Getting Agile People on Board and Getting Things Rolling: Prologue

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Agile practices at KINTO Technologies were initially hard to access because of both organizational and physical distance between teams. I joined in 2023 and noticed that the product development team was far from the corporate IT side—especially since most engineers were in Tokyo while I was in Nagoya. That gap made it hard to connect, and as someone naturally shy, I stayed quiet and just maintained an agile mindset from behind the scenes. To bridge that gap, I asked my manager for a connection with Agile experts. He pointed me to Kinoshita-san, a tech engineer and Tech Blog team member who had recently completed Scrum Master training. I’d already read his articles, so I asked to meet him. That led to me joining the Tech Blog team, where I saw a vibrant, cross-functional group that shared ideas and built momentum across departments. Their work felt like a real example of an internal community in action. The idea of launching an Agile-focused blog series came from a simple observation: Kinoshita-san’s posts got strong page views. With my own passion for Agile, I decided to start a series that would spotlight real Agile work inside KINTO. But I had no content to begin with—so I reached out to three key experts: one with a past LSM certification, one preparing to join Scrum, and one planning to take the LSM course. Through the Tech Blog team’s help, I built a natural flow of interviews about what Agile actually looks like in practice. That first step—just reaching out—was hard, but once I started, I realized I could connect with people across the country. The physical distance faded. I now see everyone as a friend, just a bit farther away. The key takeaway? Starting small, even with a tiny push, leads to real movement. In the next episode, I’ll share how we joined a real Scrum event, discussed the messy realities of Agile, and launched an internal meetup for Agile experts.

 IntroductionHello! 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.
 BackgroundI 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 startedIn 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 TeamWhen 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 EpisodeThat'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!