I was involved with a significant website redesign for a client. After defining the requirements in detailed user stories, we decided to try the AGILE method to rebuild and roll out the new website.
This project got me thinking, “I bet the AGILE system would work at home too!” So keep reading to learn more and make up your own mind.
The Agile Approach to Family Meetings
A team of software developers invented the AGILE method in the early 1990s. Since then, businesses and organizations worldwide have adopted it to manage projects and achieve goals. The AGILE approach is based on collaboration, flexibility, and continuous improvement principles.
But wait! Families are organizations too, RIGHT?
In fact, I think the family is the ultimate small business on the face of the earth. And families require collaboration, flexibility, and continuous improvement too.
So it made sense when I learned some parents from the software engineering industry use AGILE at work and then come home and apply the same principles there!
This approach has changed the dynamic of family meetings.
Like a work team meeting, an AGILE meeting typically starts with a specific issue or topic that the family wants to discuss. The family then discusses different ways to approach the problem, chooses one of the ideas, and evaluates how successful it was.
Another hallmark of AGILE team meetings is that they are short.
So short, there is no need for participants to plop themselves down in a chair and get comfy. Instead, everyone remains standing. That alone speeds things up and lets participants know “we will not be here long.” Family members will like that, reducing the eye-rolling and “flat tire” sound teenagers make to let you know they are perturbed.
For a family meeting agenda, mimic and modify as needed the points of the AGILE method:
Action: Decide on a specific topic or issue you want to discuss as a family. The subject can be anything from chores and allowance to screen time and bedtime.
Goals: Determine what you hope to accomplish by having this Family Meeting. What are your goals? What do you want to achieve?
Ideas: Allow family members to brainstorm, develop and own their solutions to any issue to approach that you could approach this issue?
Links: Choose one of the ideas you came up with and link it to a specific goal. What is the best way to achieve your goal?
Evaluations: After you’ve tried out one of the ideas, evaluate how it went. Was it successful? Why or why not? What could you do differently next time?
AGILE Family Meetings can help your family stay organized and productive. They’re a great way to discuss important issues and come up with unified solutions. Give it a try!
Thanks for reading and thinking for yourself!
Russell Anderson
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P.S. I appreciate and respect your investment of precious time to read my work! That’s why I strive to provide thought-worthy content that generates a worthwhile return on your investment.