Almost all of us have exhibited project management skills like budgeting, time management, and conflict resolution in the past. However, that鈥檚 not enough to equip someone for听professional or corporate听project management.听Additionally, professional certification is becoming increasingly important, as employers want to be certain that their project managers have the skills necessary to tackle any potential problems.听听
There are several distinct modern project management methodologies such as听听补苍诲听. However, none are more sought after in today鈥檚 fast-paced corporate environment than听agile project management. At its core, agile espouses trust, flexibility, empowerment, and collaboration between team members above all. But what exactly does that mean?听听
To find out, we sat down with Michael Delis, Executive Vice-President and Director of Training at the Project Management Centre. Michael has been implementing the agile project management approach for over 20 years and has rolled out agile projects across the globe. As听course lecturer for听the Agile Project Management: Practice and Certification online course听at the McGill School of Continuing Studies, there are few more qualified to educate us on this topic. Read our Q&A with Michael below to find out what Agile project management is, why it鈥檚 so popular, and how you can benefit from it!听
What is Agile Project Management?听
Agile project management is a revolutionary way of managing projects and is characterized by an iterative and incremental approach. This means that听agile projects are built slowly and piece by piece. In traditional project management there is the tendency to complete all the steps in a project and deliver the final product to the client听for review. Alternatively, with an听incremental, agile approach, clients听can evaluate the project鈥檚 value as it progresses, intervene and provide feedback if they are not satisfied. With this approach, it鈥檚 less likely that there will be gaps between what the client wants and what the project manager delivers.听In traditional project management, things tend to be so rigid that any change to the听original plan can cause disruption. Agile projects tend to be a lot more flexible,听collaborative and听interactive,听and most changes听are听value-adding.听听听听
Why is it so Popular?听
The roots of听agile can be found in the mid-late 80s and throughout the 90s.听At the time, traditional, upfront planning approaches were still working, but the rise of telecommunication networks and technological innovation really threw a听wrench听in the works. As a project manager, you would build a plan, start executing, then听suddenly,听the technological landscape would change,听and you鈥檇 have to听begin again.听You鈥檇 start executing your new plan,听but then you鈥檇 have to stop and re-plan, and the cycle would continue.听People started looking for a better, more effective approach to project management, and were testing out听different techniques in terms of delivering solutions faster and more efficiently, and eventually听the agile听approach听was born.听听听
Agile鈥檚听roots are in lean management, in efficiency and effectiveness. The digital revolution that began in the 80s has only accelerated over the years, and nowadays most companies are transforming their business to听meet听digital demands. The main reason听agile has become so popular is that it is specifically designed for the fast-paced digital world, and allows companies to deliver faster, leaner solutions. Companies that don鈥檛 employ听agile techniques tend to go obsolete, while others like Uber and Airbnb are able to use听agility to deliver solutions that really meet customer needs cheaper, quicker, and more efficiently.听听听
What are the Key Features and Benefits?听
There are many benefits to the agile approach.听There鈥檚 an amazing report published every year called听and the latest one identifies around 12-13 major benefits. Some of the most important ones for companies include being听able to manage changing priorities and听developing听mechanisms to treat change as a competitive advantage as opposed to a negative听one.听
Another major benefit of听agile is听its听transparency: it outlines process and progress听which allows teams to really collaborate effectively. One of听agile鈥檚听biggest accomplishments is breaking down the barriers between business and technology, between 鈥渨hat do we need鈥� and 鈥渉ow are we going to do it.鈥� Traditional project management tends to see a natural opposition between business and technology, but听an agile approach requires the two to work collaboratively for a project to succeed.听Effective and frequent communication leads to听many other听benefits,听too, namely a decrease in time to market and increase in team productivity.听
One of the biggest benefits that tends to be hugely underestimated, is that people have more fun in听agile environments.听Traditional management structures have a few leaders who say, 鈥測ou鈥檙e going to do this, and you鈥檙e going to do that.鈥� In听agile environments,听it鈥檚 the team听that makes decisions.听Empowerment is inherent to the agile approach.听As a result,听agile companies are more likely to hire and retain talent than traditional legacy corporations, as prospective employees know they鈥檙e more likely to be valued and supported.听
What Misconceptions Might People Have About Agile?听
A common misconception is that there鈥檚 a "war" between traditional management and听agile approaches. It鈥檚 not a war at all听and a听lot of people don鈥檛 know that you can utilize both in the same organization.听听听
