Chapter 17 Flashcards
Agile Project Management
Is related to the rolling wave planning and scheduling project methodology.
Uses iterations (“time boxes”) to develop a workable product that satisfies the customer and other key stakeholders.
Allows stakeholders and customers review progress and re-evaluate priorities to ensure alignment with customer needs and company goals.
Is cyclical in that adjustments are made and a different iterative cycle begins that subsumes the work of the previous iterations and adds new capabilities to the evolving product.
Traditional PM versus Agile Methods
Traditional PM Approach
- Concentrates on thorough, upfront planning of the entire project.
- Requires a high degree of predictability to be effective.
Agile Project Management (Agile PM)
- Relies on incremental, iterative development cycles to complete less-predictable projects.
- Is ideal for exploratory projects in which requirements need to be discovered and new technology tested.
- Focuses on active collaboration between the project team and customer representatives.
Traditional PM versus Agile Methods
Traditional Points
Design up front Fixed scope Deliverables Freeze design as early as possible Low uncertainty Avoid change Low customer interaction Conventional project teams
Traditional PM versus Agile Methods
Agile Points
Continuous design Flexible Features/requirements Freeze design as late as possible High uncertainty Embrace change High customer interaction Self-organized project teams
Agile PM Principles
Focus on customer value Iterative and incremental delivery Experimentation and adaptation Self-organization Continuous improvement
Advantages of Agile PM
Useful in developing critical breakthrough technology or defining essential features
Continuous integration, verification, and validation of the evolving product.
Frequent demonstration of progress to increase the likelihood that the end product will satisfy customer needs.
Early detection of defects and problems.
Mentors
Mentors are typically superiors who take a special interest in you and your career.
They require loyalty and superior performance.
Take advantage of formal mentoring programs in which experienced project managers are assigned to promising young managers.
Attending conferences, trade fairs, and workshops provides good opportunities to “network” and develop social connections that might precipitate project assignments.
Finding a Mentor
Acknowledge that having help is a good thing
Identify successful people that you respect or admire for the way they do things
Ask what would make you attractive to a mentor?
Interview your short list
Being a Mentor
Have a plan that includes short- and long-term goals
Have something to exchange
Make a good impression
Make it rewarding for both parties
Popular Agile PM Methods
Scrum ExtremeProgramming Agile Modeling Rapid Product Development (PRD) Crystal Clear RUP (Rational Unified Process) Dynamic Systems Development Method (DSDM) Lean Development
Agile PM in Action: Scrum
Is a holistic approach for use by a cross-functional team collaborating to develop a new product.
Defines product features as deliverables and prioritizes them by their perceived highest value to the customer.
Re-evaluates priorities after each iteration (sprint) to produce fully functional features.
Has four phases: analysis, design, build, test
Key Roles & Responsibilities in the Scrum Process
Product Owner
Acts on behalf of customers to represent their interests.
Development Team
Is a team of five-nine people with cross-functional skill sets is responsible for delivering the product.
Scrum Master (aka Project Manager) Facilitates scrum process and resolves impediments at the team and organization level by acting as a buffer between the team and outside interference.
Applying Agile to Large Projects
Scaling
Is using several teams to work on different features of a large scale project at the same time.
Staging
Requires significant up-front planning to manage the interdependences of different features to be developed.
Involves developing protocols and defining roles to coordinate efforts and assure compatibility and harmony.
Limitations & Concerns of Agile PM
It does not satisfy top management’s need for budget, scope, and schedule control.
Its principles of self-organization and close collaboration can be incompatible with corporate cultures.
Its methods appear to work best on small projects that require only five-nine dedicated team members to complete the work.
It requires active customer involvement and cooperation.
Success in Key Projects
Pick projects more for the quality of the people working on them than for the scope of the projects.
Keep a diary of your observations and review and refine lessons learned.
Avoid run-of-the-mill projects or assignments.
Seek high-profile projects that have some risks and tangible payoffs.
Consider moving to a different company or even a different industry that might provide more project management opportunities.
