Agile isn’t just for tech teams. It’s a way of thinking and working that helps people navigate complexity, adapt to change and work more sustainably. For those working in museums, galleries and heritage, agile can help us balance the demands of curation, collaboration, funding, change and wellbeing.
Here are five reasons why agile belongs in museums.
1. Supporting smart and creative curation
Curation is a craft that thrives on iteration. Agile helps us develop exhibitions and programmes in cycles, allowing us to test ideas, gather feedback and refine our work as we go. It encourages a mindset of learning and exploration, helping us stay audience focused while keeping the heart of our collections and stories alive. Whether we’re developing a new exhibition, redesigning interpretation or launching a digital archive, agile supports us to deliver meaningful experiences, one step at a time.
2. Navigating funding challenges
Funding in arts and heritage is often complex, time-limited and resource constrained. Agile supports us to plan flexibly and prioritise what matters most. It helps us make the best use of limited time and budget, breaking down projects into manageable pieces and focusing on achievable impact. By working in short cycles, we can demonstrate progress quickly and respond to funders’ feedback, building confidence and trust along the way.
3. Fostering creative collaboration
Agile thrives on teamwork. It creates space for open communication, shared goals and collective ownership. In heritage spaces where staff, volunteers, freelancers and partners work together, agile offers a common language and rhythm. Daily check-ins, visual boards and regular reviews can help everyone stay aligned and feel part of the journey, whether they’re front of house, behind the scenes or joining remotely.
4. Responding to change with confidence
From audience expectations to cost of living challenges constant change is all around us. Agile helps us respond rather than react. It gives us tools to sense what’s shifting and adapt our plans without losing direction. Instead of sticking rigidly to long-term plans, we can stay clear on our goals but flexible in how we reach them. That makes us more resilient and ready to explore new opportunities as they emerge.
5. Working at a sustainable pace
Many in the sector are facing burnout. Agile encourages us to work at a sustainable pace, not sprint endlessly from one deadline to the next. It supports wellbeing by building in time for reflection, celebration and rest. It helps us spot when we’re overstretched and take steps to rebalance. By focusing on steady, meaningful progress rather than perfection or pressure, agile helps us care for ourselves as well as our work.
Agile is already present in our heritage sector in many ways, often informally or instinctively. By adopting a more intentional agile approach, we can bring clarity, creativity and calm to our work. Whether you’re a volunteer or a senior curator, a project manager or an educator, agile offers tools and mindsets to help you thrive in a changing world.
If you’re curious to explore how agile might support your work in museums and heritage, my Free Agile Wall Planner Challenge is a great place to start. You’ll create a practical plan you can use straight away and get a taste of how agile thinking can make a real difference.
www.beingagileinbusiness.co.uk/canvas
Join our July Workshop – Join us for a practical, half-day online workshop designed specifically for professionals in the arts, heritage, and creative sectors. This session introduces Agile project management, a flexible and collaborative approach that helps teams navigate change, manage resources effectively, and deliver impactful work.
About Belinda
Belinda is a business coach, trainer, speaker and author. She supports individuals, teams and organisations to adopt an agile way of working to enhance their well-being, productivity and growth. Belinda has worked with Museums, Heritage and Arts organisations internationally to adopt agile approaches since 2018. Her favourite subjects at school were English, Art, History and Geography, so it makes sense her career has led her to work in the sector.
During that time she has worked with organisations including; Arts Council England, National Trust, Cornwall Museums Partnership, Museum Managers Network, The MERL, Media Majlis (Doha), Falmouth Maritime Museum, Durham Cathedral, and the Wildlife Trust. She enjoys sharing her experience and knowledge, speaking at events, including being a keynote speaker at AMA. She has worked with a variety of sectors during her 25 year career as a Business Growth Coach.
Belinda’s book, Being Agile in Business is a popular non-technical introduction to agile thinking, approaches and culture, her work has been published in the Times and featured on BBC Radio 4.
When she’s not being agile in business, you’ll find her enjoying the countryside with her pony Murphy and Jack Russell Jed. She is a supporter and avid user of the Heritage Clay trails in Cornwall with Murphy and Jed, and the co-director and prompt for her local Amateur Dramatics Group. Belinda brings her agile mindset and approach to everything she does, both on and off stage, alongside her passion and enthusiasm for embracing the new, and preserving the old.
Connect with Belinda on LinkedIn http://uk.linkedin.com/in/belindawaldock
Do please get in touch if you are interested in upcoming workshops and courses, or a workshop specifically for you. belinda@beingagile.co.uk
