CHAPTER 11

Agile Project Management

Based on testimonial data collected from over 10,000 project managers from around the world, over 70 percent of projects are best managed by processes that adapt to continual learning and discovery of the project solution.

When in doubt, leave it out.

When the pain the organization is suffering from failed projects reaches some threshold, the health of the business suffers and the bottom line is affected. If all previous corrective action plans have failed, senior management is ready to listen.

— Robert K. Wysocki, Ph.D., President, Enterprise Information Insights, Inc.

This is the key chapter of Part II. Extensive testimonial data suggests that more than 70 percent of all projects should have used some type of Agile Project Management (APM) model but didn't. Too many project managers have tried to force fit the wrong project management life cycle (PMLC) model because that is the only model approved for use by their management, or they did so in ignorance of other models that were better choices for a management approach. The poor project track record of many organizations is sad testimony of those poor management decisions.

It is my hope that you approach this chapter with an open mind to the possibilities. Many of you and the managers above you in the organization's chain of command have to unlearn some bad project management habits to make room for better project management habits.

In this chapter, you learn at a very detailed level about the kinds of projects that lend themselves to Agile approaches. As you know, these are the approaches that satisfy the management needs for projects whose goal is clearly documented but whose solution is not. Many of these projects address problems and business opportunities for which there has not been an acceptable solution put forth or the business opportunity has not been successfully exploited. These projects are characterized by high complexity and uncertainty and present the organization with a significant challenge. The fact that these high-risk projects are addressed at all means that their successful completion is critical to the business. These projects will challenge the creative abilities of the project manager, the client team, and the development team.

There are two different PMLC models in the Agile category: Iterative and Adaptive. Iterative PMLC models are appropriate for projects where most of the solution has been discovered. Only a few minor features have not been decided. In many cases, alternatives will be known but a final decision not made as to which to implement. Adaptive PMLC models are appropriate for projects where perhaps very little of the solution is known. Understanding and integrating major functions into the solution are integral to the learning and discovery part of Adaptive PMLC models.

There are several Agile models to choose from. The four popular choices for software development are Rational Unified Process (RUP), Scrum, Dynamic Systems Development Method (DSDM), and Adaptive Software Development (ASD). RUP is an Iterative PMLC model. Scrum, DSDM, and ASD are Adaptive PMLC models. These four APM models are similar in that they are designed to facilitate software solution discovery. There is a fifth Adaptive PMLC model that you will also learn about in this chapter. It is called Adaptive Project Framework (APF). It is different than the other four because it was designed for both software development and non–software development projects. Its application to product development, process design, and process improvement projects has been successfully demonstrated.

For a given Agile project, the choice of which of the two Agile PMLC model types provides a better fit will always be subjective. Many of the Agile models also work quite well on Q3 and Q4 projects. In this chapter, I will try to shed some light on the decision to use an Iterative PMLC model or an Adaptive PMLC model based on other factors that can impact project success.