Lagant x VertX: From strategy to action with Obeya

How did the collaboration between Lagant and VertX come about?

Bertal: "VertX is a growing company. That's why we were looking for a partner to consider our development paths. We were already taking training courses with Lagant and other companies. Now we needed a dedicated trainer. A dedicated trainer to whom we could send our staff and with whom we could talk if we ran into any problems.

The training courses at Lagant are always excellent. We also have the same company culture: you work together to find a solution and you're generous with others. That just works well. That's why we asked Guus about this. Since that conversation, Lagant has been our regular trainer.

Guus: 'And then the phone rang again...'

Bertal: "That's right. We are accredited Obeya trainers, so I called Guus."

Guus: "Bertal opened the conversation with, 'We're working on Obeya…' But he didn't have to finish. I said, 'The answer is yes.' Look, developments are always ongoing. If you stand still as an organization, you're going backwards. I kept hearing the name 'Obeya' mentioned more and more in the field, so I was immediately interested.

We need innovation, using proven methodologies. Obeya is a perfect fit for the project manager's profession. It's not a replacement, but rather an addition—an enrichment!

Bertal: "We now provide Obeya training for Lagant, under the Lagant banner. It didn't feel right to compete with them. When you're sparring partners, you support each other. This step makes for an even more pleasant collaboration."

What is Obeya?

Bertal: "Obeya literally means 'large room.' The method originated in Japan, at the Toyota factory. They did everything there to optimize processes. In an Obeya, you bring strategy, projects, and actions together in a single space. Everyone sees the same information. That eliminates clutter and brings focus."

You immediately see where things are going wrong. The power lies not in thick reports, but in the conversations around that board. It's the way to get to the heart of the matter faster and connect teams. Obeya isn't a replacement for existing methodologies like Scrum or PRINCE2, but a powerful addition that connects strategy with execution.

Guus: "We've been working with Obeya for a year now. It took me a while to get used to it at first. I wasn't really into writing things down concisely. But as is often the case, it took some time to get the hang of it.

Now I do see the value of Obeya. Because indeed, you walk in and you immediately know how things are going. For example, I now see that something was supposed to be finished in October. And yes, oops, I still need to pay attention to that.

How does Obeya work?

Bertal: "With an Obeya, you always start with the left wall. This wall displays the organization's strategic direction, such as your mission, vision, core values, and main goals. This wall is fairly static and is updated, for example, once a year. On the middle wall, you link the projects, initiatives, and KPIs that help you achieve the goals to the strategy. This is shown on the middle wall. The middle wall forms the link between the strategy and its execution.

Specific actions and bottlenecks are posted on the right wall. That's where the dynamics are: you discuss what's going on, what's being added, or what's being removed. The focus is always on the actions, and you can always trace them back to their respective goals. The "Obeya run" also specifically addresses bottlenecks and deviations, so they can be quickly identified and addressed.

With all these walls in one room, you can see at a glance what's important, where you're standing, and where the pressure is.'

Why Obeya?

Bertal: "Obeya is so useful because it brings everything together. You no longer talk past each other, but literally look at the same board. This creates transparency: everyone has access to the same information and there's no more noise. This allows you to make decisions faster and hold each other accountable."

It strengthens collaboration between teams because everyone is viewing things from the same perspective. Strategy becomes concrete and visible, providing direction. People feel a sense of ownership because it's clear who's responsible for what. And it helps make change processes manageable, without them becoming vague or cumbersome.

You only truly see the power of Obeya when you put it into practice. A good example is an assignment at an organization where we implemented a major culture change program. This impacted the entire organization. With Obeya, we were able to simplify that larger picture. We literally put strategic goals on the wall, translated them into concrete actions, and clarified who was responsible for what.

This allowed the management team, in particular, to better convey the message. It helped to establish communication between levels and teams and to take targeted action.

Who is Obeya suitable for? -and for whom not?

Bertal: "Obeya is suitable for any project professional who works with change processes within an organization. Think, for example, of a project manager, a project leader, a project officer, but also PMOs and other support staff within a team. You can actually use Obeya at all levels of an organization."

Guus: "And who wouldn't? I don't think anyone pouring coffee will be using Obeya anytime soon..."

Bertal: "Working with Obeya might not be practical. But it can also be interesting for the coffee server in an organization to know how things are going. That's the beauty of Obeya: it's so transparent. Anyone who walks in can and should see where your organization stands."

What is the biggest misconception surrounding Obeya?

Bertal: "Obeya is sometimes seen as the Holy Grail, the tool that solves everything. But it certainly isn't. You always have to keep talking to each other. You still have to meet and keep implementing your methodologies.

Obeya is perfect for providing tangible insights to the responsible teams. If there are issues not intended for the Obeya run, you can discuss them outside of the Obeya run.

Obeya's power lies in bringing other project management methodologies to life. You walk in and see the status at a glance. That's why it works so well when you want to connect teams. Obeya brings it all together.

Get to know the Obeya training at Lagant

Read more about Obeya. Or look in our calendar and book a training near you!