Introduction

Hello! I'm Kin-chan from the Development Support Division at KINTO Technologies.

I usually work as a corporate engineer, maintaining and managing IT systems used throughout the company.

In this article, I'd like to share an initiative I've been working on to promote Agile practices across teams and departments within the company. If you're someone who's passionate about starting something new from the ground up and driving it forward, I hope this will be helpful and encouraging.

*This article is part of a series on the theme of "Agile."
In order for us to become "agile as an organization,"
we have tackled all sorts of challenges and difficulties.
Although there have been failures at times, we have continued to grow steadily.
In this series of articles, I would like to introduce some of our actual efforts.

Background

I joined KINTO Technologies in January 2023.

Having been involved in various Agile-related activities both inside and outside the company in the past, I joined KINTO Technologies with a strong desire from the start to connect with the in-house Agile experts across different teams.

In my experience so far:

• Involved in software development teams as a Scrum Master and Scrum Coach in the company
• Promoted business improvement initiatives centered on Agile in the administrative department
• Helped build a community of practice by regularly sharing ideas and activities with other in-house practitioners
• Regularly participated in external Agile communities and conferences

...and so on.

Though I had that desire in mind, once I actually started working in the Corporate IT Group, my first impression was that the product development team was farther away than I had thought.

That feeling came not just from the "organizational distance" between the product development side and the corporate side, but also from the physical distance. I'm based in the Nagoya Office, but most of the engineers working on product development are in Tokyo. That physical separation played a big part.

That sense of distance proved to be quite a hurdle, and since I'm naturally a bit socially awkward, I couldn't actively interact with people in other departments for a while after joining the company. So, I spent my days as a serious corporate engineer quietly holding on to an agile mindset.

How it started

In the Development Support Division where I work, we have regular one-on-one meetings with our managers.

About two months after I joined, I brought up with my then-manager (who's now the department head) that I wanted to connect with some of the Agile experts in the company.

During that conversation, my manager mentioned several names, but the one who matched best was Kinoshita-san, who had taken Scrum Master training not too long ago. Kinoshita san is an engineer, a member of the company's Tech Blog team, and also the writer of a post on becoming a Licensed Scrum Master (LSM)" I had actually read Kinoshita-san's articles before joining KINTO Technologies, so I told my manager I'd really love the chance to connect with him. Thanks to that, I was given the opportunity to interact with the Tech Blog team.

Meeting The Tech Blog Team

When I first met team members of the Tech Blog Team, my honest impression was, "They seem like a fun and unique group of people." Even though each member has a different main job, they all actively contribute to growing this shared product called the "Tech Blog." Through that, they've been able to connect with people across the organization and build a kind of cross-functional momentum. To me, this was "one form of an ideal internal community."

The Tech Blog team actually started from one passionate person named Nakanishi san taking action. After interacting with the team a few times, I found myself thinking, "I want to help spread a positive culture within the company together with everyone."

Then came a turning point.

Some Tech Blog team members mentioned, "Kinoshita-san's articles have been consistently getting solid page views, so Agile-related posts could really take off too" That comment, paired with the fact that I've always had a strong passion for Agile, sparked the idea to launch a Tech Blog series focused on Agile.

So, Where to Begin?

The idea of an "Agile Series" sounded great at first, but once I actually sat down to think about it, I realized I didn't really know anything about what Agile activities at KINTO Technologies even looked like. That meant, I had pretty much zero content to start with.

Therefore, the first step for me was to be referred to some experts. With the help of the Tech Blog team's network, I was able to connect with:

• Someone who previously obtained their Licensed Scrum Master certification within the company
• Someone at KINTO Technologies who's about to dive into Scrum, drawing on their experience from their previous job
• Someone who's planning to take the Licensed Scrum Master training course soon

The team helped set up some great opportunities to connect, and from there, a natural flow of conversations and interviews about "Agile at KINTO Technologies" started to take shape.

At first, I couldn't help but feel a kind of emotional distance, because of the physical distance between Nagoya and Tokyo. But by this point, that had faded and distance no longer really mattered. I started to see everyone as friends who just happen to be a little farther away.

Taking the very first step always feels tough. But I came to realize that once you find even the tiniest push to move forward, your body naturally follows.

Next Episode

That's it for this time.

In the next article, I'll talk about what happened as the story continued to unfold.

• Being able to interact with internal experts and directly feel their thoughts on Agile
• Getting the chance to join an actual Scrum event and see the energy of the scene up close
• Being able to talk about that all-too-familiar "Agile reality" where things don't always go smoothly
• How the interview led to starting an internal meetup for Agile experts to connect

I plan to share those experiences.

This Agile Series will mainly spotlight Agile at KINTO Technologies. Along the way, I'll be introducing various things step by step, like experts actively working within the company, their team members, and even Agile practices I've come across outside of software development.

I Hope you're excited for what's coming next!