Adopting an Agile Approach to Project Management - Explaining Risks

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Explaining Risks
When you tell stakeholders about agile project management, you should be open about the risks or pitfalls involved. This gives the message that you're not trying to convince them to use agile practices, but that the organization's interests are a priority and that you want them to make an informed decision.
Estimating Project Costs
One of the main risks associated with agile project management is that it's difficult to estimate the full cost of a project with any accuracy at the outset. This is because not all project tasks are planned in detail before work begins. Instead requirements evolve as work progresses.
For companies accustomed to using fixed-price contracts, adopting a methodology that doesn't provide detailed cost estimates involves a significant change. In some cases, companies that use agile management may still use fixed-price contracts.
Specific Risk Factors
There are specific factors that should be in place for this to occur. Also, the project manager should be familiar with the factors. They are the domain of the application, the technology, the team, and the size of the project.
Domain of the application
The project manager should be familiar with the domain of the application to understand more clearly what the customer requires and to foresee functional risks.
Technology
The project manager should be familiar with the technology. If new technology is experimented with, the project may have several additional risks.
Size of the project
The project manager should have previous experience with the size of the project. Projects that last several years are different from projects that last a few months. Also, being a manager of a large team is different from managing a team of a few developers.
Team
Another risk is that the success of an agile project depends on highly skilled project team members who can make appropriate decisions on their own, take responsibility for their work, and collaborate effectively.
If team members lack skills or experience, or have weak interpersonal skills, an agile project may fail. (...)

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Adopting an Agile Approach to Project Management - Adopting Agile Management

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Congratulations! You just finished the Adopting an Agile Approach to Project Management course.
As a result of completing this course you are able to:
understand and correct common misconceptions about agile project management;
determine whether your organization should adopt agile practices;
identify factors to consider when deciding whether to adopt agile practices; and
recognize and apply the key principles of agile practices.
You are also able to:
develop and champion an agile mindset; and
facilitate the buy-in of stakeholders in implementing agile practices.
Thank you for your participation and your interest. You are now equipped to manage the adoption of Agile in your project and your organization.

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Adopting an Agile Approach to Project Management - Project Type

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Internal Uncertainty
Some project types are more suitable for agile development than others. An agile approach is especially suitable when a project is characterized by a high level of internal uncertainty, a scope that isn't well-defined at the start of a project, and a product that benefits from ongoing customer feedback.
Internal uncertainty refers to uncertainty on the part of the project manager and team about what a project will involve, and about aspects of the project such as its schedule, resources, and cost.
Exercise - High Internal Uncertainty
A project team is about to undertake a new project. The team members have a lot of previous experience with similar types of projects, although exact resource requirements, costs, and suitable deadlines for this project are still unknown.
Do you think this project is an example of one with high internal uncertainty?
1. No.
2. Yes.
Option 1: Correct. At the outset, all projects include certain unknowns. What matters is the level of experience the team has with similar projects. In this case, the team will be able to draw on its past experience, so the level of internal uncertainty isn't likely to be especially high.
Option 2: Incorrect. If a team has prior experience of similar projects, internal uncertainty decreases because the team members already have a good idea of what to expect.
Team Experience
The less experience a team has of similar projects, the higher the level of internal uncertainty – and the more suitable an agile methodology will be.
An agile approach is best for groundbreaking or unique projects that involve developing completely new processes, products, or product features.
This involves a high level of internal uncertainty and a lack of a well-defined scope, therefore requiring that team members have strong expertise.
Highly Creative Work
Agile methods also work well for projects that require highly creative work, especially where customers aren't sure at the outset what they want. Examples are developing custom software and web sites.
In these cases, a team will need to be creative, determined, and committed. It's also likely that frequent customer feedback is required and that the team will have to review and adjust its approach several times as a project progresses. This makes an iterative approach ideal. (...)

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Adopting an Agile Approach to Project Management - Overview of Factors to Consider

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Agile Adoption Benefits
Using an agile methodology may have a tremendous impact on a project. It can shorten development cycles, improve quality and efficiency, lower costs, and result in better customer satisfaction.
Not Appropriate to all Projects
However, an agile approach isn't suitable in all cases. Traditional project management processes may be more appropriate for certain types of projects.
Other projects may benefit from using a hybrid approach, combining aspects of both traditional and agile methodologies.
Factors Determining Suitability
So before implementing an agile approach, you need to determine whether this is suitable for your organization and project.
This will depend on a number of factors. Among these are project type, organizational structure and culture, the nature of your organization's existing project management processes, and project team characteristics.
It's also important to consider the industry in which your organization operates and the willingness of the customer to participate in the development process.
Next
In the next video you are going to learn about every factor determining suitability for Agile implementation. And you are going to start with the project type.

