🔁 Agile project management
The agile project management methodology breaks projects into small pieces. These project pieces are completed in work sessions that are often called sprints.
Sprints#
Generally run anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. These sessions run from the initial design phase to testing and quality assurance.
The agile methodology enables teams to release segments as they are completed.
- This continuous release schedule enables teams to demonstrate that these segments are successful and, if not, to fix flaws quickly.
- This belief is that this helps reduce the chance of large scale failures, because there is continuous improvement throughout the project lifecycle.
- Agile project management does not require the presence or participation of project manager.
- The project managers role under APM is distributed among team members.
Agile project team members#
- They must be able to collaborate with rash other and with users
- They must be able to communicate well to keep projects on track
- They should feel comfortable taking appropriate actions at the right ties to keep pace with delivery schedules.
5 Phases of Agile Project Management#
Envision- The project and overall product are first conceptualised in this phase and the needs of the end customers are identified. This phase also determines who is going to work on the project and its stakeholders.
Speculate- This phase involves creating the initial requirements for the product. Teams will work together to brainstorm a features list of the final product, then identify milestones involving the project timeline.
Explore- The project is worked on with a focus on staying within project constraints, but teams will also explore alternatives to fulfil project requirements. teams work on single milestones and iterate before moving on to the next.
Adapt- Delivered results are reviewed, and teams adapt as needed. This phase focuses on change or corrections that occur based on customer and staff perspectives. Feedback should be constantly given, so each part of the project meets end-user requirements. The project should improve with each iteration.
Close- Delivered results are reviewed and teams adapt as needed. The final project is measured against updated requirements. Mistakes or issues encountered within the process should be reviewed to avoid similar issues in the future.
Benefits of agile project management#
- More freedom
└── Project management lets designers work on models that utilise their strengths
- Efficient use of resources
└── Which enables rapid deployment
- Greater flexibility and adaptively to changing needs
└── Developers can better adapt and make needed changes
- Rapid detection of problems
└── Which enables quicker fixes
- Increases collaboration with users
└── Leading to products that better meet user needs
- Does not require as clearly defined goals and processes at the start of development
Drawbacks of Agile Project Management#
A project can go off track because there are less predetermined courses of action at the start of a project.
Off-track projects lead to less predictable outcomes.
Agile management relies on making decisions quickly, so it is not suitable for organisations that take a long time to analyse issues.
Collaboration between teams or end users must continually happen to make the best possible product.
Challenges in communication could impact the end product
Summary of Agile Project Management:#
Agile project management is not an approach for every single project. It's only good for projects where the end user may not know exactly what they want.
The project breaks a requirement into smaller pieces, which are then prioritised by the team in terms of importance.
The agile project promotes collaborative working, especially with the customer.
The agile project reflects, learns and adjusts at regular intervals to ensure that the customer is always satisfied and is provided with outcomes that result in benefits
Agile methods integrate planning with execution, allowing an organisation to create a working mindset that helps a team respond efficiently to changing requirements
Scrum and Sprints#
Scrum#
Scrum is an Agile project management methodology involving a small team led by a Scrum master, whose main job is to remove all obstacles to getting work done. Work is done in short cycles called sprints, and the team meets daily to discuss current tasks and any roadblocks that need clearing.
Sprint#
A sprint in Scrum is a short period of time wherein a development team works to complete specific tasks, milestones, or deliverables. Sprints, also referred to as “iterations,” essentially break the project schedule into digestible blocks of time in which smaller goals can be accomplished.
Story & Case#
The project is organised into story of backlog and task
The story is the use case, it's what you want to achieve out of that particular project
The overall project might be, for example, an e-commerce website
The story would be wanting your customer to be able to log in a series of shirts or clothes and purchase them through your e-commerce website. That's your story.
Backlog#
The backlog is the set of requirements that go into filling up that story, you might say a user in London can access your website, that's a requirement or they can pay with a credit card, Visa Debit or MasterCard.
That's part of your backlog. The list of requirements that sort of comprise your story is what's called your backlog.
The project team, when they get together, will look at that backlog, they then decompose the backlog or the requirements into different tasks.
When trying to achieve the story, you get your first lift of backlogs and you organise the achievement or the production of that backlog into what's called a sprint.
Burndown Chart#
The burndown chart has several points. There’s an x-axis, which is the project or iteration timeline. The y-axis is the work that needs to get done in the project. The story point estimates for the work that remains is represented by this axis.
The project starting point is the farthest point to the left of the chart and occ\urs on day zero of the project or iteration. The project end point is farthest to the right and marks the final day of the project or iteration.
