Learn about how and when to use Agile methodology. Over countless years and projects, Project Managers (PMs) have been working to define a better, faster, and easier way to deal with the need for structure. From this work comes most methodologies and standards that are in existence today. One major problem that often gets PMs in trouble during a project concerns the discrepancy between their understanding and the executive’s understanding of how fast a project can be executed when utilizing Agile methodologies.
First, before we proceed with this article, I want to say that I have nothing against Agile methodologies. Some of the best PMs I know use Agile very successfully to deliver their projects. However, as with anything, the decision to use Agile methodologies needs to be made for the correct project, and that is what I have an issue with. It is not a silver bullet and definitely not suited for every project.
How Long Has Agile Been Around?
Agile has been around for quite some time in its different shapes, forms, and variations. Still, it has made leaping bounces forward into the project management environment over the last 5 – 10 years, more so over the last five years when PMI decided to add it to their certification roaster. How and when to use Agile methodology is key. PMI took advantage of the fractions of Agile followers who disagreed over how to rally themselves into a cohesive group and created the PMI-ACP certification, which is still the fastest-growing certification for PMI.
In making it to the mainstream, it became a darling of the project management world with countless articles, books, and training offerings. What also happened is that the word Agile in many executives’ minds became synonymous with being flexible and fast without the planning rigors of other methodologies. Some have even been convinced that Agile did away with most documentation needs found with other methodologies. Another thing that convinced people that there was too much wasted time working any other way.
ALSO READ: Epics In Agile: Everything You Need To Know About What They Are + Examples
The race was one to get this new shiny “toy.” A lot of organizations had to have it and jumped on the bandwagon. It wasn’t until a few months later that a lot of them realized that properly working on an Agile project did not necessarily mean faster, and we still needed to master some of the basics that get us in trouble in the first place on projects.
Requirements Issues
A problem that still exists, Agile or not, is that requirements remain elusive, and getting a complete set of requirements early is still the number one issue for most. Having good results is always based on having a valid set of requirements. If we succeed in getting a good set early, we often falter in our ability to schedule their delivery based on our available resources.
Until we improve our requirements integrity and resource allocation within our means, no methodology can magically improve or speed things up.
I firmly believe that what we need to concentrate on does not reside at the lower end of our processes but rather way earlier, which would be project prioritization.
Emphasizing how the projects are prioritized and delivered
In order for this to happen, you first need to emphasize how the projects are prioritized and delivered, keeping resource optimization as a top priority. This gives plenty of time to elicit requirements, so we have a good set to start the development and deployment processes.
Only trying to find ways to go faster and faster does not make us better at what we do; it just makes us head towards disaster sooner. Knowing how and when to use Agile methodology is essential to achieving success. At some point, slowing down just a tad makes us look closer and think better.
Tip:
Remember also to leverage the power of project management software like Wrike, Monday.com, Teamwork, Microsoft Project, Asana, and Trello to provide a centralized platform for managing tasks, timelines, and resources. They enable project managers to create schedules, assign tasks, track progress, and collaborate with team members.
Similar Content:
-
Comparing agile frameworks
-
A starter’s guide to agile project management
-
Using risk-based thinking to reduce deviation from planned results
