A Chapter in the context of Agile tribes/domains is a group of individuals who share a similar skill set or functional expertise and work across different teams within the organization.
Examples of Chapters include the Front-End Chapter, consisting of all front-end developers who may be distributed across various product teams but come together to share knowledge, best practices, and to set standards in their area of expertise.
Similarly, a UI/UX Chapter would include designers and user experience professionals, while Sales or Marketing Chapters would gather respective professionals.
These Chapters provide a platform for members to focus on their specific skill development, independent of the product or project they are working on.
They facilitate the sharing of knowledge, tools, and techniques relevant to their field, and often are responsible for setting and maintaining professional standards and processes in their domain.
Chapters are essential in Agile organizations for fostering professional development and ensuring a consistent level of expertise and practice across the organization or tribe/domain. They act as centers of excellence, where members can share knowledge, develop skills, and collaboratively establish standards and best practices within their specialty. This communal learning and standard-setting are vital for maintaining a high quality of work and ensuring a unified approach to challenges and processes.
Without Chapters, an organization faces the risk of inconsistent practices and varying quality standards across teams. This inconsistency can lead to integration challenges, inefficiencies, and a decline in the overall quality of outputs. Additionally, the absence of Chapters may result in knowledge silos and a lack of coordinated professional development. This can hinder the organization’s ability to stay abreast of industry advancements and adapt to evolving market demands.
In essence, Chapters are not just forums for skill enhancement; they are critical for aligning individual professional growth with the strategic objectives of the organization, thereby ensuring a cohesive and competent workforce.
Establishing Chapters within an Agile organization involves a strategic approach, tailored to the specific needs and context of the tribe’s products or value streams. The process of setting up these Chapters typically follows several key steps. It is highly recommended that you gather all tribe members together and hold a workshop to establish the Chapters, select their Chapter Leads and regular execution & feedback loops. Following topics should be covered in such a workshop:
Identifying Key Skill Areas:
The first step is to identify the crucial skill areas that align with the tribe’s products or value streams. For instance, if a tribe focuses on digital product development, relevant Chapters might include a “Web Development Chapter,” “Sales Chapter,” and a “User Experience (UX) Chapter.” Each Chapter should reflect a core area of expertise necessary for the tribe’s product development.
Selecting Chapter Leads: Once the skill areas are identified, it’s important to appoint Chapter Leads. These individuals should be recognized experts in their field and possess strong leadership and mentorship abilities. For example, a senior UX designer with extensive experience and good communication skills would be a suitable lead for the UX Chapter.
You may also find useful this document for organising your workshop for establishing Chapters.
Please follow steps below establishing Chapters and making them operational:
