12 Days of Agile - Principle #5

Typically, the hardest aspect for Project Managers (PM) when transitioning from waterfall, or other non-Agile frameworks, to Agile is letting go of "command and control." A PM can feel some sense of relief when they have a project plan that has every action and resource allocated in its correct spot.

First, let's remove the term "resource" from your vocabulary. Resources are tools or other materials that allow one to perform your job or achieve a goal. Resources may be temporary and disposable. People are not resources. People are people and they need to be treated that way.

Agile requires an amount of individual and team development. I've been told about "teams can't do Agile because they're not experienced or mature enough." That is a red flag that indicates the organization needs to spend more time growing the skills of its teams. Enable your teams with the skills they need to complete a job then trust them to do it.

One of my greatest joys as a manager is when my team tells me "you weren't available so we went ahead and made the decision." That tells me they feel empowered and are trusted to do what is required to keep the project moving. And that's especially crucial as COVID has physically separated teams and created more situations where we need to trust their knowledge and expertise to get the job done.