Project Management [4 ed.] 9152355993, 9789152355992

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Bo Tonnquist

A Guide to the Theory and Practice of Project Methodology and Agile Methods

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Sa noma Utbildning Mailing address: Box 30091, 104 25 :;iod:holrn, '.,•NPd , ''

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Project Management - a work form

Chapter 2 Th e project methodo logy

The proj ec t manager acts at t he middle leve l, by o rga ni zin g and m a n ag in g the project wo rk in the sa me way that a u :o m a n ages hi s o r he r staff in a co mpan y by order o f th e co mp a ny's board. At th e botto m , we find th e d eve lopme ntal leve l o r production leve l, w he re the o perative work takes place. H ere, there sho uld be la rge free dom to c hoose a wo rk method based on w hat the task requires and conditions permit. In the project o rga ni zation, th ere arc fo ur catego ri es of ro les w ith different focal points: Gove rnin g

O rga ni zin g and ma n ag in g

Exec utin g

Support in g

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GOVERNING & MONITORING

Resource owner

Reference group

Quality manager EXECUTING Project group

Communicator

Governing roles Exa mpl es of governin g rol es in projects includ e the project owner and steerin g committee.

The project owner The project owner, in hi s/he r capac it y as th e client a nd spo nsor of the proj ec t , h as the most impo rta nt ro le. He o r she has ove ra ll responsibility for t he project a nd th erefore mu st e nsu re that there is a clea r ass ignm ent a nd suffi cient reso urces.

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Project Mana gement - a work fo rm

The tasks of the project owner

Chapter 2 Th e p roj ect m et hodology

Co mmi tted , k now ledgea bl e c li e nts us ua ll y mean a hig her qu a lit y res ul t a nd lowe r proj ecr cos ts. T he

• Is the owner of the project. • Is in charge of business impact goals and project goals.

p roject ow ne r is th e fo rm a I ow n er of t he p roj ect a nd is ex pecte d ro m ake d e m a nd s ;1n d c riri c 1ll y

• Selects a project manager and allocates resources .

rev iew th e r es ults . The refo re, th e p roj ec t ow ner has res po nsibilit y fo r th e pre-s tudy, a s he o r s he

• Is chairperson of the steering committee.

ma kes require m e nts a nd thu s s ho uld have th e best

• Initiates, follows up and termina tes the project. • Ap points . . the steering and chairs committee. • Is in charge of the pre-stu dy. • Is in charge of business impact rea lization.

a bilit y to assess o pe ra ti o n a l benefi ts a nd ri s ks.

It is a lso th e proj ec t ow ne r w ho is c ha rge d w ith putting th e res ults o f th e p ro ject to use, by ens urin g th a t impacr rea li za ti o n is bo rh p la nn ed a nd exec uted.

In th e proj ec t o rga ni za ti o n th e p ro jec t ow ner ha s a n intern a l rol e, even if th e p roject is a n ass ig nm ent fro m a n ex tern a l client. No o utsid ers ca n d ec id e w hi c h ass ig nm ents we ta ke o n a nd how interna l reso urces a re used. In s m a ll er proj ects, th e pro ject ow ner rol e is simple, whil e la rge r, co mpl ex pro jec ts o fte n have pro ject ow ners o n seve ra l leve ls, co nn ec ted in a so-ca ll ed order chain . The order chain Level 1 Th

s

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e wed ish Parliam e nt

Level 2 The Swedish G

overnment

Leve l 3 Th e Swe di sh Arm ed Forces Leve l 4 Th e Swedish Defence Materiel Administration Leve l 5 Saa b Kockum

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Chapter 2 Th e p roj ect rn et hodo logy

Project Management - a work form

The steering committee Th e stee rin g co mmittee 1s th e d ec isio n -lll a kin g b o d y o f th e proj ec t , t ask ed with ve rifyin g a nd va lidatin g t he proj ec t durin g its lifec ycl c. Us u a ll y, it is th e res ponsibilit y of th e steerin g comlllittee to a pprove th e d ec isio n po ints, lll a kin g it illlp o rta nt that th e peo pl e in c lud ed in th e stee rin g collllllittee have a m a ndate to m a ke d ec isio ns. In ord er to mak e th e w ork of th e stee rin g co mlllittee effi c ient and th e d ec isio n -m a kin g process cl ea r, th e proj ec t ow ne r shou Id be th e c ha irpe rso n of th e g ro up .

