Agile Project Management

Abstract

We can read about Agile processes in books and articles. However, the management of projects using an Agile process represents a significant shift for both the project team(s) and the organization as a whole. The shift internal to the team occurs as the project manager teaches the customer how to drive the project iteration by iteration to maximize ROI and minimize risk, with no intermediaries between the customer and team. The other internal shift happens as the team realizes that self-management means exactly that – the team has to figure out how to mane its own work cross-functionally. These are trivial words, but the realization of their impact on career paths, relationships, and performance reviews is profound. Even more difficult is helping the team and organization overcome the bad habits they had acquired prior to implementing the Agile process – waterfall thinking, command-and-control management, and abusive relationships. Ken Schwaber, the instructor, has addressed these problems in numerous organizations and will share his insights with the attendees, along with a framework for thinking about the new role of a project manager. Since it is easy to think one knows what Agile processes are like without knowing what they really feel like, two case studies are used to help the class experience the differences.