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Adopting an Agile Approach to Project Management - Adopting Agile Project Management

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So, various misconceptions about agile methodologies may prevent or hinder their adoption. You learned about this first, and you will learn more about what Agile is and how this can be implemented in the next sections.
Agile works with traditional project management
A common misconception is that an agile methodology can't work with other plan-driven models. However, the principles behind agile methodologies can be customized or used together with traditional project management approaches.
Agile uses only the necessary documents
Another misconception is that agile project teams don't generate or use any documentation. Actually, the focus is on creating only useful documentation, to avoid wasting resources and time.
Agile works with all sorts of projects
It's commonly thought that agile methodologies are specific to software development. While this may have been true initially, Agile has evolved to incorporate project management methods and can be used to manage a range of project types.
Agile requires just-in-time planning
A final misconception is that agile projects require no planning. In an agile approach, planning is continuous. Initial plans get a project up and running, and planning continues as the project evolves.
Next
This introduction helped you understanding what Agile is and how agile works. Next sections will cover when to adopt Agile, Agile practices for initial adoption, developing an Agile mindset, and getting stakeholders to adopt Agile.
So, you will learn about Agile implementation and about Agile as a project management methodology. Don’t forget to take notes and ask questions if you have them. And, see you on the next section.

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Adopting an Agile Approach to Project Management - Agile Project Planning

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Traditional Project Planning
In traditional project management, a project plan is a document that helps project managers execute and control the phases of a project.
It typically defines a project's scope, cost, and schedule, as well as its activities, deliverables, milestones, and resources. Once project work starts, the aim is to follow the plan as closely as possible.
And, once a traditionally managed project is already underway, a project manager generally tries to prevent changes to the project's scope.
Agile Project Planning
If a customer asks for a new feature to be added to a product, for example, the project manager might suggest negotiating the terms of another project for releasing an updated version – rather than changing the scope of the current project.
Planning in Agile looks very different. In agile development, there's no work breakdown structure or time-phased and resource-assigned task list.
Just-in-time Planning
Instead Agile uses just-in-time planning. A project plan contains only the detail needed to get the development team started and generally maintains less details for work that's projected to take place in later iterations.
The customer, development team, and other stakeholders spend time on up-front planning, with emphasis on determining the customer's vision for a product, establishing requirements, prioritizing required features, and developing a tentative plan for what will be developed in each iteration.
Burn-down Charts
Instead of using traditional project management tools, such as Gantt charts, Agile replaces these with simpler tools like burn-down and velocity charts, which convey progress in a visual way. This ensures transparency, with all parties able to check the status of the project at any time.
Continuous Planning
In agile methodology, planning isn't a one-time, up-front activity. It's continuous. For example, you've completed the prototype of the database for the hospital. You invite a customer representative to review it before you move on to develop it.
During the presentation, your customer asks if it's possible to add a feature that would enable supervisors to approve specific entries. You realize this represents an increase in the project scope. You change the priorities of the required product features, and decide to integrate the new feature in the next iteration. (...)

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Adopting an Agile Approach to Project Management - Applications for Agile

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Project Management Methodologies
So, although agile methodologies were first geared towards software development projects, they're not just development methodologies. Instead they're project management methodologies.
They include a range of project management processes, such as project initiation, identification of requirements, scheduling, contracting, team management, and strategies for maximizing customer value.
Applications for Agile
Agile methodologies can be used for a wide range of project types. For example, you might use an agile methodology to deploy a new technology to users within an organization, manage organizational change – such as the integration of the workforce of a recently acquired competitor – or organize a trade show.
You could use an agile methodology like Scrum, for example, to plan a wedding! To do this, you and your partner have short daily meetings to collaborate on organizing the wedding day.
You divide the remaining weeks until the wedding into sprints, with each sprint having a clear goal and tasks to accomplish. You write the tasks on self-stick notes and paste them on a Scrum task board. Each sprint builds on the previous sprint. For instance, you compile a guest list in the first sprint and send out the invitations in the next sprint.
To track the progress of a sprint, you'd use a burn-down chart. In the chart, the straight line indicates the ideal workflow, in which the tasks are completed in a steady, uniform manner. A second line, which you update daily, represents your actual progress. This makes it clear when you need to make adjustments to the schedule to bring progress back on track.
Exercise -  Applications of Agile
So, this is easy. Let us try an exercise.
You're about to undertake a marketing project for a company that has recently released a cell phone service enabling customers to request weather alerts on demand. You're currently discussing how to approach the project.
What is it appropriate to say about the applications for Agile?
1. "We can use an agile approach to manage the marketing project - requirements will change a few times before we're done."
2. "Agile isn't suitable for something like marketing – it's best if you're working on releasing a product."
3. "The software has already been designed, so we need to use a traditional project management approach for this phase of the project"
I am sure you have found the right ones.
Option 1: Correct. It's a myth that only software development projects can use the agile approach. You can use an agile methodology to manage a range of project types.(...)