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The tasks of the steering committee • Ensuring that th e project is in lin e with the overall goals of th e ope ration s. • Determining the project plan and approving the result. • Reviewing resu lt s and deciding on changes. • Hand ling business opportunitie s/ changes. ff there is no steering committee, these tasks are the responsibility of the project owner.

A stee rin g co lllmittee should be sm a ll a nd lll a nn ed by p eopl e w ith kn o wl ed ge o f th e proj ec t a nd/ o r op e ra ti o n s th a t will b e u sin g th e res ult. Th e co lllp os iti o n o f the stee rin g colllmittee is no rlllall y uniqu e fo r eac h proj ec t , but th ere a re a lso p erm a ne nt stee rin g co lllmittees th a t h a ndl e seve ra l proj ec ts, for in sta nce within a prog ra mm e or a d evelopm enta l d ep a rtm e nt. It is no t necessa r y to ha ve a stee rin g co mmittee for eve ry pro jec t , but it is rec omm end ed. /

Managerial roles Ex ampl es of m a nage rial rol es a re proj ec t m a nage r, proj ec t man age ment team , produ c tion lll a na ge r, sub-pro jec t m a nage r and cha nge mana ger.

Project manager Th e proj ec t man age r 's main ta sk is to en sure th a t th e proj ect goa l is achi e ved. H e o r she ca n be see n as th e proj ec t 's C EO, w orkin g o n direc t ass ig nm ent from th e proj ec t o wner a nd th e stee rin g commit te e. Bein g a pro jec t m a na ge r m ean s h avin g res pon sibilit y for orga ni zin g a nd m a na g in g th e wo rk; it is th e m e mb e rs of th e proj ec t g roup who a re supp ose d to exec ute th e wo rk. Thi s is a m a n ageri a l ge nera li st rol e, no t a spec ialist ro le w ith o p era ti ve res po nsibilit y.

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Project Management - a work form

The tasks of the project manager

Chapter 2 Th e proj ect method ology

The projec t m a n age r has a m a nd ate that no rm a ll y beg in s w ith planning a nd exte nd s un t il th e project has ended - i. e ., from dec is ion po inr rwo to deci-

• Ensuring that the project goal is achieved. • Organizing and planning the project. • Delegating and following up on activities.

s ion point s ix in the ge n e ra l proj ect mode l. Being a s uccessfu l proj ec t m a na ge r requires und erstandin g of the c lient's nee d s, a goo d co mm and o f the proj ec t m eth o d o logy, hav in g lea ders hi p qua li t ies an d a ge nuin e inte res t in p eo pl e.

• Solving problems and handling conflicts. • Infl uencing others and getting things done. • Communicating, involving and motivating. • Reporting outcomes and handling risks and changes. • Calling and leading project meetings. • Applying project tools and models.

Yo u n eed to be ab le to build re lat ionships w it h sta keholders and be a good commun icaro r. Project manage me nt team

Jn la rge proj ec ts, w hi c h a re o fte n cornp lcx and in vo lve severa l parts a nd man y participa nts, th e proj ec t manager ro le mu s t so m e tim es be sha red by severa l people. E ith e r yo u appo int s ub -pro ject mana ge rs w ith s p ec ia li st co mp ete nc e - for

insta nce o n ha rd ware, software, docum e ntation o r impl e m enrarion - or you appo int su b-proj ect managers w ith res po ns ibilit y to d e live r

r

a part of th e projec t - for instanc e pl a nnin g, ri s k hand lin g, finance s, requirem ents ha nd lin g, communi ca tion or rest in g. Irres pec tive of whether the sub -pro ject m a n age rs have res pon s ibilit y fo r a pa rt of the projec t or have a s pec ia list respo ns ibi lit y, they s hould be pan of a ma na ge men t tea m that re po rts to the projec t m a nage r. Other manageria l project roles

