Agile Project Management

AGILE PROJECT MANAGEMENT

AGILE PROJECT MANAGEMENT
How to Succeed in the Face of Changing Project Requirements
Gary Chin

American Management Association
New York • Atlanta • Brussels • Chicago • Mexico City • San Francisco Shanghai • Tokyo • Toronto • Washington, D.C.

Special discounts on bulk quantities of AMACOM books are available to corporations, professional associations, andother organizations. For details, contact Special Sales Department, AMACOM, a division of American Management Association, 1601 Broadway, New York, NY 10019. Tel.: 212-903-8316. Fax: 212-903-8083. Web site: www.amacombooks.org This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisheris not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional service. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Chin, Gary. Agile project management : how to succeed in the face of changing project requirements / Gary Chin. p. cm. Includes index. ISBN0-8144-7176-5 1. Project management. I. Title. HD69.P75C469 2004 658.4 04—dc22 2003022111 2004 Gary L. Chin. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. This publication may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permissionof AMACOM, a division of American Management Association, 1601 Broadway, New York, NY 10019. Printing number 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

CONTENTS

Preface CHAPTER 1 Defining Agile Project Management CHAPTER 2 Determining When to Use Agile Project Management CHAPTER 3 Projects Are the Business CHAPTER 4 The Cross-Functional Team: Organizing for Agility CHAPTER 5 The Project Manager’s Role CHAPTER 6The Agile Project Team CHAPTER 7 Planning for Agility CHAPTER 8 Approaching Risk in an Agile Environment CHAPTER 9 Management: Creating an Environment of Agility CHAPTER 10 The Operational Project Management Infrastructure
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C ONTENTS

CHAPTER 11 Agile Portfolio Management: Aligning Tactical Projects with Business Strategy CHAPTER 12 IntegratingPortfolio and Project Management with the Product Development Process for Business Success Conclusion Appendix A: Project Status Reporting Process Appendix B: Issue Tracking Process Appendix C: Action Item Tracking Process Appendix D: Portfolio Prioritization Process Index About the Author

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P R E FA C E

Today’s innovative minds are constantly pushingthe envelope: New and often disruptive technologies are filling the product development pipelines of both large and small companies. The business landscape is fast-paced and competitive, and product lifecycles are shorter. Naturally, product development and launch times are also shortening as companies aggressively develop new products and services to compete. This emphasis on speed forces teams tomake quick decisions with incomplete information or in an environment of uncertainty. This, in turn, leads to frequent changes in project requirements and direction. Teams need to be light on their feet . . . they need to be agile! The need for agility is magnified in highly innovative businesses that are pushing the limits of current technology and thinking, and where key parts of projects ofteninvolve discovery or problem solving never encountered before. These types of projects have an inherent uncertainty and involve multiple paths, decision points, and iterations before they can be successfully completed. Technical teams know that it is impossible to precisely plan new discoveries far in advance. Consequently, they only use project management for administrative support, if they use...