Project Management With Agile Methodology - From Various Resources

   Project management is “the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to project activities to meet the project requirements”. Project management professionals conclude that the definition of a successful project is one that is not only completed on time and within budget, but one that also delivers expected benefits.

         Agile project management is an iterative approach to project management that focuses on breaking down large projects      into more manageable tasks, which are completed in short iterations throughout the project life cycle. Teams that adopt the Agile methodology can complete work faster, adapt to changing project requirements, and optimize their workflow

A typical project management process includes the following phases:

*^Initiation *^ Planning *^ Execution *^ Performance/Monitoring *^Project close

Agile is a methodology for approaching Project development. It consists of different frameworks such as SCRUM or Kanban that help development teams continuously build, test, and gather feedback on their product. Agile consists of four core principles: Individuals and interactions over processes and tools.

Agile project management is an iterative development methodology that values human communication and feedback, adapting to change, and producing working results.  

Agile is iterative, meaning that it is done in pieces (sprints), with each sprint building and improving off the? lessons from the previous sprint.

The goal of Agile is to produce working results in a way that's repeatable and continuous. Put simply, the Agile Methodology is an approach to project management that focuses on iterative development of your final deliverable. If you were publishing a book, each draft would be an iteration of the final work.

Today Agile as a set of management practices is rapidly spreading to all types of organizations. The popularity of Agile is driven by an awareness of today’s rapidly-evolving, customer-driven marketplace. Agile allows companies to master continuous change, helping them to respond to a market that is increasingly complex and uncertain. 

Manifesto for the AGILE Methodology Or the 4 Core Values of Agile are:

1^Individuals and interactions over processes and tools 2^ Working software over comprehensive documentation 3^Customer collaboration over contract negotiation 4^ Responding to change over following a plan

The main Agile aspects:

Flexibility: The scope of work may change according to new requirements.

Work breakdown: The project consists of small cycles (known as Sprints in Scrum).

Value of teamwork: The team members work closely together and have a clear vision about their responsibilities.

 Iterative improvements: There is frequent reassessment of the work done within a cycle to make the final product better

Cooperation with a client: A customer is actively engaged in the development and can change the requirements or accept the team’s suggestions.

Prioritizing flexibility and rapid turnaround, the Agile approach offers the following benefits, according to the recent research:

·Ability to manage the changing priorities (88%)

·Increased team productivity through daily task allocation (83%)

·Better project visibility due to the simple planning system (83%)

 6 steps in the Agile methodology

·Project planning. Like with any project, before beginning your team should understand the end goal, the value to the organization or client, and how it will be achieved. ...

·Product roadmap creation. ... - A roadmap is a breakdown of the features that will make up the final product. This is a crucial component of the planning stage of Agile, because your team will build these individual features during each sprint.

·Release planning. ... In traditional waterfall project management, there is one implementation date that comes after an entire project has been developed. When using Agile, however, your project uses shorter development cycles (called sprints) with features released at the end of each cycle –

·A sprint in Scrum is a short period of time wherein a development team works to complete specific tasks, milestones, or deliverables. Sprints, also referred to as “iterations,” essentially break the project schedule into digestible blocks of time in which smaller goals can be accomplished.

·Scrum is an iterative approach to project management, which means it’s designed to deliver small things rapidly that can build up into something larger over time. Each iteration, known as a Sprint, lasts just a couple of weeks. The team who is responsible for actually doing the work gets to decide how much they’ll commit to getting done during the Sprint, and no one should change or reprioritize their workload once they’ve made that commitment.·

·Sprint planning. ... Before each sprint begins, the stakeholders need to hold a sprint planning meeting to determine what will be accomplished by each person during that sprint, how it will be achieved, and assess the task load. It’s important to share the load evenly among team members so they can accomplish their assigned tasks during the sprint.·

·Daily stand-ups. ... To help your team accomplish their tasks during each sprint and assess whether any changes need to be made, hold short daily stand-up meetings. During these meetings, each team member will briefly talk about what they accomplished the day before and what they will be working on that day.·

·Sprint review and retrospective. After the end of each sprint, your team will hold two meetings: first, you will hold a sprint review with the project stakeholders to show them the finished product. This is an important part of keeping open communication with stakeholders. An in-person or video conference meeting allows both groups to build a relationship and discuss product issues that arise.·

Second, you will have a sprint retrospective meeting with your stakeholders to discuss what went well during the sprint, what could have been    better, whether the task load was too heavy or too light for each member, and what was accomplished during the sprint.

Each Agile methodology has its own unique list of team members and roles, and while the titles may change, there are a few universal role characteristics that most Agile team structures should have:

T-shaped: A valuable Agile team member has a wide breadth of basic knowledge about their subject but also deep knowledge, experience, and ability in one (or more) specific areas.

Cross-functional: Cross-functional Agile team members have skills outside their traditional areas. They might know some basic graphic design principles and data analysis or even some HTML/CSS.

Adaptable: If they have a diverse skill set, they know how to use it. No matter the environment, their output remains consistent.

Curious: Part of optimizing and becoming more efficient is asking the right questions and challenging the way things have always been when it’s appropriate.

Entrepreneurial: An Agile team member is one that doesn’t wait to be told what to do. They’re ready to fill in and develop campaigns where they see a need.

Team-oriented: Team players prioritize the success of the team over their own personal glory. If everyone is delivering on time and syncing well together, they see that as a win.

Committed to excellence: One of the key benefits of Agile projects is delivering quality work, faster. Team members who are committed to excellence don’t settle for average. They’re not hung up on perfection, but they’re dedicated to always producing their best work.

The 12 Agile Principles: What Are They and Do They Still Matter?

·Early and Continuous Delivery of Valuable Software. Embrace Change. Frequent Delivery. Business and Developers Together. Motivated Individuals. Face-to-Face Conversation. Working Software. Technical Excellence.

Popular agile methodologies:

·Scrum Kanban Extreme Programming (XP) Lean (LN) Dynamic System Development Model (DSDM)

·Agile Unified Process (AUP) Crystal Clear methods Disciplined agile delivery Feature-driven development (FDD)

·Scrumban RAD (Rapid Application Development)

These are the most basic and important parts of Agile project management. As you transition your team to an Agile methodology, these processes, Agile software and tools, roles, and principles will help you change your mindset and begin working together to be more flexible and adapt to changes as they come. Agile isn’t for everyone, but teams who use it correctly will experience enormous benefits, including streamlined work processes and rapid innovation.