Forced Into 'Agile'
This is not a blog written against agile, in fact I am neither a proponent nor opponent at this point. All I know is that in the IT project world Agile is the hot topic at moment and so I must 'go there'. You cannot search on any PM topic right now as related to software development without running into words like; agile, iteration, scrum, sprint, backlog etc.... Needless to say, I am managing my first project using Agile with SCRUM next month.
What happened to, you have to have detailed blueprints before you can even think about laying that first brick? If Agile methodology was used to build a house, how would you know that the corners will all match up in the end? The answer is, I guess, you can never guarantee that by extensive up front heavyweight planning either. Up front, you don't know everything you need to know yet. Here are the questions that got me thinking...
- 1. Are you more informed as the project moves forward? How about at the end?
- 2. How much more did you know in the end that you wished you new when you started?
- 3. How many of us have made estimates 6 months in advance and ever hit that original end date?
- 4. How many of us have ever had an original end date that didn't change within the first two weeks of the project?
One big differentiation that is made today is that it isn't fair to compare software development with construction because construction is governed by physical and mathematical laws. Software development projects are their own beast, in which a lightweight methodology just might be enough.
So what does this mean and how do I have to change not only my skill sets, but my mindset to prepare? Remember as a rookie, I have only just learned the, "right" way to do things. Agile was not a part of my PMP certification training. Can you teach a new dog new tricks? An old dog has at least been able to reap the rewards from his old tricks for a while. When I say new, I mean new to me. I realize Agile has been out there for several years now. Will it become mainstream in software development projects? Is waterfall gone? For us. ask me in a couple of iterations.
posted by Casie M. Hulden @ 12:02 PM
3 comments
3 Comments:
Casie, you certainly don't seem like a rookie. You touched on all the right questions regarding Agile Project Management.
As an old PMI die-hard and an IT professional, I've run into all sorts of projects where an Agile approach is quite adequate. Many people mistakenly confuse Agile Project Management with "winging it."
This isn't the case at all. On the contrary, it requires constant feedback and iterative prototypes to insure that things are under control. It's very customer focused as well, in that the customer is part of this feedback loop (what PMI would call "scope verification").
You hit the nail right on the head when you mentioned that construction projects are more predictable, and in those cases the old BDUF (Big Design Up Front) methods may be appropriate.
But even in the Defense Industry, Rolling Wave scheduling is becoming the norm, where each horizon is planned at a more granular level as it approaches (although the whole project is laid out up front at a higher level). I look at Rolling Wave as a hybrid between Agile and BDUF (and it's appropriate for most projects most of the time).
In IT, many projects have much more uncertainty than in Construction and Engineering. And it's these projects with great uncertainty where either Agile or Rolling Wave shines.
The only caveat I'd make is that even in an Agile environment, I still make sure that the goals and objectives are well defined in a scope statement, and that there's a predetermined number of iterations allowed, else it can drag on and on (that may or may not be what the Agile purists have in mind, but I've found it to be helpful). How many iterations depends on the project and the level of uncertainty, but it should be agreed upon with the customer.
Here's an interesting site on Agile (from the Agile Project Leadership Network (APLN).
http://agileprojectmgt.org/resources.html
Also, on my site at PMThink.com, we have several blogs on Agile development (and plenty on the Rolling Wave vs BDUF controversy).
Hope this helps.
Well done Casie! I agree with Jerry's comment that you hit the nail on the head with this one. I also appreciated what Jerry had to say about the importance of still defining the overall goals and objectives initially in your project charter. Also defining the number of iterations you plan to complete is key. You and I both have seen projects following the Agile approach that after a year are still struggling to wrap all the development that has been done into some sort of cohesive product that can be released to the customer. Overall project schedules can still slip considerably following the Agile approach if these "fundamentals" are not followed. Good job Rookie!
I too concur, and add that one of my personal issues with utilizing Agile PM is tracking earned value against the effort of the project. I’ve have done extensive research to find any info that supports this effort, to no avail. I believe that solid, proven, structured practices are what determine a project’s success, as I have used in the past and presently. Agile leaves many roads, none well traveled.
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