Efficient project management is a factor for successful projects, in addition to the necessary expertise. There are different approaches for the planning and execution of projects. But which ones do you apply to your project??
Agile approaches are on the rise and are becoming more and more common, especially in IT. This is motivated not least by the challenges of reacting to changes as quickly, flexibly and cost-effectively as possible, even within the project duration. With agile frameworks this is not a characteristic, since the exactly on the circumstance of the frequent changes to the rule make.
The Magic Triangle
A clear distinction between traditional project management methods, e.g. IPMA, Prince 2, and the agile frameworks such as Scrum and Kanban do not exist. Primary is the difference in thinking and approach.
In all projects, there are three central framework parameters described by the magic triangle. In every project, regardless of size and methodology, the three essential aspects are repeatedly reviewed and inquired about: these are performance, effort and time. A project is successful only if all three parameters remain within the required range.
In conventional project management methods, the three points are characterized as follows:
- All requirements, which describe the achievement, are completely defined and fixed.
- The period of implementation is planned, but a manipulated variable (variable).
- The effort for the resources, among other things employees and costs, are planned. In order to accelerate completion, the effort can be increased.
The most important parameter, the project scope, is often unchangeable in conventional methods. Finally, it contains the most important question in a project: What do we want to achieve?? Subsequently, the resource and time schedules are established to achieve the project objectives. This works great if the requirements are known as completely as possible during the planning phase. If it becomes apparent during the course of the project that these goals cannot be achieved, corrective action is taken by changing resources and/or schedules. Changes to the project goal or project scope are avoided, or. are dealt with by an appropriate committee.
In contrast, in agile frameworks the three points are characterized as follows:
- Requirements are roughly described and prioritized.
- In a defined period of time, the most important requirements must be implemented.
- The resource overhead is fixed and controlled within the framework.
Since it is an iterative process, changes can be handled easily. Even the effort for a detailed description of requirements is only taken up when the corresponding point is to be realized. By the iterations as well as regular product deliveries an increased transparency is produced. Obstacles in the process become visible more quickly and can be changed quickly if necessary.
From my own experience, especially in software development projects, I know that a definition of the project scope and a sufficient planning of resources and efforts at the beginning is fraught with high uncertainties. A communication between the requirement management and the developers often did not take place or took place only partially. Progress cannot be verified in a real or sustainable way. Especially with longer project durations, the business environment may well change.
Agile frameworks
The core idea of all agile frameworks consists of iterative-incremental procedures. A core element is the principle of frequent feedback to identify undesirable developments at an early stage (retrospective). Possibilities of adjustments in scope and planning are provided in a natural way in the process. By requiring a potentially shippable product in each iteration, you get a high level of transparency regarding the progress of the project. The Agile Manifesto is the foundation which was adopted in February 2001 by leading representatives of the agile frameworks:
- Individuals and interactions more than processes and tools
- Functioning software more than comprehensive documentation
- Cooperation with the customer more than contract negotiation
- Responding to change more than following a plan
All values are important, but to achieve the goal, the values of the bold marked values are valued higher.
Learning as a component of project management
Every project is unique. This means that not every project can be done the same way. Nevertheless, the participants in a project gain experience and aspects that can be helpful in other projects. From my experience, traditional project management methods can certainly be combined with agile frameworks. This largely depends on the company culture and the way people interact with each other.
Most importantly, the people who work together on a project and contribute to its success. The right combination of tools and methods can help to successfully overcome the challenges in a project.
Mindset in successful projects
“Doing the right things right”
There must be continuous dialog between the customer and the implementation team to ensure that “the right thing” is done. The stated goal is to learn from each other. The implementation team must understand the needs of the customer, which are behind the formulated requirements. The customer learns to formulate his requirements in a more targeted manner. The customer can use the first versions of the “product” not only to check that its requirements are met, but also to evaluate their quality and relevance. This often results in requirements being changed, withdrawn, or re-recorded. For this to work, the customer and the implementation team must see themselves as partners and develop a common language.
To properly develop the “product,” the implementation team must be well-trained, have mastered the required skills, have the necessary knowledge, and also be disciplined and results-oriented in working on the “product”.
Regular retrospectives are therefore an integral part of the project framework for me, so that the quality of the process can be checked and, if necessary, adjustments can be made to the process.
Management perspective
- Give people power
- Empower teams
- Adjust the framework
- Develop competence
- Let structures grow
- Improve everything
For me, the focus is on the people. I act as a mentor and coach for you. My goal is to create a framework in which a team can work independently and self-organized. Under these conditions, team members can continuously evolve to meet the needs of the current and/or future projects. I lead by example. Only teams with enough freedom can be innovative, energized and focused on a common goal.