How small changes led to big results at Prostate Cancer UK

At Prostate Cancer UK, the organisation underwent significant growth over a decade, expanding from approximately 100 people and £8-9 million in income in 2012 to over 200 people and pushing £30 million by 2022. This rapid expansion necessitated more structured ways of working, as the previous informal approach was becoming unsustainable. Gareth Ellis-Thomas recognised the need to introduce more agile ways of working.

Initial attempts to implement agile practices through large-scale training sessions proved ineffective; while attendees enjoyed the training, they struggled to apply it in practice the very next day. This underscored the challenge of driving change through a "do one big lesson and we are done" approach.

The turning point

The turning point came when a different strategy was adopted, focusing on practical application and internal advocacy. In 2018 or 2019, Gareth sought a small, low-risk project to pilot agile methods, specifically choosing a virtual fundraising product that had potential for improvement.

Crucially, he selected a person who was influential and had a "loud voice" within the organisation to lead this initiative. This individual became instrumental in the change process.

This internal champion worked with a small, multidisciplinary team, applying agile principles focused on collaboration, prioritisation, and focus, rather than simply introducing new technology. The success was tangible and immediate: the £30,000 product grew to £100,000 within a single year.

Why it worked

Here’s why colleagues, who might have resisted other changes, were willing to follow her lead and embrace this test-and-iterate approach:

Existing trust and credibility: The influential leader was an internal figure, already known and trusted by her colleagues. When an "internal coach" was developed, they were also chosen for their credibility and knowledge of the organisation. This inherent trust meant that her colleagues saw her as "one of their own," making them more receptive to her guidance than they might have been to external consultants or top-down directives alone.

Demonstrated success: The pilot project's remarkable growth from £30,000 to £100,000 provided clear, undeniable proof of the new approach's effectiveness. This tangible success captured people's attention and shifted perceptions from skepticism to interest, with others saying, "I know it works, I've seen that it's fun and I want a piece of it".

Working in the open and storytelling: The team, led by this influential individual, worked "out in the open" and constantly told the story of their progress and achievements. This transparency and consistent communication helped to build momentum, as people witnessed the positive outcomes firsthand. Gareth emphasised that "you just got to keep saying it even when you're sick of saying it" when communicating change.

Bottom-up persuasion: The success created a "snowball effect," leading to other teams actively seeking to adopt agile ways of working. The teams persuaded each other that it was a good thing to do, fostering a sense of shared ownership and enthusiasm.

Focus on people's experience: Gareth noted that change projects should focus on improving the internal experience for teams, not just efficiency. When processes like manual data imports (which caused team unhappiness) were made more efficient, the focus shifted to "what we're going to do to change that experience and make it more efficient; how does that then translate into something better for the team, the organisation and what your team is trying to do?".

This "start small, find the stories to tell, build on the success" approach, combined with both top-down leadership support and bottom-up team engagement driven by influential internal champions, allowed Prostate Cancer UK to successfully embed agile ways of working. This ultimately positioned them well for unexpected challenges, contributing to an extra £12 million in virtual fundraising during the pandemic.

You have to be constantly telling the story, everyone working in the open saying 'This is what we've done, this is what we've learned.’ And we got great results.

Gareth Ellis-Thomas