“LET’S BE MORE AGILE” UNDERSTANDING AGILE PROJECT

MANAGEMENT

Tom Lynam

9th October 2018

Project Challenge

How would you

define agile?

“So I have two options, one is to stop

the elevator..........

and the second to synthetize an Agile

Pitch.”

Spiros Karasavvidis, AXELOS Community Group Member

Tom Lynam

PPM Product Manager

AXELOS

WHAT WE’LL COVER TODAY• Let’s be more agile;

• Setting out the challenge• Where we go wrong

• Introducing projects and agile;• Defining projects, project management and agile delivery approaches• Identifying common themes and where there are difference

• Blending agile and project management;• Understand the environment you’re working in, and what you are trying to

achieve• Apply the most appropriate tool for what you are trying to accomplish• Using your agile toolbox• Embrace an agile culture where possible

• Introducing PRINCE2 Agile Foundation.

LET’S BE MORE AGILE!

LET’S BE MORE AGILE!

THE AGILE KNOWLEDGE GAP

87.3%PMO SEE

THE VALUE

OF AGILE

18.1%HAVE AN

OFFICIAL AGILE

QUALIFICATION

Source: 2016 PRINCE2 Research Report www.AXELOS.com

PROJECTS AND AGILE

WHAT IS A PROJECT?

“A project is a temporary

organization that is created

for the purpose of delivering

one or more business

products according to an

agreed business case”

6th edition of PRINCE2, 2017

AND WHAT IS PROJECT MANAGEMENT?

COMMON PROJECT THEMES

Focused on the delivery of products

Delivery in stages

Robust governance structure

Defined start and finish

Temporary team

Stable and defined best practice

Generic, no sector or function focus.

AND NOW DEFINING AGILE

COMMON AGILE DELIVERY APPROACH

COMMON THEMES FROM AGILE APPROACHES

Focused on the delivery of products and services

Delivery in stages

Ongoing development

Stable team

Emerging and good practice

Heritage in software delivery.

THIS IS PRETTY SIMPLE RIGHT?

AND HERE’S ONE MORE THING…Organizational

Culture

BLENDING PROJECT MANAGEMENT AND AGILE

UNDERSTANDING THE WORKING ENVIRONMENT

• What is it I am trying to deliver?

• To what degree of certainty do I (or my customer) know what I need?

• Has this been delivered in the past?

• Where is everyone involved in that delivery based?

• Are there any external forces likely to impact the delivery?

• How much governance is required?

INTRODUCING CYNEFIN

Obvious – Best

Practice

Complicated –

Good Practice

Complex –

Emergent Practice

Chaotic –

Novel Practice

Disorder –

Don’t know

where you lie!

ADOPTING AGILE ISN’T AN “EITHER OR” CHOICE

SONY AND AGILE PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Camilla Brown

Project Manager,

Sony Professional Europe

“From our perspective, PRINCE2 Agile

has allowed us to better manage the

change being delivered to the

customer.”

USE YOUR AGILE

TOOLBOX

AGILE TOOLBOX EXAMPLE:MOSCOW ANALYSIS

EMBRACE AN AGILE MINDSET,

WHERE POSSIBLE

EXAMPLE: PRINCE2 AGILE BEHAVIOURS

Transparency Openness and visibility but also honesty, trust, integrity and respect

CollaborationInternal (the team work together) and external (engaging with customers)

leading to shared understanding and ownership

Rich communication Face to face in preference to words alone

Self-organization Trust the people closest to the work to know best

ExplorationFrequent iterations and rapid feedback loops provide an opportunity to

learn (experiments and spikes)

INTRODUCING PRINCE2 AGILE FOUNDATION

INTRODUCING PRINCE2 AGILE FOUNDATION

• New certification launched in June 2018 to support existing PRINCE2 Agile scheme

• PRINCE2 Agile blends the PRINCE2 method with agile ways of working

• New certification support by accessible Foundation level course

• Piloted by over 1,000 candidates in April and May 2018

• Available now through AXELOS training partners

THANKS FOR LISTENING

Tom Lynam

Tom.Lynam@AXELOS.com

PPM Product Manager

AXELOS

LinkedIn, Twitter

Source: AXELOS PPM Benchmark Study, 2017

2

42

40

43

44

48

47

Something else

The business justification was not defined clearly enough

It ran over budget

It was not resourced with the right people

The risks were not properly understood

Expectations and/ or brief changed significantly

It could not be delivered in the agreed timeframe

Issues that actually led to project failure, %

To Do Doing Done