Agile

Agile Project Management Background:

In traditional ‘waterfall’ projects, the role of the project manager is established and understood. Agile is somewhat different. For example, popular agile methodologies typically eschew long range project planning in favour of a fluid, iterative approach, and describe the virtues of selfâ€�organising teams over the traditional top-down project structure. This makes the role of the project manager – and the value of project management – less clear cut.

Many organisations seeking the benefits of agile assign the pro-ject manager to an agile project without having a clear understanding of how the project should be managed, and how ‘agile’ will change the nature of interactions between stakeholders and project team. Some organisations still envisage stage-gate sign-offs; others continue to expect traditional pro-ject management deliverables such a PIDs, a functional specification, Gantt-style project plans and pro-gress reports, etc. Should agile project managers attempt to meet these demands? And if so, how?

In this workshop we look at how agile project management differs from – or can coexist with – the lin-ear approach inherent in Prince2 and similar methods, and which corporate governance often still de-mands. We apply real world experience and, via short and engaging interactive exercises, explore the role and develop the skills a project manager needs to deliver an agile project.

 

Benefits of attending this training course:

This compact oneâ€�day workshop – the first in our Agile Essentials series – looks at Agile from a project manager’s perspective. We explore how the roles in an agile project team differ from those in projects following a structured methodology, describe what the project manager’s role should be, and explain how a good project manager can add value. Throughout the day, and based on realâ€�life case studies, we go beyond the theory of agile to explore what it is really like to run an agile project, what kind of challenges are likely to arise, and how to overcome them. At the end of the day delegates will be able to answer the following questions:

• What type of projects are good candidates for an agile approach?
• What is the role of a project manager on an agile project?
• What tools can I use to maintain control over an agile project?
• How different are the team dynamics on an agile project?
• How do I keep a handle on requirements and stay within budget?
• How can I estimate or plan the work we need to do when requirements are evolving?
• How do I measure progress? How do I report progress?
• How can I ensure quality?
• What common issues and risks will I need to be ready for?

Delivered in a highly interactive style with a pragmatic focus on ‘what works’, this workshop is squarely aimed at individuals about to embark on a role as project manager on an agile project. The workshop will be especially valuable to experienced project managers who have experience and understanding of ‘traditional’ project management methods who will be moving on to managing agile projects in the near future.

 

Topics Covered in Agile Project Management:

What is Agile?

• Evolution of Agile
• Agile principles
• Most popular current Agile methodologies
• Waterfall vs. Agile – similarities and Differences

Where does Agile work well?

• Project type / size / criticality
• Corporate culture and ethos
• People considerations
• Project Initiation

Vision and objectives 

• Defining success
• Understanding the business case
• Agile planning and estimating
• Prioritising functionality

The Project Team 

• Roles and responsibilities
• Importance of stakeholders
• Leadership

Managing vs. facilitating

• Communication
• Understanding team dynamics
• Understanding the Quality needs

How is quality defined 

• When is ‘complete’ really ‘complete’ – what constitutes ‘finished’
• Test driven development
• Testing strategies

Governance

• What works on an Agile project
• Reporting
• An Agile project in a nonâ€�Agile programme

Managing Requirements

• Gathering requirements on an Agile project
• Managing change
• Prioritisation

Managing Delivery 

• Planning and management of iterations
• Ensuring quality
• Daily meetings
• Adapting to change
• Managing risk
• Updating estimates, measuring progress
• How and when to test

Transitioning to Agile 

• Preparing for change
• The first Agile project
• Common problems

 

Who should attend?

• Team roles on an Agile project
• Project Managers
• Programme Managers
• IT Directors
• Software Development Managers
• Software Managers