Production manager T he projec t man age r rol e ca n be different d e pendin g o n indu s tr y. In adve rt ise ment a nd PR th e role o f project m a nager is split in t wo. What is refe rred to as a project m a n age r ca n be see n as a Key Acco unt Manager in cha rge of bu s in ess a nd d eve loping c ustomer lea d s, w hile th e da ily ope rative lea ders hip is hand led by a production manager.

Chapte r 2 Th e proj e ct methodo logy

Project Management - a work form

Desig ner an d co nstru ction leader C onstruct io n pro jec ts a rc ofte n ve ry co mp lex, in rega rd s to borh rh e scope a nd the orga ni za ti o n. Th e proj ec t m a n age r w ith ove ra ll d eli ve r y res pons ibilit y fo ll ows th e entire co nsrru c rio n process a nd has as hi s/ her m a in ta sk to coo rdinate a ll parti es invo lved. H e o r she is o ften th e c li en t's representa t ive in rh e pro ject. T he des ig n (p la nn in g a nd proc urem enr) is led by a co rp orate promoter, w hil e a co nsrru c rion/producrion lea d er lea d s t he produ c tion ph ase, rh e ac tua l construction.

Technical project manager A rec hni ca l pro jec t man age r is usua lly fo und in hi g h-rec h indu stri es o r t he

IT

sec to r. T hey mu st often h ave a spec ia li ze d edu cat io n a nd

pract ica l ope ra tive ex pe ri ence from t he fi e ld in w hi c h th ey wo rk . An IT

pro jec t manager usually divid es hi s or he r rim e betwee n ac rin g as

pro jec t m a n age r a nd participat in g in th e o pe rat ive wor k wit h in th e proj ect g roup . H e o r she is ex p ec ted to have sp ec ia list co mp etence w it hin o ne o r more prog ra mmin g la ng ua ges a nd deve lop m ent m eth o d s.

Change manage r Dur in g o rga ni sat io n a l cha nges, w he re both th e organ izat io n a nd wo rk m ethod s a re affected to a g rea ter scope, th e perso n ch a rged w ith rea lizin g th e c hange is ca ll ed a c han ge m a n age r.

Executing roles T he execut in g ro les e ncompas s prim a ril y th e p eople in the proj ect gro up , regardl ess of if t hey be lo ng to rh e company or are ex te rnal co n su lta nts. In larger proj ec ts it is co111111o n w ith seve ra l proj ect g roups, eac h foc use d o n a cl i fferent p a rt of th e proj ec t. lt is o ften more effi cient w ith sm a ll er, spec ia li zed team s th a n w ith a la r ge, mi xed g roup .

The tasks of the project group • Ensuring that d elegated ta sks are performed . • Planning and organizing its own activities. • Reporting performance and hours worked . • Complying with routines, methods and quality syste ms.

Project group

• Proposing improveme nt s.

The m a in ra sk of th e proj ect group is to condu c r th e

• Participating in project meetings.

act ivit ies that lea d to th e p ro jec t goa l as o rd ered.

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Project Management - a work form

