Professional Documents
Culture Documents
gile Project Management (also known as eXtreme or Radical Project Management) is an integrated set of tools and techniques for managing the new types of projects that have emerged in all organizations.
These projects are typified by: unstable requirements within evolving organizations; complex stakeholder inter-relationships; innovative business requirements; constrained deadlines, budgets and people; and tight focus on strategic alignment and added value realization. Traditional project management approaches (such as those in Prince 2 and the Project Management Institute) have failed to adapt to these projects and, as in other industries such as manufacturing and construction, new approaches to business and IT project management are demanded. While it is fashionable to deride traditional project management (typified by the PMBOK), these approaches worked well in the stable and engineered projects of the past. Simply, creative and dynamic project management must replace the overengineered and mechanistic project management of the past as projects (and organisations) become more creative, agile and dynamic. Agile Project Management is simply the management of creativity. Agile Project Management [APM] can be best understood through a comparison to traditional project management (TPM): TPM focuses on the development cycle of products and systems, APM focuses on the whole-of-life of products and systems (development, support and benefits realization). TPM treats quality, project risk and cost-benefit as plug-ins to scheduling, APM fully integrates quality, project risk and cost-benefit into the planning and management process. TPM treats team members as a resource that has costs and require constant tracking and review, APM treats team members as creative and motivated people who will work to achieve the projects success. TPM focuses downwards to the team and the managing the teams deliverables (cost, schedule, etc), APM focuses outwards and upwards towards the Sponsor, stakeholders and clients. TPM focuses on costs; APM focuses on benefits realization. TPM is expensive, report and forms-laden, slow and bureaucratic, APM is inexpensive, low-tech, rapid and open. There are many other distinctions, which include open participative planning (RAP sessions) and event/scenario planning. Most importantly, APM is based on open and collaborative partnerships between the project manager and the stakeholder/clients.
2007
Lack of courage
Technical fun
Agile project management (APM) evolved in leading business and IT areas as an alternative to the perceived bureaucracy and implied values and behaviors of Traditional project management. Agile project management values and behaviors are: Open Project management involves full participation and ownership by relevant stakeholders (including sponsors) and is facilitated by the project manager. The project manager owns the process not the project and its outputs and outcomes; Project team members, sponsors and stakeholders are professionals. They can be trusted to work hard and be committed to the project and the organization. If trusted, they will personally commit to work as hard as required not to betray the trust given to them. They will be honest with estimates if given the chance; All people impacted by or involved in the project have a right to be told the truth and inflating benefits and under estimating costs is not acceptable. The right to say I dont know the true estimates, can I have some time are seen as acceptable; Undertaking projects requires courage in many areas - telling the truth, asking for assistance, admitting uncertainty and mistakes are signs of strength, acting as a professional; Projects consume shareholders, citizens and corporate money and this requires a fiscal and ethical responsibility i.e. a duty of care to be shared by all team members, project manager, sponsor and stakeholders. Benefits realization is the responsibility of stakeholders but project managers must engage stakeholders and sponsor in ensuring that the benefits realization is planned and funded.
Trust
Honesty
Courage
Money
After 35 years of project management consulting, teaching and mentoring, we have come to understand is that, like children born in a specific culture that has been absorbed into the daily family rituals, education, media, laws and so on that surrounds the child, most people involved in projects, project management and project governance have become victims (or, at least, passive participants) of a culture its values and its behaviors.
2007
MANAGERIAL
Stakeholders Related Projects Risks Returns Costs Schedules Priorities Estimates Resources Assumptions 10 - 20%
TECHNICAL
Policy Specifications Procedure Manual Design Scope Work Redesign Models Education Modules Objectives Test Plans Strategy Communication Strategy Quality Implementation Guides Legal Advice Public Relations Material
80 - 90%
Prioritise, Steer Steer and and Prioritise, Review Projects Projects Review
Project Concept Project Business Case
Prioritize, Steer and Review Projects provides the executive governance - project sponsorship. Project Feasibility Assessment examines both the managerial and technical feasibility and risks. Project Planning develops the projects Business Case. Project Tracking monitors plans against actual status. Project Reporting reports the status of the project and Business Case to the Project Sponsor and stakeholders.
2007
Development
Feasibility Analysis Design Build
Support
Benefits
Test
Ship
Costs
The first and most important step in planning a project is to negotiate the expectations of success. Traditional project management defined success within the limited framework of the development stage of the project meets requirements, on time and in budget. Agile project management defines success from a development and support perspective.
2007
have a satisfied client group/s meet the project's objectives/requirements meet an agreed budget - resources, capital, equipment deliver the product on time add value for the organisation meet quality requirements have a sense of professional satisfaction for the team
OFF
ON
OFF
ON
OFF
ON
OFF
ON
OFF
ON
OFF
ON
Off - Success Factor is not relevant. It is measured however. On - Success Factor is relevant. Degree of relevance is indicated by position of slider.
Before planning, each critical stakeholder group defines success using the sliders. This negotiation should be done before any detailed planning.