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Adopting an Agile Approach to Project Management - Agile Documentation

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Organizational Requirements
If you remember the earlier example that involves developing a database for a group of hospitals, your organization requires that you document your plans and have them approved before work proceeds.
For example, you're required to create a communications management plan before work on the database starts.
Agile Documentation
This doesn't mean you can't adopt an agile approach to the project. The Agile Manifesto values working software over comprehensive documentation – but this doesn't imply that agile teams don't need to create any documents at all.
Agile development requires just enough documentation. Creating unnecessary documentation is considered a waste of valuable development time.
Examples of Agile Documentation
Examples of types of documents that are considered a waste are formal change requests, detailed design plans and scope statements, lists of items that are likely to change, and minutes of team meetings.
Documents that are considered necessary include backlogs, task boards, user stories, and burn-down charts. These track customer requirements and a team's progress in meeting them.
Specific Requirements
You can apply agile principles while still meeting company requirements for specific documentation. This involves keeping the documentation to a minimum, including only the level of detail likely to be needed during a project.
Instead of drafting a 12-page communications management plan, for instance, you might create a one- page table that simply lists stakeholders with their roles, levels of involvement in the project, and contact details.
Exercise - Agile Approach to Documentation
So, to keep it agile, let’s try to practice.
You're updating a retailer's web site to include an online shopping cart. Company policy stipulates that your team should create a design plan of the user interface, or UI, for the customer to sign off on. You're discussing this with your team.
What is it appropriate to say, given the agile approach to documentation?
1. "We should create a simple, high-level plan of the main interface features – including too much detail will just add to the need for later changes and updates."
2. "We'll need to query the policy – as an agile team, we can't waste time creating documents like this. Our only focus has to be on creating a working web site."(...)

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Adopting an Agile Approach to Project Management - Combining Traditional and Agile Models

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Combining Models
The approach you adopt doesn't have to be purely agile or purely traditional. Instead of viewing different project management methodologies as black and white, you should view them as points along a continuum, with many shades of gray.
Often it's ideal to combine agile and traditional principles and practices, recognizing that both have merit.
And if you're moving towards a more agile approach, retain some existing, traditional management practices so you can maintain a level of control while introducing changes.
And here, it’s important to consider the nature of a project and your organization's needs to determine which aspects of traditional project management you should keep and which agile practices will strengthen your management approach and result in a better product.
Lean Values
But no matter which approach you decide to use, it's good practice to combine it with Lean values – striving to eliminate waste and improve the flow of value to the customer.
This applies in any project, even if the other management processes you use are at the highly traditional end of the spectrum.
Simultaneous Implementation
A project team may implement both agile and traditional project management models at the same time.
For instance, it's possible to combine Capability Maturity Model Integration, or CMMI – which is a traditional approach to process improvement – with an agile development process. The result may be more powerful than either approach used in isolation.
CMMI provides discipline. It defines 25 process areas, each with associated goals and practices designed to result in process improvements. A project team may use CMMI to enhance its processes and boost its performance.
The same team may implement an agile process, making frequent deliveries of a working product to the customer and incorporating the customer's feedback in subsequent iterations. This enhances the team's ability to adapt in response to its customer's needs.
Customized Implementation
It's also possible to customize an approach, combining various principles from different agile and traditional methodologies based on what suits your organization and a particular project.
Consider a team that has been asked to develop a large database to link a group of hospitals across the country. You might choose to retain a traditional approach to project planning, budgeting, and risk management.(...)

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Adopting an Agile Approach to Project Management - Common Misconceptions About Agile

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Organizations across the world are using agile project management to get superior results. But this doesn't mean that the move from traditional to agile project management will be easy. And, one of the main challenges is overcoming the various myths and misconceptions about what an agile approach involves.
Four misconceptions about agile project management practices are especially common:
Agile project management can't work with other plan-driven or process models
Agile project management requires no documentation
Agile project management is specific to software development, and
Agile projects don't require planning
Can't work with other models
A common misconception about agile project management is that the practices it includes can't work together with other plan-driven or process models.
Many people assume there's no middle ground between traditional project management approaches such as waterfall and full agile project management, but this is incorrect.
Requires no documentation
Agile project management emphasizes the importance of face-to-face meetings and the value of working software over comprehensive documentation.
This has led to the myth that agile project teams don't create or use any documentation, and instead work completely informally. And, this is one of the most widespread myths about agile project management.
Specific to software development
It's a misconception that agile project management is specific to software development. Although  it may have started out as an approach to software development, it has evolved into various well-defined methodologies that can be applied to other types of high-change projects.
Projects don't require planning
A misconception about agile projects is that they don't require planning.
It's true that agile project management is a break from plan-driven development – in which the focus of management is sticking to a project plan – and that, as a member of an agile development team, you're unlikely to use detailed work breakdown structures or Gantt charts.
However, all agile methodologies involve planning at various points. (...)