Chapter 2 Th e proj ec t methodology

It falls upo n th e m embe rs o f th e proj ect gro up to ac qu a in t th c n1 se lves with w ha t the proj ect sho uld d e li ve r. If a n yt hin g is un c lea r, th ey s ho ul d conta ct th e proj ec t man age r. A proj ec t g roup shou ld o nl y includ e t he p eop le n ecessa r y ro so lve th e proj ect ta sk. Selection should m a inl y be m a d e ba se d o n co mp etence, but th e a bilit y to co ll a bo r a te is a lso imp o rta nt. Co mp e te nce is th e combin a tion of ce rta in knowl e d ge a nd th e a bilit y to a ppl y it. Thi s mean s that compe tenc e is so m e thin g s uccess ive ly built up throu g h deve lo pm ent and prac tica l ap pli c ation , i. e ., thro ug h ex p e ri e nce. It is th e memb ers of th e proj ec t g roup w h o co ndu c t th e ac ti v iti es in th e pro jec t. An indi vidu a l p e rso n se ld o m has a ll th e c omp e te nce nee ded within a proj ect a nd there fore most proj ect gro ups co n s ist of a combi nation o f ge nera li sts and s p ec ia li sts w ith diffe re nt co mp e te nc ies . Th e interpl ay w ithin th e g roup mu st be pl a nn ed a nd m a n aged ro ac hi eve th e best joint res ult poss ible. Thi s ca n be liken ed ro a sy mphon y o rc hesm1. Th e pi ece o f mu sic pl ayed is brok en do w n into se pa ra te scores for eac h mu sic ian 's in strum ent. Toge th e r, th ey form a w ho le. T he ag il e vie wpoint ad vo ca tes a m o re fl ex ibl e rol e divi s ion , w he re

r

parti c ipants sha re tas ks with on e a noth e r. T hi s re quires a bro a d er, cross- fun ction a l competence, which is often ha rd to find. Ag il e proj ects a lso need spec ialists. If th e m e mbe rs in th e pro jec t g roup ea n wo rk fu II tim e or devote most of th eir tim e to th e proj ec t a nd ;:ire a lso lo cated in th e sa me pl ace geog ra phi ca ll y, c h a nces are go od th a t th e g roup w ill develop into a ream .

Supporting roles Examp les of s upportin g ro les in c lud e res ource own e rs , re fe re n ce g ro ups, co mmuni ca tors a nd qu a lit y mana ge rs . Re source owner

Th e reso urce own ers of th e proj ec t a re us ua ll y lin e m a n age rs w ho a rc not pa rr of th e project orga ni za tion . Res ource o wn e rs provid e

Chapter 2 Th e project methodo logy

Project Management - a work form

resources that th e projects requ ire, a nd are th erefo re a lso r es pon sibl e fo r t he co mpetenc e d evelo pm ent o f reso urces. Pro jec t m a n age rs sh o uld use th e reso urces prov ided by lin e m anagers in a n o ptim a l way. Pro ject man .1ge rs sho uld m ake sure th ey kee p reso urce owne rs in fo rm ed a nd ha ve ope n lin es of co mmuni cat io n. Th is is necessa r y in order fo r th e co ll abo rat io n betw ee n lin e m a n agers a nd t he proj ec t m anage r ro wo rk. As a lrea dy m enti o ned, pro jec t memb ers o ften h ave one ro le w ith in th e organizatio n , und er a lin e m a nage r, a nd a different ro le w ithin th e proj ec t , w ith th e proj ec t m a na ge r as th eir supe ri o r.

Reference gro up

The reference g roup is a fo rum for tes t in g id eas, so lu t io n s a nd su bd e li ver ies mad e. W hen use d co rrec t ly, th e re fe rence g roup is a very effec t ive supp o rt system for th e proj ec t manage r, w hen a proj ect has to stay t he co urse towa rd a goa l that not on ly m a tches th e p la n s, but a lso m ee ts the stak e ho lde rs' ex pectation s. T he opini o ns o f th e refe rence gro up g ive va lu able inform at io n that ca n lea d to rev isio n s of th e spec ifi ca ti o n a nd p la n s. A refe rence g roup ca n co n sist o f potenti a l users, prospec tiv e c li en ts, and bu siness pa r tne rs, fo r exa mpl e.

Communicator Proj ec ts w ith m a n y sta keho ld e rs m ay nee d a communicator w hose o nl y task is to gat her a nd d isse min ate in fo rm at io n abo ut the project. Thi s is pa rti c ul ar ly im po r tant if th e proj ect is controve rsia l a nd involves many par ti es w ith differin g o pinions.

