UBS still loves agile, but implementing it isn't easy
UBS loves agile. More so than that, UBS's CEO Ralph Hamers really loves it, to the point where investors seem sick of hearing about it.
Last year, UBS said it had 3,000 staff already working under agile methodology and another 9,000 training to do so.
Their aim for this year was to have 25,000 and at the moment it looks like they're a bit short. In its Q4 earnings report the bank claimed that 18,500 staff had transitioned to Agile@UBS.
For a bank that really loves agile, this is still quite a lot. Critics who say agile either doesn't work in banking or that banks just pretend to want it might claim vindication.
UBS is still busy hiring agile expertise. Agile coaches are sought, particularly in New Jersey and it's currently hiring for a "Group CTO - Agile Coach" dual role, based in its nerve centre in Zurich.
Agile working is just one element of UBS's attempt to empower its engineers. The bank has also implemented an acknowledgement system for its engineers involving badges, which seems reminiscent of the Scouts and yet has gone down a hit.
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