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Adopting an Agile Approach to Project Management - Course Guidelines

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You might know this. I’m adding it to any course in the introductory section. But, just in case some suggestions to improve your learning.
For a better learning experience change your view settings to HD. Depending on your internet connection the quality of your video lesson should be better on your playing device.
This course includes closed captions, at least in English. So, if you want to watch videos quietly or defeat noise it’s a good idea to turn them on. Or, maybe is just easier for you to take video lessons if you also see the subtitles.
And, here I have a proposal for you: help me making closed captions in your native language and you receive free courses in exchange. Everybody gains, and you greatly improve your learning by translating a 2 - 3 hours course. I am providing of course the English text.
It would be also a good idea to check for additional resources for every video lesson. Most of the time an audio version will be available and a pdf presentation. Some documents will be posted as a independent lesson, but the others will have learning aids in the resources section.
Use the discussion board for questions and to invite our student colleagues to share personal experiences. Interaction will improve your learning. And, I will be here to help. It’s not easy to be the first one to ask a question or make a comment, I know. But, I will take care of it and start a discussion.
If you are on a computer, or iPad type device you can also take notes. I’m not saying you should. But,this is also very helpful to improve retention, and you will find an easy reference if you need to revisit the course. Udemy offers you the option and you will see by yourself that note taking while watching video lectures is highly effective.
There will be some exercises to complement end of section quizzes. For some it would help to stop the video for one or two minutes and try to respond before continuing. Every time I will give the correct answer so you can compare. Of course you can just continue without stopping, but it’s good if you try your hand on the question before comparing.
It might be that for some exercises you will need more time and to work on a template. I use this for skill development, and I believe in practice. Most of the time you learn more from this than from my presentation, so take your time and do it as guided.
You are the client, so you have the right to make suggestions and to ask for more. I know you feel the need to be nice and appreciate the effort. But, please if you need something related to the course feel free to ask. I will be here to respond.
If you see a mistake in a course and you report it to me - I must admit that I am not perfect and some help is always needed, you get a free course coupon in exchange. I will make the corrections, and you’ll get the free course. Again, a win-win situation.
At the end of the course a review would be very much appreciated. You are not required of course but, it helps me improve the course and it helps other potential students to make a choice.
For technical issues I might help, if not there is Udemy Technical Support. Whatever is not working, please write me or Udemy.
This is it for now. Happy learning and see you on the course!

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Adopting an Agile Approach to Project Management - Course Overview

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Would you like to adopt a more agile approach to project management in your company, only you think the change would be too disruptive?
And, perhaps you believe that Agile is all or nothing. But that's not true at all.
Wise project leaders are able to examine their own situations and determine which agile practices to adopt given the nature of their projects, organizations, and teams.
This course provides guidance on how to take steps towards adopting an agile project management approach for those who currently use a traditional, plan-driven methodology.
It discusses some common myths and misconceptions about agile development approaches, identifies factors to consider when deciding whether to adopt agile practices, and explains the general agile practices that a company may want to adopt.
The course provides project leaders with general guidelines on how to develop an agile way of thinking, one of the first steps in transitioning a team.
The course also looks at some guidelines for obtaining buy-in from organizational stakeholders so they also embrace agile practices.
Adopting an Agile Approach to Project Management is intended for project managers, program managers, or anyone who wants to efficiently participate in projects that experience frequent change in the project requirements.
It is aligned with the Agile Certified Practitioner exam objectives developed by the Project Management Institute and Certified ScrumMaster learning objectives.
So, not only you learn and improve but also you learn something that if continued will lead to professional certification, if you are interested in this.
Duration is only 3.0 hours and you will have video lectures, written materials, quizzes, examples and exercises, to lear and practice, but also a small optional course project if you are interested in getting the most out of this course.
My name is Sorin, and I will be your instructor. I am a certified project manager and trainer and I have been managing projects  for the last 10 years, with a total value of more than 100 million USD.
After completing this topic, you will be able to:
understand and correct common misconceptions about agile project management;
determine whether your organization should adopt agile practices;
identify factors to consider when deciding whether to adopt agile practices; and
recognize and apply the key principles of agile practices.
You will be also able to:
develop and champion an agile mindset; and
facilitate the buy-in of stakeholders in implementing agile practices.
Thank you for registering! Before starting the actual course topics, we are going to have next a short overview of Udemy’s functionalities for a better learning. See you there!

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