Quality mana ge r

The quality manager is a n ind epe nd ent pa rty w hose task is

to

exec ute

a qu a lity rev iew o f th e proj ec t, as rega rd s both work fl ow a nd res ults. A qu a lit y m a nage r is usua ll y ap po inted by th e pro ject ow ner or a n exte rna l c li ent. Ofte n fin a nc iers an d in sura nce compa ni es appo int qu a li t y m a n age rs to assess how the pro jec ts th ey a re in vo lved in a re be in g co ndu cted .

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Management - a work form Th e proj ec t m e t hod ology _.·__ _42__:__ __ _Project --=----=-- - -- - - --Ch-apter -2----~

Roles outside the project In order to succeed, projects need pa rti c ip a t io n a nd s upport fro m rh e operation s. CE O, corporate mana ge m e nt , s uppli e rs, c us tom e rs, use rs a nd con sul tants a re not us ua ll y ro les in th e proj ec t , bur are amon g t he primary sta ke hold ers. A s uppli e r ca n prov id e reso urces, s uc h as co nsulta nts, to a proj ec t. Th e co ns ulta nts wo uld th e n b e p a rt of rh e proj ect g ro up, usua lly as spec ia li sts, w hil e t he s upp li e r as a n o rga n ization rema ins outsid e o f t he proj ec t.

Manage ment

Portfolio manager

GOVERNING & MONITORING

ORGANIZING & MANAGING

Project management office

EXECUTING

Project Portfolio Owner

Compa ni es and orga ni za tion s that e xecute n1any proj ec ts often have a need to ge t an overvi ew o f the entire proj ect portfolio, i.e ., a ll o ngoin g projecrs, in o rd e r to coo rdin ate res ources a nd make bu sin ess deci s ion s. T he portfolio mana ge ment has g reat influ e nce ove r th e id ea p ha se of a project, w he n a proj ect id ea is re vie wed and prioriti zed a lon gs id e o ther proj ect id eas, cli ent qu eri es and initiatives co mpet ing for t he joint res ources . Handling th e proj ec t portfolio is a m a n age ri a l respon sibili ry, but th e ca sk can be delega ted, for in stan ce to a p ro jec t m a nage m ent office . Anot he r name for t he ro le of po r tfo li o owner may be jJroject

coordinator.

Project Management - a work form

Chapter 2 Th e project meth o dology

Pro ject Prog ram Owner Pro jec t Prog ra m Ow n er is t he t itl e fo r a p erso n w ho h as res po n sibilit y for a p ro jec t prog ra m co nsist in g o f p ro jec ts w hi ch a re interconn ec ted in o rd er th at t h ey ca n jo intl y deli ve r a la rge r res ul t, o r w hi c h in so m e ot h e r way arc co nn ec ted , fo r in sta nce d eve lo pm ent pro jects w hi c h sh a re th e sa m e reso urces .

Pro ject manage ment o ffic e A pro jec t m a nage m ent o ffi ce,

P MO,

is a n ind epend ent fun cti o n c ha rge d

w ith suppo rtin g m a n age m ent , po rt fo li o m a n agem ent , proj ec t ow ners a nd proj ec t m a n age rs in t he ta sk o f pri o riti zin g, initi at in g, p lan ning a nd exec utin g p ro jec t s. T he p ro ject m a n age m e nt o ffice, w hi c h is se ld o m in vo lve d o pera ti ve ly in pro jec ts, wo rk s o n direc t m a nd ate fr o m m a n age m ent. So m etim es th e re a re p ro ject m a n age m e nt o ffi ces o n diffe rent levels, for inst a nce a spec ific o ffi ce fo r a ll

IT

proj ec t s.

Ot he r t as k s ca n be m a n ag ing th e pro jec t m o del a nd pro jec t coo ls, o rga ni zin g tra inin g w ithin proj ec t m eth o d o logy a nd lea ding inte rn a l net work s for proj ect lea de rs.

