This post contains affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases and I may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through one of these links. All items listed are products that I have personally purchased, and I have used and /or continue to use. 

While scanning radio stations I came upon an episode of the TED Radio Hour on NPR called “Getting Organized” – my ears perked up.  The segment began talking about agile and scrum – a project management methodology and framework that I was involved in at a recent job.

Agile has its roots in manufacturing and is used widely in software development. The approach focuses on collaboration in small groups and short spans of time to reach the desired goal.  Scrum, a subcategory of agile, focuses on flow and efficiency.  It provides processes for teams to self-manage, to problem solve, to adapt and to continually improve.

As part of his research for his book, The Secrets of Happy Families, author Bruce Feiler was looking for ways to help manage the chaos of modern family life. Feiler says, “We work to improve efficiency and skill in our businesses, our careers, our bodies and our hobbies, why don’t we focus on continuous improvement of our families in a similar way?”

What can we learn from business leaders that build successful teams in their organizations?  Feiler studied a family whose software-developer dad brought agile concepts from the workplace to the home; Feiler decided to try it too.

Here are examples of workplace concepts translated to two typical, chaotic, overwhelmed, and over-scheduled American families:

Family Meetings

Planned family meetings (daily or weekly) where each member answers the questions:

• What went well this week?
• What didn’t go so well?
• Is there anything that needs help or improvement?

Checklists

Crazy mornings became less crazy by introducing checklists. Kids loved ticking things off and parents loved less nagging, (i.e., Did you brush your teeth? Do you have your homework assignment?).  Instead, parents directed kids back to the list to check off what had been done and what still needed to be done.

Family Mission Statement

Small and large corporations spend time developing mission statements as a part of leading their companies to success; families can do the same. What type of home environment do they want to create?  What does the family stand for, what are the common values that bind the group?  Are there a few words that could sum that up?  (i.e., We are travelers, not tourists.  We choose to be kind over being right.)

Happiness is not something we find. It’s something we make.
~ Bruce Feiler

From a productivity standpoint (completing chores, coordinating schedules and other household functions), these frameworks can be effective in the home for getting things done.  However, here are some compelling outcomes after adopting agile practices in the home:

Improved Communication

Scheduled family meetings as short as 10 minutes per day or 20 minutes per week, created a space for each member of the team to share what was going well, what wasn’t and how the team (family) could help.  This led to a deeper level of communication and a better understanding of each other. And an opportunity for members to ask for and offer support.

Less Conflict

Each person was kept up-to-date on others schedules. When schedule changes did need to happen, everyone had a much easier time adapting. Checklists reduced the need for parental nagging. Each team member took more responsibility for their chores (parents included), resulting in less conflict.

Empowered Children

The consistent family meetings allowed kids to be more involved in family decisions. They became less averse to change and began creatively solving their own problems. Parents got insight as to what was going on in the brilliant minds of their children that they might not otherwise have known.

In reviewing my notes from a corporate presentation on agile, I wrote: “Only after scrum starts can we understand. It’s transparent because it is being shown and reflected on every two weeks. There’s a cycle of planning, doing, checking, acting and repeating. It’s doing and discovering.”

How does your work team or family team “do and discover”?
How do you communicate and allow for transparency?
Do you use agile concepts such as daily, weekly, or monthly check-ins on your team or in your family?

If so, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below.