Becoming agile with ShuHaRi

How to cite this article:

Ivan, F. (2015). Becoming agile with ShuHaRi. Paper presented at PMI® Global
Congress 2015—EMEA, London, England. Newtown Square, PA: Project
Management Institute.

Florian Ivan .
Most likely, we wouldn't even talk about agile today if it weren't for all those
extremely fast changes that we have been seeing for years now. Think
smartphones, cars, and movies, and that should give you the right picture.
Things have changed, and traditional techniques used to manage seem
not to work anymore. There are a few things that are worth mentioning to
explain why. One would be the assumption that if we spend some time
thinking about the future, it will cause the future to be predictable. Building
plans will not cause the future to stop surprising us. It will only cause rigidity
and a false sense of control. That's why the main focus should be on the
planning, and not on the plans. Plans are just an indication as to how the
future might look, and you should be prepared to change them because the
future might look brighter than you planed for—and it would be a shame
not to take advantage of that.
Too often, we are not committed enough. Commitment plays a very
important role because it implies also that to do something new (a new way
of working), you have to give up on something old (an old way of working).
It takes a lot of commitment because it will be hard. And commitment is
what gets you through the tough times.
It is also a matter of resources. The rule is simple here: big objectives, big
resources. Reasonable objectives, reasonable resources! And, reasonable
objectives are always recommended. Otherwise, people will be upset or
frustrated.
To summarize, the main prerequisites to be doing agile are a lot of
commitment, a good degree of realism when setting the objectives, decent
resources, and…time! Yes, time, because there is no other way to do this
except by actually doing it. It is not about doing it right or wrong; it is about
doing it and always improving the way you do it, which takes time.
The Need for Models
Like everything that is new and unknown, agile needs models, lessons, and
experts. Otherwise, like anything new that threatens the status quo, it could
be regarded with reservation or even condescendence. Before even
searching for success stories, success itself needs to be defined. There
are numerous situations when one person's success is another person's
failure. And, as sad it may be, it is because, in most cases, we are not
equipped with the right tools to assess the success or the failure of an agile.
Success may have different definitions. That's why we easily label any
situation a failure when the reality doesn't meet the expectations. But then,
is it against expectations that we need to measure the results or against a
well-thought plan? Today, most of the organisations and people that
implement agile don't have a plan. They just do it and hope that it will
miraculously boost productivity and creativity. When you don't have a
reference, anything can be successful or a failure.
Looking back, it seems that those who had a plan on how to become more
agile—and that also includes realistic expectations—managed to get some
results. Those who did it without a plan usually complain about all the
blockers and the barriers as an excuse why it didn't work for them. With a
plan! Then, probably, when we look back and try to assess our success or
failure, we would have something more relevant to measure against.
One of the best-known models (“strategy” would be too pretentious) is a
very old Japanese model that has the merit of focusing on incrementally
mastering a technique or skill. This model, called ShuHaRi, is today one of
the elements that, willingly or not, guides any agile methodology.

What Is ShuHaRi?
The concept of ShuHaRi comes from the Japanese, it is a model used to
illustrate the path an apprentice needs to take from the moment he or she
expresses the interest to learn about something until that person becomes
a master. It became famous in martial arts. Because it accurately describes
the evolution in skills and practice, it is one of the most used models to plan
and execute the transition to a new way of working.
It has the advantage to be easy to understand and simple to use. It basically
says that in any learning process, we go through a few stages. First, we
are an apprentice. This is the Shu level. We don't know anything and
everything seems hard and scary. It takes hard work, patience, and a good
plan or teacher to follow. After a while, we start to understand more, and
we are deliberately searching for more information, including varying the
sources, interpretations, and approaches. We are detaching from our initial
thinking and discover the world around us. This second level is known as
Ha. After much study and exploration, we are reaching the third level, Ri.
This is where the learning process turns to our own work and inner thinking.
The learning here is based on reflection, meditation, and continuous
improvement and discovery. Here, you are a master.
How does this model apply to agile? Well, first you read an article about
agile and you think this is something a person or organisation could use.
What did they tell you in the training to do? Change! Change the way you
work so it fits the new methodology. But that is hard! Very hard! Next to
impossible! So what do you do? Change the methodology! It is much easier
to change the methodology to fit your way of working than it is to change
you to fit the methodology. You tailor the methodology. This is the Shu level
when, no matter how hard it is, you must respect the rules, processes, and
indications as they are explained to you by your master (also known as
agile coach). Sadly enough, most of the agile implementations fail at this
level. And this is the lowest level of learning agile.
However, if you struggle and don't give up, one day the sun will shine and
the first results will become visible. Not much, but just enough to give you
some hope and strength to continue. This boost of enthusiasm will give you
the energy required to go further. You ask other people, are constantly
looking for more information and examples, and you are listening to other
masters (or practitioners) about how they use it. You are multiplying the
sources, and that gets you to the second level, Ha.
The first two levels are about learning from the others. Your practice is
considered as still learning, so you are looking outside for examples.
However, in time, after a lot of practice, you discover that you are as good
as they are, and that there is not much you can learn from them. Soon you
realise that most of the learning will come from your own doing. This is the
third level, which puts you in the master's seat. This doesn't mean you
neglect the others, but your own experience is much more meaningful and
full of learning than any other cases you can see around. A master is
concerned with his own work and his own improvement. Your work,
 although not perfect—by now you know it will never be—can be used as a
case study by others who find themselves at the beginning of the road.

