Miles and Milestones: The Marathon of Agile Delivery

Miles and Milestones: The Marathon of Agile Delivery

The similarities of my role as an Agile Delivery Lead and training for a marathon

Written by Priyesh Mistry

We’re not even halfway through the year, yet 2025 has been a big year for me — I ran my first marathon! (I can hear the collective groans of those that know me well, yes, I am still going on about it!) I managed to get myself a ballot place in the big one — the London Marathon. It was as amazing as everyone says it is and I am extremely proud of myself, because it’s something I’ve always wanted to do, but the thought of being able to do the full distance always seemed unthinkable.

Now, I’m not the first person to run a marathon and I definitely won’t be the last. This is just my experience and how along the way, I started to realise that there were similarities between my training and my job as an Agile Delivery Lead here at Dunelm.

You need a plan!

As an Agile Delivery Lead, one of our main responsibilities is to help successfully deliver important outcomes for the business. Just going into any outcome with your eyes closed and winging it, is probably not going to end well. So, if I had just rocked up on marathon day having not trained and having no idea of what I was doing — I maybe could have made it to the end as I wasn’t a complete running novice. But it would have been a bigger struggle, and I probably would have taken a lot longer than I wanted. I essentially wouldn’t have given myself the best chance to achieve my goal!

However, having a clear plan of what is the end goal and the steps you can take to get there, will give you a better chance of success.

It’s the same for any outcome or project needing to be delivered at work. You make it clear what the aim is, you state the why, and then you formulate a plan. You draw on the expertise of those around you to help you analyse and to help you break it down into manageable chunks. Those chunks then get put on a page for all to see and to hold you to account and make it clear when things will happen. You tick off those milestones as you progress through and gain a sense of achievement along the way.

But…things don’t always go to plan…

So, you’ve crafted this excellent master plan, but that doesn’t mean unforeseen issues aren’t going to get in the way and potentially steer you off course. That’d be too easy! It’s how we react to those setbacks that counts.

In my case it was a small injury, thankfully quite early in my training. But it took the wind out my sails and I got a bit grumpy about it at first. I’d never had an injury like this before so didn’t know how to deal with it. However, I took a step back, got expert advice from people far cleverer than me (doctor and physio) and they helped get me back on plan. It was a frustrating month off running, but I learnt a hell of lot from it to prevent it happening again.

It’s the same with work. It’s not all going to be plain sailing. When issues arise that derail us, we have to reflect, try and understand the cause using our experience and if we don’t have a clue, we get advice from those that do. Hopefully then, we have a solution to get back on course. You’ll be a hell of a lot wiser and stronger for having gone through the experience.

Tracking progress with insights is key

Running apps are great for showing you your stats and how you’re improving. You can use them to see real progress and track if the plan is working. Is my heart rate improving with longer runs? Am I getting quicker? There’s a whole host of metrics you can tap into.

We do the same when tracking progress of an outcome or project delivery. How’s our throughput? What’s the burn up saying in terms of potential landing zone? Are we still on track? There’s so many insights we can utilise when running through a project.

When those insights are positive it’s great, but we can still use them to optimise and improve. When the numbers are not so good, it’s a sign that we need to react. We can then adapt and highlight ways to improve performance in order to get back on course.

You have to go slower, to get faster

There’s a common technique used in running that to be able to run further and get quicker — you have to incorporate slower runs into your training. I’m not going to go too much into the science of this, so if you’re interested you can do your own research. However, it boils down to doing more slow runs at a lower heart rate builds your cardio base and prepares your body for those longer distances.

This made me think of another similarity we often talk about when it comes to work in progress. If we’re spinning too many plates, we’re likely not going to achieve much very quickly as we context switch and jump from pillar to post. The old adage of ‘it’s better to do 1 thing well, than 10 things poorly’ sprang to mind. So sometimes to go quicker, we actually need to do less and focus on the most valuable things, which in turn will produce higher quality.

Coaching

I wanted to ensure I gave this challenge my all, so wanted to be able to have a real person who I could work with who would keep me honest and hold me to account. Someone who would help when I was struggling during the plan or when things had gone off course. This coach put a programme in place and would constantly review it with me as I progressed, or when things changed, or if we faced unforeseen hurdles.

This constant inspection and adaption is what I have to do in my day to day in order to keep my team on track during delivery. Being there as a mirror to help them look at the challenges they’re facing and asking the questions that help them solve their own issues in order to self-correct. I also have to be a cheerleader from the sidelines when things are going well too — often we focus too much on the negative — but we have to celebrate the wins too!

Hard Work and Consistency

Sometimes, it really just comes down to hard graft to get you through.

I’ve faced many challenges over the years but this one stands out, because of the time, energy and focus I put into it. Getting to the start line and crossing the finish, whether it’s a marathon or a project delivery, isn’t a given — it has to be earned through preparation and effort.

Consistency, too, is key. Not just for making progress, but for sustaining it. When we show up, do the work and stick with it — we set the tone for those around us. That dedication helps build a culture where persistence and progress go hand in hand.

In Summary

Training for a marathon and managing deliveries might seem world’s apart, but at their core, both require the same mindset. Purposeful planning, adaptability and commitment. Whether it’s tracking progress through metrics, adjusting to unexpected setbacks or leaning on coaching and those around you to stay motivated. Success comes from consistency, data-driven decisions and a willingness to learn and improve.

I was told the marathon is the ‘victory lap for all your training’ and I understand that now. I enjoyed the journey of getting to the marathon and it made me see, whether it’s crossing the finish line or delivering a complex project — it’s not just about speed. It’s about endurance, growth and celebrating the journey as much as the outcome!