What was once a practice of software development—I mean, what was once an exclusive practice of software development—has spread outside of tech into other non-tech domains and transformed how teams work and communicate. It’s gone beyond just HR, with Agile principles being adopted by marketing and sales as well to boost efficiency while at the same time improving adaptability and team cohesion altogether.
In this blog, we’ll explore some of Agile’s universal principles, share wonderful real world examples of how it can be done, and actionable steps for how to use Agile with non technical teams.
What Makes Agile Universal?
The essence of Agile is flexibility, leaning on teams to improve things as we learn. These principles transcend coding and project management, offering value to any team:
- Iterative Processes: This makes it easier for teams to be adaptive for change, when work breaks down into small manageable tasks.
- Continuous Feedback: Reviews set a course that ensures goals are the focus of efforts.
- Cross-functional Collaboration: One of the things that Agile does is promote open communication between the departments and remove the silos.
- Focus on Value: Working on what delivers the most impact eliminates work that’s not necessary.
Agile in Action: Real-World Examples
HR: Revolutionizing Recruitment And Onboarding
Recruitment is slower than normal when it’s traditional. However, HR teams using Agile do this with Kanban boards to track hiring stages and daily standups to fix bottlenecks.
- Example: ING used Agile to cut their hiring time by 40%, adopting Agile adoption at a global HR team that was spread across five continents.
Marketing: Being Agile with Campaigns
Agile is used by marketing teams to develop iterative campaigns for their audiences to provide feedback on. Scrum boards and tools like those make it easier to manage content creation and deployment.
- Example: Agile gave Coca-Cola’s marketing department a means for reacting quickly to market trends and consumer demands.
Sales: Giving Performance and Engagement
Agile helps you do both; setting short term goals (sprints), and then using retrospectives to refine your approach. This is made possible by Agile CRM tools such as Trello or Jira.
- Example: A HubSpot sales team adopted Agile to optimize conversions, by prioritizing leads and increased conversions by 25%.
Getting Started with Agile in Non-Tech Teams
Agile doesn’t mean a big overhaul to transform your team. Here’s how to get started:
Educate Your Team
Invite all of your talent and first developers along for an introductory workshop to explain Agile principles and benefits. You can also get more out of resources that exist such as The Agile Manifesto or training from a certified Agile coach.
Choose the Right Tools
You can implement Kanban boards with simple tools like Trello or Asana or you can track sprint progress with simple tools like Trello or Asana.
Start Small
Have Agile for one project. Gather some feedback via a two-week sprint cycle and a retrospective.
Foster a Culture of Feedback
Catch and resolve challenges by promoting regular team check-ins and open communication.
Iterate and Improve
Agile is a learning process. Refine your approach as you get to it, being as adaptable as you can as you learn what’s best for your team.
Why Agile is the Future for Non-Tech Teams
Agile is more than just a method; it’s more about mindset. If non-tech teams prioritize adaptability and collaboration, they might not only cope with their pace of ongoing change but thrive in it.
Empowering your people to embrace Agile can make you better — more efficient, innovative, and resilient — no matter what department you’re in: HR, Marketing, Sales, or another. So, why wait? Launch into your Agile journey right now and have your team become more productive and increase morale.
How about you try Agile on your team?
If you’ve had experiences or challenges, we hope you would like to share with us. Let me know in the comments what your story is!








