Paradigm of agile project management

PARADIGM OF AGILE PROJECT MANAGEMENT What does it mean when we say “Agile Project Management?” Depends on the domain and context of your project.

Glen B. Alleman glen.alleman@niwotrridge.com

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You’re a lone wolf, you work for yourself, a friend, or an imaginary friend. You’re spending your own money and accountable to “me”

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Solo Project

¨  You’re doing the work on your own product. ¨  You’re the customer or you personally know the

customer. ¨  You can plan the work in any way you want. ¨  It’s your personal project, your personal work, it’s all

about you. ¨  Estimates? You don’t estimate. It’s our own money. ¨  Did I say this already … It’s all about you. ¨  It’s your money spend it as you like

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You and 5 others work in the same cube-space, along with your customer. Maybe self funded, accountable to team.

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Sweet Spot For The Self Contained Team

¨  This is where agile project management excels. ¨  Everyone involved in the project can be seen,

touched, spoken to, and engaged at a personal level.

¨  It’s a small group of like minded individuals sharing the same values - that intangible definition used in agile.

¨  You still control the direction and outcomes, but now as a group and decide how to spend as a group.

¨  All members have equal or near equal skills, leadership capabilities, and shared outcomes.

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You’re working within the bounds

of others but you’ve got great

tools and high performance

processes.

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Individual Freedom Is Still Within Reach

¨  You’ve got some rules defined by the boundaries of your project.

¨  But you can go almost anywhere you’d like within those bounds.

¨  You’ve got to follow a few rules, now that you’re on the edge of the business boundaries (flight path).

¨  You still have control of direction, intent, experiences, and the tools of your trade.

¨  Inside those few rules, you can determine cost, and schedule in unique and creative ways without impacting others.

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You manage a team that has evolved to developing products for serious use that has to be

carefully vetted before being released.

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Now We’re Starting To Get Serious

¨  The outcome of your work impacts some people. ¨  The boundaries of you freedom are defined

externally. ¨  There are rules of the road (sky) now in place. ¨  You can fly around on your own, but when you leave

and return from the airport there are others defining what you can do and what you can’t do on the project.

¨  It’s definitely not your money, so those paying need to know something about how much and when.

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Your team is a “special” resource for your firm, you’ve got high powered members, an important role, and high visibility to the mission critical aspects of our work. I actually have hours in this aircraft in a former life

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You’re On Your Own But Going Faster

¨  You’re approach to the project is much less forgiving.

¨  The work moves faster, requires enhanced skills, and is much less forgiving of your mistakes or lack of skill.

¨  You can start to travel in the same path as the “big boys,” because you can cruise at 187KIA, so you’d better have done this before or it’s going to turn out bad – no “on the job training” allowed here.

¨  No experimenting with the customer’s money here, a 10 year old A/C sells for $156,000.

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Many people depend on your work efforts, with much at risk for the products you produce. This requires skill, experience, and a sense of “performance.”

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Now We Are Hanging With The Big Boys

¨  You’ve arrived at the point in the project management and development world where they’re asking if you can do the job right the first time.

¨  Tools and processes are more complex and powerful, so you’d best be fully trained with the right “certs” to handle the problems that are going to appear before you during normal operations.

¨  We’re moving faster, 30K Feet ASL, 233 MPH. ¨  The cost, schedule, and deliverables are important

now, because the cost of an error is getting more expensive., much more expensive.

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You manage an environment where if anything goes wrong, your project goes

down in flames. No margin for error here.

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Even If It’s Small It’s Still A “Fast Mover”

¨  Now you’re on a twitchy, unforgiving project, that will put you in the grave if you make one mistake.

¨  On this project, has no room for error, it’s too fast, too touchy, too hard to handle for all but the “best of the best.”

¨  The pay back of this high risk project is high reward, standing on the top step of the podium.

¨  Cost is high, so care needed to cover every detail. No skimping on cheap anything.

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You’re in the middle of the daily grind to keep the system going, nothing must prevent you from success. You have a

schedule to keep for your client, who expects on time results.

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A “Real” License Is Needed Now

¨  A lot more moving parts. ¨  Serious skills needed for success. ¨  Low tolerance for error. ¨  People on board are depending on your skills and

experience to get them home safely on time. ¨  You actually have a license that says “land safely

every time, on time, with no incidents along the way” ¨  Project cost, schedule, and technical performance

expected to be “professional” grade at all times. ¨  This A/C is operated as a business, with millions on

the line.

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You work on a highly visible project, with the eyes of senior management on your every action. The firm you work for critically depends on your project’s performance. No Guessing allowed here.

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More power, heavier machine

¨  Enterprise class machine, with two pilots, and special skills.

¨  No more driving around in the sky anywhere you want, you’ve got to start following the rules.

¨  The “governance” processes can’t tell the difference between you and an actual airliner, other than your call sign – you’re not a “heavy” yet, but getting close.

¨  The project is a “most” work proposition – business success based on the value being delivered properly.

¨  10’s of millions at risk.

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The work you do allows the business to perform on a daily basis. There is no room for error, without a backup plan. Your

cost, schedule, and performance overseen by a sovereign.

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Still not “heavy” but one step closer

¨  Your running the project for a broader purpose, one that is beyond the individual need or importance.

¨  You’re a member of a larger group of participants, the “crew” must work together in conjunction with the stakeholders – passengers.

¨  The project operates within strict guidelines, oversight – both internal and external.

¨  The whole system has to work as planned if there is going to be any chance of success.

¨  Capital cost handled by the leasing company, operating costs are the management focus.

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Your project impacts all aspects of the corporation. Your products are used by other business units, other businesses and

senior management has direct visibility to your efforts.

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Now You’ve Arrived You’re A “Heavy”

¨  OK, now we’re on the “mega project,” one that sets the standards for the rest of world.

¨  The “team” is highly trained, experienced, and has worked together for years, and has the ultimate trust in each others abilities.

¨  The stakeholders number in the many 100’s (555), each with critical needs from your project.

¨  There are no mistakes, no missteps, no tolerance for anything but 100% success.

¨  External governance means full control of cost, schedule, and performance.

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Much depends on the project you manage, no matter the machine your managing – it’s mission critical – must work on time, on budget, on performance.

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Lots Of Moving Parts Means Danger

¨  Back to the light weight and agile processes. ¨  Freedom to go where you want. ¨  But you’ve got a mission critical assignment, people’s

lives depend on you not making mistakes. ¨  Command and control is the starting point, you can

make decisions in the field, but you’d better have a good reason for not following the plan.

¨  Zero tolerance of error or missing a deadline, lives depend on it – or at least financial performance

I have a personal connection here, 101st Air Borne Division, C/159 Assault Support Helicopter Battalion, Republic of South Vietnam, 1970

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The security of the nation depends on the project you manage.

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Now we’re in the Big Time

¨  10’s of 1,000’s of moving parts, billions of dollars at stake.

¨  Unconventional behavior of the project, fly by wire, supersonic cruise, stealth operations, 100’s of on board computers.

¨  $156M for each product. ¨  You’re entrusted with the nation’s defense or a

similar level of critical importance. ¨  You’ve got the corporate life blood in your project. ¨  The Board of Directors know your name and where

you live – your performance is know by them.

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