“Shu” Is Easy! Doing It Is Hard!

You start this with a lot of enthusiasm and hope, especially if you had a
good trainer. The biggest problem here is trying to change the world. In one
day! One very important aspect of agile is that it is based on continuous,
incremental improvement—known as Kaizen—which basically means you
cannot change anything dramatically. You can only improve. Most likely,
things around you will not change because you've been in an agile training;
they'll continue to be as “anti-agile” as they were before. What is always
recommended at this stage is to build a plan. Nothing fancy, just setting
some objectives (don't forget about the “achievable” part) and a few actions
that would get you there. As simple as it sounds, most organisations don't
do it. Particularly in agile, there are some things that are achievable in three
months, some which require more time, and some that will take a lot of
time. Setting the wrong expectations can be very damaging for the whole
initiative.
This is probably the most painful moment for yourself, because many things
around not only don't seem very agile, but they seem impossible to change.
Agile is not a destination, so there is no model to be comparing yourself to.
It is a journey that constantly moves from good to better and from better to
even better. If there is something you want to use as reference, that would
be you in the past.
This is the moment where you should follow the master. In fact, this is what
Shu actually means: follow! Not necessarily the master, but rather the way
it is supposed to be done. Work with somebody with more experience and
build a list of things you want to achieve in a few months, and then work as
hard as you can to get to those results.
Here are some things that could be added to that list:
- Becoming more aware of the results of our own work
- Move closer to your expectations (meet with them, try to understand them
and how they will become real)
- Spend some time thinking about the work you do and how it can be
improved
“Ha,” You're Almost There!
As hard as it may seem, some people do survive the Shu period. The Ha
level is about breaking away. Knowing other ways of doing it, other
practices, other interpretations. This will contribute to a better
understanding of what agile is, how it can be used, and what results it can
bring. If the first level was about trying to do it right, this level is about
understanding the limitations of the way you are doing it.
Here, agile practitioners are learning from each other. It is a moment of
openness because you open up to other experiences, and that will allow
you to have a different understanding of the way you do things. Sometimes,
just by observing the others, you can understand much more about you
and your performance. To do it right, you need a certain level of maturity
and practice that usually comes after months of experience. However, at
this stage you can consider yourself a practitioner with a good enough
understanding of how agile works.

“Ri,” You're Further Than Ever…

The third level is the true mastery of agile. You are now an expert and most
of your learning comes from your own work. This time, the learning is based
not on doing (like at the first level, Shu), not on observing others (like at the
second level, Ha) but on your own reflections. It is based on thinking, the
ultimate form of learning.
Remember when we said it was about the journey and not the destination?
This is when you start to feel it. At all previous steps, you have the feeling
that you are getting one step closer to your destination. Here, at the Ri
level, you understand that the more you know, the more you know you don't
know. Practitioners who are at this level understand that there is much
more to learn because you have to constantly improve. And since this is
continuous improvement, it will always be based on something else. That
something else, always different, is what will concern them the most. Every
time you look back at things you've done in the past, it will be with regret
that you didn't to them better because now, you, after reflecting on them,
would do them differently. Because of this continuous improvement focus,
you can never say you are at the top. You are never at the top; you are
always just on your way to the top!
Where Am I?
This model is not a methodology, it is not about recipes, steps, or
processes. It is about working hard, doing what you're supposed to do, and
always trying move to the next level. And that is a very personal and
intimate journey.
The fundamental questions are: where do I want to be, and what am I
currently doing to get there?

*this material has been adapted for FL educational purposes, it is not

intended to avoid copy rights, we appreciate the author*
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© 2015, Florian Ivan
Originally published as a part of the 2015 PMI Global Congress
Proceedings – London, UK