Perhaps there’s a lot more to modern software development and digital transformation than you think. Scrum, Lean, DevOps and agile approaches are each only one small part of the picture. To be successful in the new economy, you need more. You need to fill in the missing pieces.
You need the GROWS Method™.
The GROWS Method™ helps you grow software and grow skills using fast-feedback experiments, Tracer Bullet Development, and organizational learning practices.
The GROWS Method™ is a set of practices and approaches to integrate effective software development and learning within an organization. It’s based on several key concepts:
Continuous Development using Tracer Bullet Development to grow software in a steady, robust and responsive manner
Fast Experiments that provide feedback loops to answer technical questions and drive practice adoption and process pruning
Continuous Learning using a skill stages model and practices to guide personal and organizational growth and development
Inclusiveness to ensure that all parts of the organization work together, effectively
A seed is a generative principle that can advise and inform you in many different contexts. Once you understand the nature of a seed, you can apply that idea in multiple situations. This will help you answer questions and solve problems depending on your unique situations. There are four seeds in the GROWS Method™:
The Cynefin model describes five different decision-making domains:
Disorder: “Clueless.” You don’t know which of the domains you are operating in. This is the murky area in the middle of the figure. Very dangerous, as any decision here is likely the wrong one.
Scrum and even waterfall can work well in the Obvious domain. More agile approaches are required for Complicated domains. A high level of skill and ability is needed for Complex domains. The GROWS Method™ will help you and your teams navigate the treacherous waters of Complex domains, and help you avoid slipping into Chaos. (Figure by Dave Snowden, CC BY-SA 3.0)
Ready to get started? Here are some tips and initial steps to get you headed in the right direction.
Ready to dive in with an overview of the GROWS Method™ and in-depth descriptions of the processes and seeds? Dig deeper and learn what the GROWS Method™ is all about.
Ready to make it real and start growing your organization? We offer workshops that will jump-start everyone’s understanding and get you off on the right foot.
"I especially like the GROWS Method™ fixed-rate understanding of team velocity. I've used that idea on a project where I was able to show that given our task list and our current velocity (reported daily on a wall calendar), we needed help. We got it, and I was then able to show we were on track."
—Mike Bonar, Victoria, BC
"The themes that hit closest to home for me were aligning my work with Executive Vision/Initiatives, permitting Experimentation and tracking my growth through a Learning Journal. I recommend learning how the GROWS Method™ can help your team grow through the application of Agile and Lean methodologies and beyond."
—Harold Meder, RTP, NC
"Best presentation of the conference. Best articulation of the usefulness, right use, and limitations of agile."
—An Introduction to The GROWS Method™, Agile Development Conference East
"Spread this information to masses—this is what the real world needs"
—Zemira L, The GROWS Method™ Tutorial
Follow @growsmethod on Twitter, or subscribe to our mailing list:
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See our Frequently Asked Questions page for answers to common questions.
Read our Articles on GROWS for more in-depth discussion on popular topics.
Check out the Overview of GROWS, or our short Getting Started Guide.