NOT RESOLVED
The objectives in scope are the responsibility of the project manager. The objectives outside scope are generally the responsibility of stakeholders. The unsure objectives must be resolved by the sponsor.
2007
This tool should be used during the planning session to identify the project's objectives and, by documenting related objectives outside the project, scope is defined as well. The results from completing this form can be stated as scope and objectives in the Business Case. Any un-resolved objectives should be forwarded to the Project Sponsor or Steering Committee for advice and resolution as soon as possible. The trick here is that while you, as the Project Manager, are responsible for the Is objectives, you must understand the related Is Not objectives and manage the relationship with the stakeholders and related projects that are undertaking the objectives outside scope.
The Partnership Agreement is vital to the management of project stakeholders and related project managers.
Date : ___/___/___
Contingency
Person Responsible
Negotiate who else can provide the service if the stakeholder is not available
Optional - agree which team member is responsible for the management of the relationship
2007
Stakeholder buy-in for your project is mandatory and the use of the RAP session which fully involves critical stakeholders in planning the project and developing the Business Case is a great way to get that buy-in.
A Primer on Benefits
The process of analyzing and estimating the benefits that the project is seeking to realize is driven by the projects objectives. As shown in the diagram, an objective produces an output which, in turn, leads to an outcome. The key to understanding benefits is that there are only three classes of benefits: I.R. - the objective leads to a direct increase of revenue; A.C. - the project leads to an avoidance of actual (i.e. staff reduction) or notional costs (i.e. there is an increase in productivity); I.S. - the project improves service to an internal or external client.
Objective Objective
An objective must state "what" is going to change in the status-quo.
Output Output
An output is the direct change in the status-quo as a result of the objective "delivering".
Outcome Outcome
An outcome is the indirect change in the status-quo as a result of the output being used to achieve a "secondary" change
Objective Objective
Output Output [Team] [Team] Primary Benefit Increase Revenue Avoid Costs Improve Service
Define Quality
This tool is designed to assist you in gaining a more rigorous definition of the quality that your sponsor and critical stakeholders require for the product.
2007
USABILITY
Is the product easy to use, learn and understand from the end user's perspective?
EFFICIENCY
Does the application use the hardware, system software and other resources efficiently?
MAINTAINABILITY
Is the system easy to maintain and correct?
REUSABILITY
Does the system use code and data that is capable of being used by other systems?
FLEXIBILITY
Is the system easy to enhance in order to add or modify function and data?
RELIABILITY
Does the system operate without failure and with consistency?
PORTABILITY
Is the system easy to migrate to another hardware, software environment?
AUDITABILITY/SECURITY
Is the system secure from unauthorised access and is it auditable?
JOB IMPACT
Does the system provide acceptable working environment for direct users? M - MANDATORY N.A. - NOT APPLICABLE
During the RAP session, you should ask each critical stakeholder to negotiate which of the quality attributes matters to them. Clearly, there is going to be major disagreements between the various stakeholders and you need to either, look for the majority view on each attribute or, alternatively, ask your Project Sponsor to decide unilaterally.
2007
Monolithic/Waterfall
Analyse Requirements Design Solution Build Implement Solution
Release/Version
Sequential
Analyse Overall Requirements Release 1 Release 2
Minimum Deliverable
Analyse Requirements Release 1 Design Release 1 Solution Build Release 1 Implement Release 1 Solution
Concurrent
Analyse Overall Requirements Release 1
Release 2
Build Release 2
Fast-track/Evolutionary
Fast-Track Version 1 Review & Reengineer Version 1 Fast-Track Version 2
The choice of strategy is dependent primarily on three factors: project risk; team size; and project duration (in time). Basically, the higher the risk, the longer the project and the bigger the team size, the more useful are the fasttrack and hybrid strategies. The monolithic strategy should only be used for projects that are low risk and less than 3 months in duration, in general. Events are an alternative concept to deliverables. An event is simply a significant point in a project. Scenarios are alternative paths through a particular strategy. Agile development is a highly aggressive form of Sequential Release.
2007
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2007
TEAM RISKS 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Intrinsic team skills (general skills) Relevant skill level with application/product Project manager experience Project staffing level Use of contractors/part-time members Project development length Schedules/deadlines Priority of project for team Team experience with hardware/software or technology Project team physical/support environment
ENVIRONMENT/TARGET RISKS 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. Level of client/user support Client experience with product/system Client Project Sponsor support Impact on client operations (new technology, policy,etc.) Client/business expert participation Key (Critical and Essential) stakeholders
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2007
The following tips are also suggested during the task listing process do not confuse task listing with scheduling - the sequence of execution of the tasks is considered during scheduling - task listing can be done as a free-form brainstorm; do not list tasks in phases that are beyond the phase or event currently about to be commenced. For example, in the project is about to commence the Product Requirements phase only list the tasks for that phase in detail; and check the task list with as many people as possible. A missed task is additional effort and could mean that the project will not meet the agreed Business Case and schedule. As the task list is the basis for detailed estimation, the process of task listing should be given as much care and effort as possible. All these processes are undertaken using micro-planning concepts that assume that planning and replanning are a continuous activity throughout the project development cycle. Change is inevitable in contemporary projects so re-planning is inevitable. Your projects Business Case must be maintained as it is a living document.
