Throughout my career, I’ve experienced how agile methods improve workstreams and deliver tangible results firsthand. I spent time as a scrum master, digital product owner, agile trainer and a tech strategy consultant at Accenture.
One day, a new job alert popped up on my LinkedIn: Agile Coach at McKinsey’s Warsaw office. My father worked at McKinsey 20 years ago, so I read McKinsey’s posts and blogs about agility to learn more about their work in the space. During the entire recruitment process, I had great support from McKinsey recruiters, who coached me and helped me land the job.
McKinsey approaches agility differently. We go right into the boardroom and make agility a priority for the client’s entire organization, not just one department. Agile isn’t an experiment here, it’s a long-term business practice.
Building agility in client organizations
Day to day, I help large organizations shift to agile workstreams to create lasting change. Some of the organizations I work with use agile in segmented departments, and we help take that company-wide. The most rewarding part is working alongside people across the company who are experts in their fields, building a strong team, and making this change a success.
Agile work at McKinsey explores a variety of methods and frameworks. We use practices from agile approaches like SAFe, LeSS, scrum and Kanban and tailor our methods to each situation. For higher-level steering, we bring OKRs into the mix and institute quality planning structures like those many Silicon Valley tech companies use.
I’m working on a very cool project right now for a large apparel company. We’re using agile methodologies to connect the company’s planning and logistical operations to improve the company’s processes. As a loyal brand customer, it’s a dream come true to work alongside these clients and bring agility to their business.
A strong team at McKinsey
Working at McKinsey is amazing because of the people. I have the chance to work with remarkable, smart and kind people from different backgrounds from all over the world. Even when I’m the only person in a t-shirt in a room full of suits, I feel welcome and appreciated for the expertise I bring to the table.
I enjoy McKinsey’s focus on people and communities within our offices, within our 4.5K+ global tech community and within our practice of 100+ agile coaches. Through the agile community, I can connect with colleagues worldwide when I need support during a project. We have in-person meetups, where we get to know each other on a more personal level, share our experiences and discuss the future of our role in the firm. I always look forward to these meetups and we always have great fun.
About Tomasz
Tomasz is an agile coach based in Warsaw, Poland. Prior to joining McKinsey, he was an accredited agile trainer and a senior tech strategy consultant at Accenture. Tomasz earned his bachelor’s in finance and accounting at Kozminski Academy in Warsaw and his master’s in international management at Warsaw School of Economics. He is certified Scrum Master, Product Owner, DSDM practitioner and Kanban Management Professional. In his free time, Tomasz enjoys spending time with his wife and kids and keeping up with the latest blockbuster action movies.
For more information on McKinsey's agile coaching career paths, visit mckinsey.com/TechCareers