Powering Agile Change in a Highly Regulated Industry

Charlie's career path has been shaped by curiosity and a willingness to adapt. Starting college as a computer science major, he soon realized during early work experiences that writing code wasn't the right fit for him. His decision to explore computer engineering and later electrical engineering allowed him to find more meaningful ways to apply his technical skills.

Today, Charlie applies his adaptability and commitment to process improvement in the nuclear energy sector, where he uses agile practices to drive change in one of the world's most highly regulated industries. His career journey highlights his dedication to servant leadership, continuous improvement, and advancing a sustainable future through carbon-free energy.

From defense to climate advocacy

After graduating in 2004 with a degree in electrical engineering, Charlie began his career working on control systems at a nuclear laboratory, where he contributed to high-clearance projects supporting the military. Although he enjoyed the role, his passion for combatting climate change led him to join his current employer in 2007, where he could contribute to commercial nuclear power. "I believe in the mission of carbon-free energy and making the world a better place for my kids," Charlie said. 

Discovering scrum in the nuclear industry

In 2008, Charlie's employer began adopting agile practices and assigned him the role of scrum master. To support this new responsibility, he earned his Certified ScrumMaster® certification, which deepened his interest in agile practices. "I really liked it. I took to it very well," Charlie recalled. 

Over the next several years, Charlie honed his skills as a scrum master, becoming a key contributor to his organization's agile transformation. "We found our way through it and found the method that worked the best for us, and we kind of scaled it on and off when we felt we needed to," he explained.

Charlie's team delivered weekly releases to their internal customer, and their ability to release so quickly was a big deal. "We were in a silo, so no one even really knew we were doing it," he said about their pioneering agile work. 

Agile leadership certification

In 2022, Charlie transitioned into a new role as a resource manager for all the agile practitioners in his organization. Around the same time, he earned the Certified Agile Leader® (CAL™) certification, which reinforced his approach to servant leadership. He said it provided "the tools to be a better servant leader, which is such a huge component of making any of this change work." 

Charlie's leadership philosophy has garnered praise from his colleagues. "I've gotten feedback from my leadership and all of my reports that I'm very well-liked. They feel very supported," he said. This sense of support has been an asset in his efforts to foster agile practices in a highly regulated environment.

Agility in a highly regulated industry

Anyone who has worked in a highly regulated industry is familiar with the delicate task of balancing agility with the need to be compliant. Charlie has a lot of experience navigating agile in the regulatory landscape of nuclear energy. He explained that you really have to understand what's mandated and what processes a company has imposed on itself. A lot of the time, "this is the way we've always done it" isn't a requirement; it's just legacy thinking, and there's the potential and ability to revolutionize that way of doing things.

With this understanding, Charlie and his team have uncovered opportunities for innovation. "The [regulations] may say you need to do XYZ, but they don't tell you how to do XYZ. That's kind of up to you," he pointed out. By being flexible, his team has introduced agile practices that streamline workflows and reduce unnecessary documentation.

Charlie emphasizes the importance of tailoring agile approaches to fit the organization's needs, particularly in a regulated industry. He explained that in a regulated industry, it's important to understand where flexibility exists and adapt practices to fit the organization's needs. He noted that "you can't just pick a framework and kind of ramming it down the team's throats and telling them, this is how we're going to work. We tried that for a while, and we had a lot of difficulties because the teams didn't like it. It wasn't the best method for them."

The human side of transformation

Charlie's success in leading agile transformations stems from his focus on people. As a resource manager, he prioritizes understanding the needs and challenges of his team. "Change management, to me, really depends on the people that have to live with the changes and the people that have to make the changes," he stated.

Communication has played an important role in overcoming resistance to adopting agile practices. He described how his teams improved project quality by involving stakeholders in sprint reviews and keeping the backlog adaptable. "We're able to pivot faster, and by the end of it, our quality was so much higher," he noted. Communicating these wins has helped build credibility and trust within the organization.

Lessons learned from leading agile in a regulated industry

Reflecting on his career, Charlie identified several key lessons. First, he advised organizations to scale agile carefully and deliberately. "What works in one area of a company may not work in another area of a company," he cautioned. "You have to make sure that at least some of your common metrics and how you track projects and financials and progress are aligned because, eventually, that has to funnel upwards. It is crucial for the information to be presented in a consistent manner for executive-level understanding."

Second, he emphasized the importance of creating knowledge-sharing spaces across the organization. Charlie pointed to his experience contributing to an Agile Center of Excellence, which allowed different teams to share lessons learned, and agile tools and methods. Having a place where teams can collaborate and share their experiences helps spread effective practices and build common understanding.

Finally, Charlie discussed the need to address resistance to change through lessons learned. "We had a couple of projects that kind of left a bad taste in everyone's mouth because we would have a lot of duplicate roles. They were expensive, so a lot of folks may have written us off. But then later, as we went through site acceptance testing, we started to find there were almost no issues found. We were able to lean on that to say, 'Hey, we acknowledge that we had to go through our growing pains, and unfortunately, some of these pilot projects carry the brunt of that. But what we found on the other side is that quality is so much higher.' And I think that's starting to resonate with people," Charlie concluded. 

Making change possible in a regulatory environment

Charlie's work proves that agile practices can make a real difference, even in industries with strict regulations. By finding room to adapt within tight constraints and focusing on constant improvement, he's helped modernize workflows in the nuclear sector.

His dedication to carbon-free energy and better processes has made him a leader driving positive change in his field. Charlie's story shows how agile can spark innovation, support teams, and take on tough challenges, no matter the setting.

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