Talent solutions firm Vaco adds 4 execs to lead agile consulting services

RALEIGH – Vaco Raleigh is beefing up its team and rolling out an additional service – strategic business agility consulting – as part of its solutions mix.

“In repeated conversations with our clients we heard about Agile and some successful and not so successful attempts at adopting its processes,” the Raleigh Vaco team wrote in a blog.

Vaco

Vaco says its agility service “enables our clients to build a common language across the company to achieve unprecedented business agility through improved processes, practices and automation. Our holistic approach focuses on people, process, technology and culture to align the business priorities with teams to deliver high-value solutions faster.”

To underpin its new offering, Vaco Raleigh has hired four execs with experience in the Agile field as coaches: James Grudner, Mary Thorn, Kim Andrikaitis and Bob Galen.

“We are in the business of identifying top talent,” said Sid Mitchener, Managing Partner of Vaco Raleigh, in the announcement. “Mary, Jim, Kim and Bob are widely acknowledged as the top Agile coaches in our region. Their careers have at times overlapped and each expressed an interest in joining forces to build a team focused on providing business with self-sustaining Agile solutions. We are thrilled to expand our practice to include this extraordinary group of gifted individuals and have been overwhelmed by the tremendous response from our clients.”

Asked why clients were seeking this kind of service, Mitchener told WRAL TechWire:

“Organizations have to adjust to the market more rapidly than ever, and this puts pressure on a traditional organizational structures and changes the way teams communicate and iterate their product and services. Agile methodologies enables these organizations to be more dynamic to meet customer demands, but this change impacts people, process and technology, so Vaco Agile focuses on team development and helps companies build a common language and structure to meet these demands.”

The Agile service will focus on helping clients “transform and provide expert business solutions” in such areas as finance, insurance, healthcare, and software development.

“There was a groundswell of need for experience and expertise. Money was being spent to adopt Agile, and in many cases, it seemed the process was arduous and wasn’t reaping the benefits our clients sought,” the Vaco team explained in a blog.

“Done correctly, Agile coaching provides the framework to improve processes, increase productivity and create a happier environment in which to get work done,” they wrote. “This team knew how to ‘get in and get out’ and leave a sustainable Agile presence within an organization. They have the experience and expertise to create sustainability.”

The four execs have, combined, more than 50 years of experience in Agile practices and have overseen more than 250 “Scrum” teams at companies ranging from 500 to 10,000 employees.

“The Raleigh team saw a need to better serve the market with expert solutions in Agile implementation,” said Renee Fisher, Executive Partner for Vaco. “With a global reach and deep local relationships, Vaco was uniquely positioned to bring those resources together.”

Vaco, which launched in 2002 and now has offices in some 40 markets with $500 million in annual revenues, works with clients in multiple areas. The firm has worked with some 9,000 clients and placed 73,000 employees and consultants.

Other services offered include: