What change feels like

The Client

A U.S.-based annuities and insurance provider with ~500 employees, focused on retirement planning products and services. Operating in a regulated, risk-averse industry, the company had grown steadily—but was struggling to modernize how work got done.

The Challenge

“We had the framework. We just didn’t have belief.”

The client had launched an enterprise-wide transformation to shift from project-based execution to a modern product and agile operating model. But 18 months in, the cracks were showing:

Teams were missing delivery commitments
Scrum masters, product managers, and delivery leads lacked clarity
Psychological safety was low — making collaboration fragile
Agile rituals felt performative instead of meaningful
Leaders were unsure how to support or reinforce the change

The organization had made structural changes—but without deep cultural shifts, real change wasn’t sticking.

“It wasn’t about the mechanics of agile. It was about unlearning what wasn’t working—and building trust in something new.”
— Setarra Robinson, fluent consultant

Our Approach

Embedding, Enabling, and Earning Trust

fluent joined the transformation nearly two years in—with a focus on team coaching, culture change, and leadership enablement. From the start, we committed to walking alongside the client—not just advising from a distance.

We brought in a dedicated coach to embed within the organization. Over the course of several months, fluent:

Led agile experiences for newly formed teams
Co-created working agreements to foster accountability and clarity
Established delivery dashboards to improve visibility and reduce chaos
Facilitated quarterly planning and biweekly demos to create rhythm
Coached roles in real time (Product, Delivery, Scrum, Leadership)
Supported tough conversations across siloed teams and leadership gaps

We tailored our approach weekly based on what we observed. In moments of confusion, we slowed down. In moments of traction, we leaned in and scaled. We built relationships that allowed us to challenge old assumptions and guide new behaviors—without creating defensiveness.

The Turning Point

From Passive Recipients to Proactive Owners

As teams gained confidence and language around their new ways of working, things started to shift:

Team members voiced pride in how far they’d come
Ceremonies became energizing instead of exhausting
Team targets were hit—and celebrated
Cross-functional trust deepened, improving collaboration and velocity
fluent was able to step back, and the teams stepped forward

“You could feel it. Rooms were lighter. People were laughing. Delivery wasn’t perfect—but it was ours.”
— Delivery Enablement Lead

The Results

What Real Change Feels Like

While traditional KPIs like cycle time and speed-to-market were still maturing, early signals of transformation success were clear:

Quantitative Improvements

Increased delivery reliability
Teams met 80–90% of their quarterly planning objectives
Real-time dashboards tracked backlog health and team velocity

Cultural & Behavioral Wins

Increased transparency and candor across teams
Greater cross-role trust and psychological safety
Teams spoke the new language—values, ownership, and adaptability

Leadership began referencing the transformation in town halls. Team members began onboarding each other into the new ways of working. It became clear: the shift was no longer dependent on fluent. It had taken root.

Why It Worked

Because we didn’t lead with a playbook—we led with people.

Instead of just training new roles, we helped people become those roles.
Instead of pushing for speed, we built belief—and let that unlock speed.

Looking Ahead

The client continues to scale its product model and delivery maturity—now with a strong internal foundation. fluent remains available as a trusted partner, but the day-to-day ownership is now fully internal.

“We didn’t need another vendor. We needed a partner who could walk beside us. Fluent did that—and then helped us walk on our own.”
— Executive Sponsor

Ready to move beyond frameworks and build real belief in change? Take our quick 12-question Org fAM Assessment to see where your organization stands.

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