An Introduction to
Agile Project Management
Chapter 16
An Introduction to Agile Project Management -
Learning Objectives
After reading this chapter you should be able to:
16-1 Recognize the conditions in which traditional project
management versus agile project management should be used.
16-2 Understand the value of incremental, iterative
development for creating new products.
16-3 Identify core Agile principles.
16-4 Understand the basic methodology used in Scrum.
16-5 Recognize the limitations of Agile project management.
Agile Project Management
Agile PM
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 Project Management versus
Agile Project Management
Traditional Agile
Design up front Continuous design
Fixed scope Flexible
Deliverables Features/requirements
Freeze design as early as possible Freeze design as late as possible
Low uncertainty High uncertainty
Avoid change Embrace change
Low customer interaction High customer interaction
Conventional project teams Self-organized project teams
Agile Project Management (cont’d)
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.
Agile PM Principles
Focus on customer value
Iterative and incremental delivery
Experimentation and adaptation
Self-organization
Continuous improvement
Popular Agile PM Methods
Scrum Crystal Clear
Extreme RUP (Rational Unified
Programming Process)
Agile PM
Methods Dynamic Systems
Agile Modeling Development Method
(DSDM)
Rapid Product
Development (PRD) Lean Development
Agile PM in Action: Scrum
Scrum Methodology
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 and 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 and 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.
Key Terms
Agile PM
Feature
Iterative incremental development (IID)
Product backlog
Product owner
Release burndown chart
Release meeting
Scaling
Scrum master
Scrum meeting
Self-organizing team
Sprint backlog
Sprint burndown chart