CORE VALUES OF AGILE PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Sylvain CHERY

PMI Luxembourg Event – Dec. 11, 2007

1

AGILE PARTNER

2

IT AGILITYIT AGILITY BUSINESS AGILITYBUSINESS AGILITY

Development teams supportPM, coaching, trainings

Business productivity solutionsCollaboration, ECM & search, BI

Application platform solutionsArchitectureDevelopment & user experienceData management

Impact of the writers strike on TV shows?Well, it depends…

THE DIFFERENCE IS UNCERTAINTY

Scripts are written at least half a season in advance

New episodes are ordered as the season progresses

WHY AGILITY?

Agility is about maximising Return on Investment in a Changing environment

RESOURCES

VALUE

UNCERTAINTY

5

SURVEY RESULTS

6Source : 2nd Annual Survey “The State of Agile Development”, conducted June-July, 2007, VersionOne, Inc.

AGENDA

Agile Values by DomainPlanningChange ManagementCustomer RelationshipPeopleProcess Improvement

Role of the Project ManagerBarriersSummary & Conclusion

7

PLANNING

Planning for delivery of valueTasks are in themselves of no value to the clientEarned-value only when 100% complete

A continuous flow of valueSmall units of value delivered in a continuous flowKeeping the batch size down to improve process efficiency (Lean Manufacturing)

8

TRACKING

9

Batch size

100% complete

100% complete

100% complete

100% complete

PRIORITIES

Prioritization According to business valueDefined by the customer

10

CHANGE MANAGEMENT

You can’t eliminate uncertainty

11

Marketplace

RegulationsLegislations

Politics

Communication

MissedActual need?

Defects

CHANGE MANAGEMENT

Prepare for and welcome change rather than fight it

AnticipationAdaptation (feedback & reflection)

Just-In-TimeReduce inventory (Lean Manufacturing)No Big Requirements Up Front

12

FIXED BUDGET

What about fixed-price projects?That should not mean “fixed-scope”

For each batchRe-estimateRe-prioritize

13

ADVANTAGES

For the CustomerActual value delivered regularlyControl over the scope

• Items in/out

Control over the schedule• Prioritization

Control over the budget• Funding

For the Project TeamDeliver highest valueNo useless work

14

GUIDELINES

15

Plan for value not tasks

Deliver in small pieces

Get the customer prioritize

Accept Uncertainty !

Work incrementally & adapt

CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP

Who is the customer?User/Sponsor/Champion…Owns the productIs entitled to make decisions

Trust between the customer and the project team is a key success factor

One common goal (shared ownership)

16

FREQUENT INTERACTIONS

Customer responsibilitiesTimely and comprehensive information (requirement details)Decisions about scope and prioritiesQuick feedback

Team responsibilitiesShare progress informationExplain technologies and techniques, why they are used and the implicationsDemonstrate work results

Involve other stakeholders

17

PEOPLE - INDIVIDUALS

Individuals are the ultimate source of valueReal peopleEach individual can make a positive difference

18

Creating the environment

PEOPLE - GROUP

Group accountability for results improves performance

Shared responsibility for team effectivenessIt’s not the other one’s faultKnow / understand what the other ones doEveryone is in it together

19

PROCESS IMPROVEMENT

No silver bullet, no one answerSituationally specific strategies, processes and practices

Continuous process improvementUncertainty and changes affect also the processPeriodical feedback and retrospectives

20

AGILE PROJECT MANAGER

For the project teamSupportGuideRemove obstacles

For the organizationCommunicateReportExplainObtain support

21

Empower your team

Review your role as PM

GUIDELINES

22

Engage only with trusted peers

Engage frequent interactions

Create a short feedback loop

Create your own set

Adapt it along the way

BARRIERS

23Source : 2nd Annual Survey “The State of Agile Development”, conducted June-July, 2007, VersionOne, Inc.

SUMMARY

A continuous flow of valueAccept uncertainty and manage itFrequent interactions & shared ownershipIndividuals are the ultimate source of valueGroup accountability for resultsSituationally specific strategies, processes and practices

24

WHERE TO START

When confronted with changing business conditions and needs, you should consider an agile project management approach

Focus on core agile valuesStart with a pilot projectGet management supportBring-in agile experience

25

Thank you

26

REFERENCES

Agile Partner: www.agilepartner.netAgile Interest Group Luxembourg (AIGLU): www.agile-lu.orgAgile Alliance: http://www.agilealliance.orgThe 2nd Annual State of Agile Development Survey Results, VersionOne: http://www.versionone.com/agilesurveyresults.aspDeclaration of Interdependence: http://www.pmdoi.org/The Agile Project Leadership Network (APLN): http://apln.org/Better Software Magazine: The Declaration of Interdependence, Alistair Cockburn, http://www.stickyminds.com/BetterSoftware/magazine.asp?fn=cifea&id=77The declaration of interdependence for modern management , Alistair Cockburn: http://alistair.cockburn.us/index.php/The_declaration_of_interdependence_f or_modern_managementDr Dobb’s, Agile on a Fixed Budget, Scott W. Hambler: http://www.ddj.com/development-tools/201202925Agile Requirements Change Management, Scott W. Hambler: http://www.agilemodeling.com/essays/changeManagement.htmall about agile, by Kelly Waters: http://kw-agiledevelopment.blogspot.com

27

28