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Project Management - a work fo rm

Chap ter 2 Th e proj ect m et hodo lo gy

-·--- - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - -

Other roles La rge system proj ects a nd o pera ti o na l pro jec ts require ex te n s ive pa rt icipat ion o n t he pa rt of t he rec ip ien t, w het he r thi s is a n extc rn ::1 1 c lient or w it hin t he orga ni za t io n . Mirrored cl ient organ ization

Th e cl ient 's projec t o rga ni za t io n us ua ll y m i rro rs t he s upp lie r 's pro ject o rga ni za t io n a nd t here for e has a p ro jec t o w n e r, a pro jec r m ::1 11 :1gc r,

,,1

pro jec t g ro up a nd so o n. Th e ro le o f th e m irro re d o rga n izat ion ca n be a nyt hi ng from being a d ri vin g force a nd ac t ing as th e pro ject ow ner, to hav in g a mo re pa ss ive ro le unt il res p o n si bi lity fo r t he p ro ject pa sses to the cli ent .

End-user

T hose w ho use the res u lts o f a pro jec t a re ca ll e d e nd - use rs . W it h in hea lt hca re t hey a re t he pa ti ents, a t a n eco n o m y d e p a rtm e nt th ey are the sta ff, a nd so o n .

•

INITIATION

BENEFITS REALIZATION

PROJECT

Creating the group

Manag ing the team

Phasing out the team

Chapter 3

Agile methods In a book on project management, it makes sense to describe agile methods, as they are nowadays the dominating development method, particularly within software development and system maintenance. Agile is a collective name for various flexible work methods that can readily be used in most types of projects .

What are agile methods?

A

g il e method s a re ba sed on a se t of va lu es, attitud es and principl es that desc rib e how work should be organized in a co mpl ex,

c ha ngeab le world . Th e m ethod s ha ve mu c h

111

co mmon with Lean,

including a focu s on co ll abora tive tea ms, avoidin g unn ecessa r y wo rk, and visua li zin g progress o n boa rd s.

Visualization V is u a li zing pro cesses a nd c urre ntl y o n goin g wo rk us in g Ka nb an bo a rd s is a common ele ment in ag il e method s. The simpl est form of th e Ka nba n bo a rd, wh ic h h as its o ri g in in the Toyota Produ c tion System, h as three co lumn s - Pl a nn ed work, Work-in-progress a nd Fini shed. T he ta sks are written o n notes th a t a re moved fr om left to ri g ht as th ey a re ini tiated , exec uted a nd co mpl e ted. Th e goa l is to visu a li ze tasks th a t a re currentl y b ein g exec uted, to improve tea m memb ers' foc us.

46 .-_______ _ _ _ _ ___ Pr_o.:_ je_c_t _ M_a_ na_:g:_e_m_e_n_t _- _a_w_o_r_ k _fo_r_m_ _ _ __ _ _ _ _ _ _ c_ ha __:p_t_e_ r 3_ A.:_g_il_e _m_e_t1_1o~ds

Th e Z eigarnik effect is th e p sych o lo g ica l ph e nom e n o n th at m ea ns it is easier to rememb er unfini shed cas ks th a n fini s he d o n es . Th e ph e no menon is na med a fter its di sco ver e r Blum a Ze ig a rnik , w ho d esc rib ed ir in .r9 27. Th e effec t of re m ov in g th e no te w ith a fini s hed rn s k fr o m th e middl e column " Wo rk-in -prog ress " is that it is a lso re lea sed from yo ur memory, makin g space for th e ne x t ca s k. ► A Kanban

Wo, 11 Jng0n(1J

board showing plann ed, ongoing and fini shed

+

Done t2)

Formt,ln1o m1ones

llil,ll U3&1'!1

Ool,00 10 :os

activit ies. (Kan = vi sual signal, Ban = card)

Modern resea rc h sho w s that so -ca ll e d " multitas kin g", d o in g seve ra l thin gs at on ce or " ha vin g m a n y iro n s in th e fire" a s th e jo b ad s mi g ht put it, in c reases stress a nd lea d s to us m a kin g p o or d eci s ion s. In c rea sed stress cau ses us ro ove rlook im porta nt inform a ti o n, mak e mi st a kes and forge r thin gs fa ste r. Th e re fore , yo u s ho uld minimize th e numb e r o f tasks to be exec uted in a s ing le d ay or ag ile s print to a le ve l th a t tea m members ca n ha ndl e. ► Th e t ickets in a rest aurant kitchen have th e same purpose as th e notes on a Kanban board. As long as an ord ered dish has not b ee n coo ked and se rved, th e ticket rem ain s.

