Self-management: The Agile kid
Project Management has transformed through various methodologies that are tested with the waves of time under diverse circumstances proving them apt for certain objectives and projects while identifying the best methodology suited in each case to tailor the company's internal strategies. The age-old technique identified in this context is the waterfall model proposed by Dr Winston W. Royce back in 1970 emphasizing the logical progression of steps to be taken throughout the software development life cycle often linked to the cascading steps down an incremental waterfall. This is a linear management approach starting with gathering requirements, building the product, testing, and delivering all happening in a series where each step starts only after the preceding step is completed and there is no going back!
“55% of managers state that when the team overruns its budget, it’s the way to failure.”
This kind of model has proven useful in less complicated and small systems often when client requirements are not frequently changing. It might be productive if the requirements are specified and clear, the development environment is stable, resources are adequately trained and available, the necessary tools and techniques used are stable and the project itself is short or has a specific time framework. Despite being structured, the waterfall model reduces the room for creativity. It was observed that more time was spent on documentation rather than developing the product. Despite being costly the requirements can also be easily misinterpreted and the linear structured approach makes it difficult to apply to larger projects. A report published by PMI in 2017 says that 51% of organizations still use the waterfall model due to its simple straight forward and cost-deterministic factors.
When it comes to today’s workplace, project management terminologies resonate with agile attributes. As per the Project Management Institute, almost 70% of firms have used Agile methodologies. Furthermore, more than 25% of industrial companies only adopt Agile. Additionally, Price WaterhouseCoopers study indicates that Agile initiatives have a 28% higher success rate than conventional programs. The initial stages of development of Agile concepts can be traced back to the snowy mounts of Utah from where 17 software developers led by Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland joined forces to create this new order of thinking for software development in 2001.
As per Targetprocess.com,
picture credit: https://hive.com/
If It’s Too Good Then Why Do Agile Fail?
If the communication is not clear or the employees lack trust between co-workers, no matter how good a management system is, it simply doesn’t work out. Another common reason is attributed to poor leadership where micromanaging leads to distrust and a lack of success.
“It might not be a good idea to dictate everything team members do”
The agile methodology emphasizes segmenting large projects into smaller ones and making gradual adjustments to each one. This is generally challenging for large organizations with huge teams, contributing to Agile failure. Trying to cling to old methods is one of the main reasons Agile fails. Making the switch to Agile requires commitment. Trying to incorporate certain traditional procedures or technologies into Agile processes is ineffective. Lack of experience in agile methodology is simply the biggest reason to fail in agile project management. Being technology-focused rather than customer-centric leads to barriers in interacting with customers and defining the product better. Copying other organizations’ approaches to agile framework also may not work out as the organizational cult, needs and priorities vary across entities. Extreme programming, Remote and hybrid working are examples of agile approaches. Terms like scrum, kanban, automation, generative AI, a cloud-first approach, and change management are keywords in this context.
“At some point, a project must produce a final product.”
Way Forward
领英推荐
“Individuals and interactions over process and tools”
With its rapidly expanding IT sector, India has witnessed a significant increase in project managers. Project management tools used in India include Jira and Microsoft Project for their robust support for IT project management. Microsoft Project and Asana are among the most widely used project management tools in the US, given their versatility and broad feature sets. Tools like Jira and Trello enjoy popularity in the UK due to their robust support for Agile methodologies.
77% of India's top-performing projects will make use of project management tools.
According to the same Nasscom statistics, the growth rate of project management-related occupations in India is expected to reach 33% by 2027.
With this way forward, another old concept resurfaces…
Self-Management
Self-management is the larger picture when it comes to the agile technique. The organization's leadership, communication, strategy, change, talent, and performance management are all redefined, along with the whole organizational structure.
A few fundamental ideas on workers' abilities and capabilities form the basis of self-management. Workers are mature, dependable, motivated, and able to pick up new skills given the correct circumstances. The next stage of development after applying the agile technique is self-management. Distributed power and collective intelligence shifting pyramidal hierarchy and power games to progressive interconnected organizations play a vital role key in this model.
?
“Change is the law of life, and those who look only to the past and present are certain to miss the future” - John F. Kennedy
References:
?