Expected = Best Case + 4 x Likely Case + Worst Case/6 using an informal risk assessment for each task, low risk tasks are scheduled at the Best Case, medium risk tasks are scheduled at the Likely Case and high-risk tasks are scheduled at the Worst Case. Task-based estimation should be used only for the phase about to commence. Total project estimates are derived using phase percentages. For example, assuming Product Requirements is 25% of the total product development cycle then the total of the task-based estimates for Product Requirements are multiplied by 4 to derive a total product development effort. What is also important to remember is that the earlier the estimate is made, the more inaccurate it will be.
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2007
Task A
Task B
Task D
This diagram indicates the sequence of undertaking tasks. The box indicates a task and the line indicates a dependency. In the diagram, Tasks B and C are dependent on Task A finishing and Task D is dependent on Tasks B and C finishing.
Task C
The second step is to factor in duration based on the estimated effort for one person to complete each task. Duration or elapsed time must take into account other non-project activities that the person must also handle during each day.
Critical Path
Task A 8 hours effort 2 days Task B 12 hours effort 3 days Task D 4 hours effort 1 day
The effort has been converted to elapsed or calendar days allowing for non-project tasks. The critical path is the longest path through the network.
At this stage the Gantt chart can be produced and the initial critical path indicated. The critical path is the longest path in duration through the network. The final step is to allocate actual resources to your tasks and adjust the time-line. With Agile development, this process is more likely to be undertaken on a white-board.
Resource Assumptions
When you allocate people to your project and tasks, make sure that you clearly state what assumptions you are making i.e. skills, experience, attitude and so on. The more specific you are the more likely you can avoid substitution of less experienced people.
Stakeholder Communication
You should develop specific communication strategies for all your stakeholder groups. For Critical stakeholders, communication should be face-to-face; you must gain their sign-off for any change in the Business Case and they are fully involved in the RAP sessions. Essential stakeholders should be dealt with face-to-face if possible. Interested Parties should receive regular updates such as project status reports, newsletters and road shows.
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2007
Project Tracking
Project tracking should occur at least weekly and should involve a team-based review session. The primary focus of the tracking session is to determine whether the project is keeping to the agreed Business Case and the project schedule. The team should be using a PC-based scheduling tool Task Form to enter the actual task effort which provides a visual feedback as to the progress of the tasks.
Project tracking should also accumulate actual progress versus estimated progress and actual effort (costs) versus planned effort (costs). This information can also be entered via the Task Form in the PC-based scheduling tool. The Table Tracking view in most scheduling tools can produce the Gantt chart shown above. Tracking of the quality of the technical deliverables should be undertaken via the use of Inspections or Quality Reviews which are peer-based quality assurance techniques. Until a task's deliverables have been reviewed technically, it is not wise to declare the task complete. However, a team meeting is always the most effective tracking process as it can discuss soft factors that may be affecting success.
14
2007
What senior management really want to know is are there any nasty surprises in the project. If so, what can they do to assist in resolving the issue.
In addition, the project reporting cycle should be driven by the Project Risk. If you are undertaking a Highrisk project, you should have a more frequent reporting cycle than one for a Low risk project
Project Sponsor
The Project Sponsor is the most important person in the project management world. This person is the person who must have the organizational power and the financial delegation to act quickly and decisively in the overall governance of the project. The main roles of the sponsor include: the assistance to projects in an 'out-of-control' situation; assistance in the development, review and approval of the project Business Case and any changes; review and approval of changes to project staffing, schedule, deliverables, priorities, etc.;
No Sponsor, No Start. Research by our group and the Standish Group, in the U.S., show that the effectiveness of the sponsor is one of the critical factors in project success.
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2007
Project Checklist
The following checklist provides the essential questions for reviewing project plans and project development:: is there a clear statement of the project's scope and objectives? is there a statement of stakeholders and related projects? has the appropriate level of project sponsorship been obtained for the project? are the relationships and services involved with the stakeholders and related projects documented? are benefits and costs clearly identified and the assumptions involved in the calculations documented? is there a benefits realisation plan, which identifies how the benefits are to be realized? is there a statement of which stakeholders are involved in the realisation of the benefits stream? is there a clear statement of the quality expectations for the project? is the project's development strategy/events/scenarios identified? are the risks (business and project) involved in the project identified? is there a risk containment strategy included? are the task lists realistic and have relevant experts checked them? are estimates, costs and benefits stated as a series of ranges (best, likely, worst)? has a project schedule been created? are all relevant resource assumptions included? have key stakeholders agreed to the project's Business Case? have any policy, staffing or legislation impacts been evaluated? is there an estimate provided for on-going support and maintenance of the projects outputs?
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2007
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2007