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Agile Project Management - 12 Key Principles, 4 Big Hurdles - CIO PDF
Agile Project Management - 12 Key Principles, 4 Big Hurdles - CIO PDF
Agile Project Management - 12 Key Principles, 4 Big Hurdles - CIO PDF
By Moira Alexander
CIO |
JUN 19, 2018 3:41 PM PDT
What is agile?
Agile is a project management methodology that uses short development cycles called “sprints” to
focus on continuous improvement in the development of a product or service.
Although incremental software development methods go as far back as 1957, agile was first
discussed in depth in the 1970s by William Royce who published a paper on the development of
large software systems. Later in 2001, the Agile Manifesto, a "formal proclamation of four key
values and 12 principles to guide an iterative and people-centric approach to software
development," was published by 17 software developers. These developers gathered together to
discuss lightweight development methods based on their combined experience.
[ Looking to make the switch to agile? Check out our switcher's guide to agile project
management. | Learn agile's darkest secret and how companies fail at agile. | Get the
latest project management advice by signing up for our CIO newsletters. ]
[ Get certi ed! Prepare for your Project Management Professional exam with this 14-part, 38-
hour course based on the PMBOK® Guide (sixth edition). ]
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1. Customer satisfaction is always the highest priority and is achieved through rapid and continuous
delivery.
2. Changing environments are embraced at any stage of the process to provide the customer with a
competitive advantage.
3. A product or service is delivered with higher frequency.
4. Stakeholders and developers collaborate closely on a daily basis.
5. All stakeholders and team members remain motivated for optimal project outcomes, while teams are
provided with all the necessary tools and support, and are trusted to accomplish project goals.
6. Face-to-face meetings are deemed the most efficient and effective format for project success.
7. A final working product is the ultimate measure of success.
8. Sustainable development is accomplished through agile processes whereby development teams and
stakeholders are able to maintain a constant and ongoing pace.
9. Agility is enhanced through a continuous focus on technical excellence and proper design.
10. Simplicity is an essential element.
11. Self-organizing teams are most likely to develop the best architectures and designs and to meet
requirements.
12. Regular intervals are used by teams to improve efficiency through fine-tuning behaviors.
IT INSIGHTS
How the agile methodology really works
Insurance 6 percent
Healthcare 6 percent
Government 5 percent
Telecoms 4 percent
Transportation 4 percent
Manufacturing 4 percent
Increased flexibility
Increased productivity
Increased transparency
Higher quality deliverables
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Decreased risk of missed objectives
Increased stakeholder engagement and satisfaction
This hybrid approach aids in making agile even more adaptable within various industries or to suit
the more unique nature of a project, product, or service. Again, due diligence is required to
determine the suitability and capacity of the different methods and processes available.
Scrum
Kanban
Lean (LN)
Dynamic System Development Model, (DSDM)
Extreme Programming (XP)
Crystal
Adaptive software development (ASD)
Agile Unified Process (AUP)
Crystal Clear methods
Disciplined agile delivery
Feature-driven development (FDD)
Scrumban
RAD(Rapid Application Development)
To find out which methodology is right for your project or organization, see "Comparing agile
project management frameworks."
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Agile project management and Scrum
Scrum is a powerful framework for implementing agile processes in software development and
other projects. This highly adopted framework utilizes short iterations of work, called sprints, and
daily meetings, called scrums, to tackle discrete portions of a project in succession until the project
as a whole is complete. There are three key roles within Scrum: the Scrum master, product owner,
and Scrum team members:
The product owner creates and prioritizes a product backlog (work to be done).
Teams select items from the backlog and determine how to complete the work.
Work must be completed within a sprint (usually two to four weeks).
The Scrum master meets with teams briefly each day to get progress updates.
Sprint reviews are conducted at the end of each sprint.
The process starts again until all work or backlog is complete.
See also "What is a Scrum master? A key role for project success."
A company structure or culture that does not adequately support agile: Although project teams
may be ready for agile development, the rest of the company may not be on board. Sponsors,
executives, and functional leaders must also buy into and support agile for it to be truly effective.
Unclear understanding of the impact to the overall business goals: Simply executing projects
using agile methodology isn’t enough to reap the desired benefits. Projects can still be executed in
ways that don’t provide the entire business with the results that help achieve sustainable growth.
Strategic alignment is still critical.
Rushed testing cycles: Sprints can create a risk of rushed testing cycles. In the process of trying to
get through sprints as quickly as possible, teams can become more focused on the timeline and miss
simple aspects of the testing cycle, which can have potential significant repercussions. Defects can
go undetected or are detected too late.
Limited agile skill: Although agile is rapidly taking root, top agile talent can be hard to find and
attract. Limited agile talent means limited benefits for companies wanting to execute projects using
this methodology.
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For a deeper look at how to make the shift, see "Agile project management: 16 tips for a smooth
switch to agile."
For insights into how organizations go wrong with agile, see "7 simple ways to fail at agile" and "5
misconceptions CIOs still have about agile."
1. An ability to cut through unnecessary work and focus only on essential work
2. Sound judgment under pressure and the ability to remain calm under stress
3. Strong motivation and coaching skill to guide and support teams throughout a project
4. Exceptional organizational abilities to keep everything straight and prioritize
5. The ability to think and make decisions quickly as circumstances change rapidly
6. A high level of adaptability in order to accept change and reduce unnecessary confusion and risk
PMI-ACP
APMG International
Strategyex Certificate (Associate or Master’s) in agile
International Consortium for Agile (ICAgile)
Agile Certification Institute
Scaled Agile Academy
Scrum Alliance
For a more in-depth look at these certs, see “7 agile certifications to take your career to the next
level.”
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Agile project management software
Companies using agile are likely to leverage software geared to agile development in order to get
the full benefits of this methodology. Here are just some of the agile solutions available:
Atlassian Jira + Agile: This is an agile project management tool that supports Scrum, Kanban, and
mixed methodologies. This project management software comes with a comprehensive set of tools
that help Scrum teams perform events with ease.
Agilean: Agilean automates workflow management for small and midsize IT companies fitting
different verticals. It is customizable and has 50 built-in templates.
SprintGround: This is a project management tool created for developers to organize work and help
them track progress.
VersionOne: This project management solution is built to support the Scaled Agile Framework at all
levels.
Agile glossary
Agile process guides
Agile process work item types and workflow
Backlogs
Scrum process
Scrum process work item types and workflow
Use agile in Microsoft Project
Agile project management software vendors also typically have built-in agile templates in their
software.
Moira Alexander is the author of LEAD or LAG: Linking Strategic Project Management & Thought
Leadership and founder of Lead-Her-Ship Group. She's also a project management professional and
contributor to and co-host of the Price of Business Talk Radio "technically speaking" segment. Moira
has 20+ years in business (IS&T) and project management for small to large businesses in the U.S. and
Canada.
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