KONE - Agile Teams Bring Constant Business Value

IT consultancy company Knowit has been the partner of KONE in research and development services for about 15 years. KONE is a global leader in people flow solutions. The company aims to make people's journeys safe, convenient and reliable with a portfolio of elevators and escalators, as well as solutions for maintenance, modernisation and new digital services. KONE is listed on the Nasdaq stock exchange in Helsinki Finland.

We have been very pleased with the modern way of working with Knowit agile teams. The most valuable benefits for our business have been increased efficiency in project results, development speed up, and decreased numbers of errors. We have been developing our agile methods together with Knowit to provide efficient results and to empower our teams to deliver the best customer value.

Mikko Rajahalme, IoT & Connectivity SW Program Manager from KONE

Knowit agile team's performance is analysed with three metrics: team happiness, competence confidences and work focus. Measurement helps the team to develop their performance and provide on-time solutions. Measurements have an important role for teams, since they provide indicators of changed situations on time since measures are taken on a bi-weekly basis. For example, one of the measurement metrics is team happiness, and changes in team mood can be detected using measurement results. That makes it possible to identify the problem and determine its root causes. Once the causes are identified, the problem can be solved together with the client. All necessary actions can be taken based on the findings.

Competence confidence measures how well each team member positions their competence against the current tasks. Qualification metrics help to allocate adequate-sized responsibilities with the right persons and to keep them motivated.

People in the team remain motivated when they each have suitably challenging tasks relative to their competence level. In the team model, the focus is also on developing the team's competence levels, so this allows team members to develop their competencies.

The third metric represents the work focus. The purpose of this is to ensure that working time is used optimally for the project. Measurements can be used to monitor if there are deviations in focus. Once the deviations are identified, they can be solved together with the client.

The purpose of all the measurements is to follow up with the team, and to make sure that their work time is spent on optimal project tasks, while at the same time ensuring progress in development.

Sustainability has been on both companies' agenda for several years now. The knowledge and experience help both companies to understand business effects on our society and environment. Agile teams are one great example of thinking in new ways to create a positive impact. This kind of positive impact approach allows enhanced progress of the companies, making them dare to think bigger and in new ways.

Sustainability is embedded in KONE's organisational culture, and the organisation has a comprehensive sustainability program. Sustainability is a source of innovation and a competitive advantage for KONE.

The company is committed to conducting business responsibly and sustainably, and they expect the same commitment from their suppliers.

Sustainability also plays a vital part in Knowit's services and values. Knowit is committed to acting responsibly in all countries and in all contexts in which they operate. The focus is on sustainable business, engaged employees and a high level of ethics. Knowit's sustainability work builds on the UN Global Compact, the 17 Global Goals for Sustainable Development, and our code of business ethics and conduct. Knowit has signed the UN Global Compact and complies with its ten principles for responsible businesses.