{

·I

Chapter 3 Agil e method s

Project Management - a work form

Self-organizing teams O ne ag il e principle is co decentra li ze decision-making co se lf-organizing teams. Efficiency in teams in creases w hen tea m m embers have rhe ab il it y co in fl uencc a ncl take ownersh ip of t he t as ks thar a re co be cl o ne. The respo nsibilit y to prioritize, p la n a nd execu te is sha red between m embers of t he rea m. Dist in g ui sh between incli viclual work wit hin a gro up and tea mwork. To achieve a co hes ive team, ce rta in cond iti o ns arc needed: T he g ro up should not be coo sm a ll or coo large. Pra c ti ca l ex peri ence has showed t hat betwee n three a nd nin e people is opt im a l. The g roup mu st have a c lea r, co mmon goa l. The g roup mu st have th e co mpetence nccessa r y co ca rr y out the task . Everyone shou lei spend m osr of rh ei r time working on the t ask. The m a nnin g shou lei be fi xecl a nd not chan ge .

Th ese co ndition s a re hard co fulfi l in man y cases, espec ia ll y in pro jects t h at sh a re reso urces w ith other pro jec ts or lin e wo rk. The n ee d for mannin g and competence a lso u sually shifts durin g th e co urse of the project. But in organ izat ions w ith exte nsive produ ct d eve lopment or proj ec t-or iented operations, it should be possible ro c rea te permanent tea m s rhat can be se lf-organizing. Teamwork takes tim e ro lea rn , so yo u sho ul d star t on a small sca le.

Meetings every day Follow up often, prefe rabl y daily, throu g h short meetin gs where th e entire tea m is expected to parti c ipate. Each memb er reports w hat h e or she is doin g by answering the fo ll owing three questions:

I . What did I do yes terday ?

2. What am I go ing to do today? 3. Are there any obstacles?

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Chapter 3 Ag ile m eth ods

Project Management - a work form

ff yo u ca nnot m ee t in pe rso n , it is acce p tab le to co nn ec t p;:i rri c ip a nrs throu g h conferenc e ca lls o r on lin e so lut ions. W ithin t he ag il e deve lop ment meth od Sc rum , th ese m eet in gs a re ca ll ed Da il y Sc rum s a nd sho uld rake at most fiftee n minutes . Wo rk g ro ups a nd p ro jec ts rha t ,1re acc usto med to t hi s work met hod us ua ll y exec ute s uch m eet ings in less tha n ten minutes .

A cyclic process A ce ntra l part o f th e agil e work m e thod is s ho rt st ages w ith co n t inu o us feedback loops a nd fr equ ent d e liv e ri es . T hi s m akes it poss ibl e to quickly reac t to c ha nges a nd capture w h a t n ee d s to be c ha nge d durin g the co urse of th e work.

OFTEN

Ass ess

EMPIRICAL

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PROCESS CONTROL

~

Adapt

/ /

ADAPTIVE ... ITERATIVE INCREMENTAL

Ag il e method s s upp ort vis ua li zat ion a nd e mpiri ca l d eve lopment , w he re lea rnin g occ urs cont inu o us ly t h roug h ex pe rim e ntation , m ;:i ny s m a ll va lu e-c rea tin g step s, a nd co ntinuou s fee db ack o n w h at ha s bee n ac hi eved. lt is a work method th at is s uitabl e w he n goa ls a nd req uirements are uncl ea r or th e re is a need to c reate a nd d e live r res ults in rn a ny sma ll er steps.

Project Management - a work form

Chapter 3 Ag il e m ethod s

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