A No-Nonsense Guide to Agile Project Management

Agile Project Management Life Cycle

There is no standardized agile life cycle. Split your project into phases. Implement Agile in one of them. That is Agile Project Management.

Prerequisites For Agile Project Management

• User Stories for Requirements
  Collect requirements as User Stories. Develop acceptance criteria. Leave the details to the project team.
• Iterations are a unit of measurement.
  Iterations are the primary unit of work in Scrum. Iterative planning allows you to plan the scope, time, and expenses.
• Be prepared to descope projects.
  Stakeholders must be prepared to descope. A project scope cannot include all crucial “must-haves.”
• Switch between frameworks and approaches as needed.
  Choose the most relevant tools or techniques. Don’t stick rigidly to one structure. To complete the task, make any necessary adjustments.

Stage 1 – High-level Project Management

First, understand your role. You choose how agile your strategy should be. Sometimes you may conduct the entire project within the Scrum framework, adding additional procedures as needed. Every project is unique. No single strategy is appropriate for all situations. Different frameworks perform better at various levels.

Defining roles

• Project Manager vs. ScrumMaster
  On smaller projects, you may play both roles. On larger ones, prioritize project management and delegate the Scrum Master responsibility.

Project initiation

• Increases the chances of success
  Identify goals, set expectations, establish boundaries, create a life cycle, and plan at a high level.

Agile Planning

• Simplified Planning
  Use iterations and team capacity as your metrics. Estimate approximately. Fill Sprints to capacity, then share milestones with stakeholders.

Stage 2 – Agile Execution

Scrum

• • Adapt Scrum Roles
    The job of Product Owner is frequently filled by a proxy, such as you or a Business Analyst. Manage scope and stakeholders outside of Scrum. Convert requirements into user stories for the backlog.
  • Update Artifacts
    Use a prioritized backlog. Monitor progress toward project objectives.
  • Keep Scrum Events
    Maintain the major Scrum events. Plan sprints, track progress, solicit input, and leave enough time for modifications. Retrospectives are beneficial, even if only once every release cycle.

 Kanban

• • Better for Agile Project Management
    Utilize high-level planning. Divide the project scope into equal, tangible portions. Use milestones to display delivery dates. Adjust based on modification requests and priorities.

Switching between Scrum and Kanban

• • Be flexible
    Scrum is useful for dealing with unclear requirements. Kanban is useful for testing, correcting errors, and making final changes. Adapt as needed.

Stage 3 – Finishing the Project

When the product or service is complete, hand it over or ship it. This phase is not necessarily efficient in an Agile setting. Your project team may need to stand by. Plan release dates and keep your team productive with unfinished business or enhancements.

Keep Teams Busy

• • Continuous Improvement.
    There’s always room to improve. Maintain the backlog, gather feedback, and plan future enhancements.

Conclusion

Scrum and Kanban are about adaptation. Agile Project Management is about getting things done faster and better. To achieve project requirements, use a combination of Agile and plan-driven methodologies. Do not allow dogma to derail you. Use all available resources and approaches to finish your project on schedule and within budget.