AGILE PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Agile Project Management



Agile Project Management

I have been working with the organization on the program for about 18 months now, but muffled under NDA contracts so it is nice for it to be out in the open. Doubtless there will be criticism against the whole idea of certification and then again about an agile certification from the organization. I thought long and hard before agreeing to participate, but then committed enthusiastically. Two things were clear to me.

The organization had a big elephant in the room. Many IT projects were using agile methods and project managers were offered little guidance from the organization on how to incorporate such endeavors.

The organization were committed to providing a knowledge base, training options, and a certification program with or without me. If it was going to happen anyway, I wanted to be on the inside trying to steer it in the right direction rather than on the outside wondering if it might suddenly take a left turn.

The Agile Project Management module we are doing is been very interesting so far. We have learned a lot through our teamwork and the able leadership we had with us. Traditionally, project management methodologies such as PMBOK and PRINCE2 have had a strong predictive guidance. That is, from the product detail you want to develop (functional analysis / technical, functional requirements / technical, etc.) They are defined phases / activities planned well in time based on available resources. From this initial projection, the target during the course of the project is to achieve compliance with what is planned: timing, cost and quality. (Baskerville et al, 2003, 70)

This type of approach has proved useful, improving quality and reducing the deviations in the projects is implemented. In short, the creation of value by adapting to changing needs in the foreground appears opposed to the traditional idea of ??designing a plan and meet timetables / static requirements. Projects managed with agile methodologies are started without a detailed closed what will be built. On a commercial level, projects may be sold as services rather than products.

Agile Manifesto

Proponents of agile methodologies which signed a manifesto expressing the fundamental ideas of management style:

Valuing people and their interaction over processes and tools, quality processes and relationships with poor people will not give good results. (Highsmith, 2000, 124)

Rate the software that runs above the comprehensive documentation: the documentation is necessary as they allow the transfer of knowledge, but the wording should be limited to those that provide direct value to the product / service.

Rate collaboration with the customer over the contract negotiations, while necessary, the contracts do not add value to products / services. Agile methodologies integrate customer and keep the project aiming to provide the highest possible value for each iteration.

To assess the responsiveness to change over following a plan: Anticipation and adaptation in front of planning and control. (Abrahamsson et al, 2003, 244)

From the 4 core values ??can be extracted several principles that qualify the management philosophy behind agile

The top priority is ...