If you鈥檙e working in an environment where the requirements are stable and the way you work is consistent, you don鈥檛 need to reinvent the wheel. That鈥檚 what we call a predictive environment, and that鈥檚 where the traditional Waterfall approach thrives.听It鈥檚听important to know that agile is not a one-size-fits-all solution. It should really be applied in areas where technology may not be听stable, where there will be a lot of innovation, and where things are bound to change. If you try and use traditional predictive approaches in that sort of environment, you鈥檙e going to be planning and re-planning. It鈥檚 not efficient, and it鈥檚 not effective鈥斕齛gile is adaptive, fluid, and better suited for that.听
Another misconception is that, since agile is adaptive, project managers don鈥檛 have to听plan ahead听but this couldn鈥檛 be further from the truth. There鈥檚 just as much planning involved with agile, if not more, but it鈥檚 just structured differently. A Waterfall approach has a lot of upfront planning, in the hopes that everything will unfold according to that plan. Comparatively, an agile approach requires just enough听upfront听planning听to begin work and then acquires empirical information as it goes along, allowing you to听adapt your planning incrementally and iteratively throughout the course of your project.听You still have a long-term roadmap and a vision, but you鈥檙e being honest and acknowledging that, at the beginning of a project, you really have no idea where things are going to be in 18 months. This approach allows stakeholders to periodically check in on your product, ensure it鈥檚 in line with their vision, and enact change and innovation on the fly, which is always a competitive advantage.听听听
In Which Industries or Sectors is it Applicable? Which Industries Could Benefit From it?听听
Agile鈥檚听origins are really rooted in the software industry. That was the first industry that started moving so quickly that an听agile approach was necessary, and that was the first industry to really benefit from it. However, these days, because of the digital revolution, even non-software companies have IT and software departments because they need digital marketing and听other听solutions.听Many听Fortune 500 companies听are using听an agile听approach.听听
A company I worked with here in Montreal delivered a brand-new yogurt across Canada. What do I know about yogurt? Nothing. What does yogurt have to do with software? Nothing. But we implemented听agile practices in an area where it normally takes听three听years to deliver听five听new products, and in 18 months听they delivered听57 new products.听听Any company that wants to stay afloat and stay competitive in a digitized听world could benefit from听agile management. Even if you work in what seems to be a remarkably stable industry, a little听agile knowledge can go a long way.听听听
What Key Skills are Required of a Project Manager to Employ an Agile Approach?听
In your typical project, the project manager is the boss: they provide directives听补苍诲听team听members do as they say. It鈥檚 a very top-down approach.听
The听agile environment flips that around and uses something called 鈥渟ervant leadership,鈥� where agile project managers lead by both serving and guiding their team. The听agile program has a list of principles called SERVE and GUIDE, in which each letter references a key characteristic.听听
(S)elflessness. A good PM in an agile environment听must听be humble听补苍诲听place the needs of others in front of their own work听in order to听do what's best for the project.听
(E)mpowerment.听Learn听how to empower听your听team and create an environment where they听can make mistakes, learn from them, and continue to improve.听
(R)esolution. Make sure you identify anything that slows down team productivity.听This could be a human issue or a technical obstacle. A project manager doesn鈥檛 have to solve the problem, but rather help facilitate a solution.听听
(V)ision. Projects need to have overarching goals. As a project manager, you need to communicate with听your听team and make sure they stay committed to those goals.听
(E)ncouragement.听You should be a little bit of a cheerleader, able to inspire and motivate when the team is down.听
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听The next five I refer to as the GUIDE.听
(G)uardianship. A good manager needs to protect their team. Teams get pilfered all the time, resources change, distractions come in. The job of an听agile PM is to protect the team and keep them focused on their work.听
(U)nderstanding. Show a certain level of empathy. You have one mouth, but two ears, so you should spend twice as much time listening as you do听talking. Understand and show empathy. Recognize that you鈥檙e all in the same boat and trying to reach the same destination.听
(I)nfluence.听Facilitate decision making inside and outside of the team that can impact the project.听
(D)evelopment.听Provide team members with skills, competencies, and advancement opportunities through constructive feedback, training, mentoring, and continuous improvement practices.听
(E)xperience.听Bring your personal experiences to the team. There is no cookie cutter solution to all problems. A good project manager takes their experiences and uses them to help create solutions.听
Agile is more than a corporate project management tool:听it鈥檚 a life skill. From homeschooling, to household management, to wedding planning, you can apply听agile techniques and streamline your听personal life as well as your professional life.听听
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Learn the essentials of the agile approach to project management and prepare for the PMI-ACP certification with the self-paced online听Agile Project Management: Practice and Certification听program at the McGill School of Continuing Studies.听听