Playing to win: Lessons in enterprise agility from the NFL

When you think of enterprise agility, football likely isn’t the first thing that springs to mind. Yet, the two have more in common than you might think.

As the most watched and highest-earning professional sports league in the US, the National Football League (NFL) knows what it takes to build and scale a successful business model. Over the past century, the league has mastered the art of fan engagement by meticulously orchestrating the game day experience, fostering digital engagement, and leveraging social media, merchandising, and stadium technology. The success of these efforts domestically has propelled the NFL on yet another growth trajectory as it aims to expand the league’s international reach.

This week on Catalyst, NTT DATA's Senior Director of Business Agility Keith Buehlman joins Clinton to discuss the agility lessons enterprises can learn from the NFL’s global growth journey. Check out the highlights below, then dive into the full episode to learn more.

Start small

You rarely score a touchdown on the first down of your possession. It usually takes several tries and incremental forward progress to reach the end zone. The same logic applies to enterprise innovation. Instead of attempting everything at once, start small, learn from experiments, and gradually scale initiatives. The idea is to avoid diving straight in with large-scale transformations and instead focus on progressive improvements.

Adopt a value mindset approach

Without the fans there would be no NFL, so the league has put major effort into the fan experience. Enterprises must similarly harmonize their value networks, aligning internal efforts with the external pulse of their customers’ needs and habits. Navigating this terrain involves more than managing backlogs and churning out features; it's a deeper exploration into the essence of product leadership that requires enterprise teams to understand the customer journey, leverage external product knowledge, and craft products that excel in design and resonate with users.

Aim for repeatability & scalability

If your team has an undefeated season, you don’t overhaul your entire roster and coaching staff the next year. You stick with what worked and tweak what didn’t in hopes of replicating that success again. Enterprise agility happens in much the same way. Aim for practices and processes that can be repeated and scaled efficiently rather than relying on bespoke solutions for each project.

Maintain transparency and visibility

To learn what did or did not work, strive for transparency and visibility in your value stream. Actively work on making processes more transparent to uncover hidden value.

Strive for continuous learning and improvement

However, setbacks will happen. Did you know Tom Brady was drafted in the sixth round and spent his rookie season on the bench? If he had let that discourage him from continuing in football, the New England Patriots would have a very different legacy. When your enterprise experiments fail, don’t let that discourage innovation entirely. Focus on learning from your experiences, measuring the value delivered, and iterating on processes to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.

Employ systemic thinking

An NFL team might measure success with wins or Super Bowl rings, but your enterprise will likely prefer tools like OKRs (Objectives and Key Results) to steer and measure your value delivery. The goal is not just to deliver individual features but to align the entire organization's efforts with broader strategies and objectives. That’s how you end up with a winning strategy.

As always, don’t forget to subscribe to Catalyst wherever you get your podcasts. We release a new episode every Tuesday, jam-packed with expert advice and actionable insights for creating digital experiences that move millions.