e.g. time-keeping, methods, etc.)

How do I moderate a meeting and how do I deal with being a moderator and a participant at the same time? What tasks do I have as a moderator?

The Agile Agents offer information on the subject of moderation and – if necessary – exemplary, joint moderation of a meeting, a team meeting, etc.

A positive error culture and constantly checking your own work/procedures are essential components of agile work. This includes professional feedback strategies.

The agile agents provide information about which feedback strategies there are and what should be taken into account when providing feedback. They also support the revision and/or establishment of an internal team feedback culture.

How can decision-making be moderated? What decision-making methods and strategies are there? And which strategies are suitable for which type of decision?

If a team has difficulty coming to a decision, the Agile Agents can moderate a corresponding process or provide input on what such moderation might look like.

Method kit I: The check-in

You know how you want to open a meeting and are immediately met with the statement: “No, please no check-in” or “Not another group question like that”. Don't be discouraged! Check-in is an important part of a meeting. It lightens the mood and at the same time helps to focus the participants' attention on the meeting.
In short: It supports a pleasant (mental) arrival in the meeting.

To counter the team's resistance at the next meeting, you could, for example, dig a little deeper into the check-in method trick box. Because: Check-in can be much more than just answering questions quickly. It is important that you ask yourself in advance what you want to achieve with the check-in.

For example, would you like to get an impression of what the mood of the participants is currently? Or is it perhaps about finding out what prior knowledge or expectations the participants come into the meeting with? Maybe you want to use the check-in to encourage the participants to get to know each other or simply “activate” them. There are suggestions for all of these goals... Further check-ins are available, for example, at Wild workshop games or you can simply ask us Agile Agents.

Record a clock in advance. The numbers are replaced by different emoji smiley stickers. The participants indicate what time it is where they are in relation to their mood.

All participants receive a sheet with the alphabet printed vertically. A term associated with the meeting topic should be written as quickly as possible for each first letter.

All participants paint a picture of their personality/something that suits them and then present it to the group.

You give instructions (e.g. laugh, raise your hand, hop on one leg…). The participants are only allowed to do this if you put “Simon says” in front of it. E.g. “Simon says, go around in circles.” The participants are not allowed to follow blank requests that are as simple as “go around in circles!”