Agile project management

In agile project management, the project begins with a rough concept. The project team has ahigh degree of flexibility regarding quality, scope, time and costs. Furthermore, the client is heavily involved in the project work, and the focus is primarily on the outcome and user acceptance. Economic requirements, such as staying within budget and delivering a specified service, naturally also play a role, but one that is secondary to the objectives mentioned above.

Agile project management essentially consists of five phases:

1. Planning

In this phase, the project and the overall product are first conceptualised and the end customers’ needs are identified. This phase also involves determining who is to work on the project and who the stakeholders are.

2. Conceptualisation

In this phase, the initial requirements for the product are drawn up. The teams work together to draw up a list of the end product’s features and then set milestones for the project schedule.

3. Development

Whilst working on the project, care is taken to ensure that the project specifications are adhered to, but the teams also explore alternatives to meet the project requirements. The teams work iteratively on individual milestones before moving on to the next one.

4. Testing

The deliverables are reviewed and the teams make adjustments where necessary. This phase focuses on changes or corrections arising from the perspectives of customers and staff. Feedback should be provided on an ongoing basis to ensure that every part of the project meets the end-users’ requirements. The project should improve with each iteration.

5. Closure

The results achieved are reviewed and the teams make adjustments as required. The final project is assessed against the updated requirements. Any errors or issues that arise during the process should be reviewed to prevent similar complications in the future.

Agile project management has its origins in software development in the 1990s. In 2001, a group of developers finally drafted an Agile Manifesto, which sets out four agile values and twelve principles for agile software development. This manifesto thus forms the basis for agile project management.

Although these principles can be traced back to software development, they can also be applied to other sectors and to agile project management as we know it today:

1. The highest priority is customersatisfaction, which is to be ensured through early and continuous delivery.
2. Changes to agile processes are possible even at a later stageof development, thereby giving the customer a competitive advantage.
3. Working software is delivered at short intervals (weeks or months).
4. Subject matter experts and developers communicate regularly within the project.
5. A suitable working environment and adequate support throughout the project motivate staff to fulfil their tasks.
6. Information to and within a development team is conveyed through face-to-face discussions.
7. Working software is the most important measure of progress.
8. Agile processes promote sustainable development that clients, developers and users can maintain at a steady pace.
9. A constant focus on technical completeness and good design enhances agility.
10. ‘Keep it simple’ – simplicity is essential.
11. The best system architectures, requirements and designs emerge from self-organising teams.
12. At regular intervals, teams reflect on their own behaviour in order to become more effective.

These twelve established principles define the approach of agile project management and illustrate how it differs from its traditional origins:

The time and effort required are fixed, whilst the scope is variable and can be changed and adjusted during the course of the project without jeopardising it or risking the need for a complete re-planning.

Advantages and disadvantages of agile project management

Agile project management offers many advantages – provided it is applied correctly and tailored to the relevant sector. However, this approach is not suitable for every project, and if used incorrectly, agile project management can also have its drawbacks. We have listed both here: the advantages and disadvantages of agile project management.

A comparison of traditional and agile project management

Do you want to stick strictly to the path, or are minor deviations allowed? This illustrative example helps to distinguish agile project management broadly from the traditional model. The word ‘agile’ refers precisely to what sets it apart from the conventional approach: a flexible way of working that can react quickly to changes.

Traditional project management requires strict planning in advance and can therefore only react slowly – if at all – to changes within the workflow. Detailed and often time-consuming planning is therefore essential and extremely important in this approach.

In agile project management, no extensive planning is required in advance. It focuses primarily on setting several milestone targets and works towards them intuitively. Changes or problems that arise can be resolved much more flexibly in agile project management. Consequently, deviations along the way do not pose a serious problem for the project as a whole.

However, in order to achieve a desired outcome effectively, agile organisational structures are subject to the same prerequisite as traditional ones: The chosen process model, with its methods and tools, must be suited to the actual starting point – both in terms of the specific project requirements and (to the same extent) the people and organisations involved at all relevant levels.

The rationale behind agile methods

Market requirements and customer needs have never evolved more rapidly or dynamically than they do today. Owing in part to the globalisation and digitalisation of economic processes, as well as constantly changing legal frameworks, constant change has, in a sense, become the norm.

It is precisely this circumstance that has given rise to the idea – or philosophy – of agile project management: Compared to traditional project management, projects organised using agile methods can respond far more flexibly to short-term changes, as the project plan is not set in stone but can be continually adapted to external factors through ongoing adjustments.

Scrum, Kanban and Lean: tried-and-tested agile methods

As an entrepreneur, you are always on the lookout for effective methods to optimise your workflows and organise your team. Agile methodologies such as Scrum and Kanban have proven extremely effective in this regard. In this section, we’d like to give you a brief insight into these methodologies so you can discover how to improve your work processes and boost your productivity.

Scrum

One specific framework for agile project management that has developed in recent years is Scrum. Scrum is an iterative and incremental method designed to deliver complex projects in short sprints lasting between 1 and 4 weeks. This form of agile project management is based on three pillars:

1. Transparency
2. Inspection
3. Adaptation

But for what sort of projects and organisations is this method suitable? Scrum is particularly well-suited to IT projects where requirements and technical challenges are often unclear and can change rapidly. Scrum is also suitable for organisations that need to react quickly to market changes and require a high degree of flexibility.

In the best-known form of agile project management, the focus is on so-called Scrum teams, which consist of a group of up to 10 specialists working together to achieve a project goal.

The roles in Scrum

The Scrum team works on an equal footing and without hierarchies. There is no project manager in the traditional sense. Instead, this responsibility is shared between the ‘Product Owner’ and the ‘Scrum Master’. However, these two roles do not bear sole responsibility for a project in Scrum – this is shared amongst all team members (developers). The team is therefore largely self-managing.

The “Product Owner” takes responsibility for the project product. They …

• acts as the point of contact for the project’s content.
• ensures that a project objective is developed and clearly communicated.
• ensures that the project outcome delivers maximum benefit
• provides feedback on results.
• represents stakeholder groups outside the project team and involves them in the project as required.
• Gathers requirements, sorts them and prioritises them.
• ensures that the requirements are transparent and clear to everyone
• ensures that necessary decisions are made.

The Product Owner may also delegate these responsibilities to others in the Scrum Team. Depending on the organisation, Scrum Team and individual, these responsibilities may be fulfilled in different ways (new in the Scrum Guide 2020). For the Product Owner to be successful, the entire organisation must respect their decisions.

The “Scrum Master” takes responsibility for the project process. They …

• acts as the point of contact for collaboration within the process, supports this collaboration and helps to improve it.
• coaches the Scrum Team in the application of Scrum, in self-organisation and in interdisciplinary collaboration (in the spirit of ‘helping them to help themselves’).
• ensures that the Scrum ceremonies and practices are followed.
• may be called upon to facilitate meetings, retrospectives, etc.
• facilitates a smooth workflow and resolves any difficulties.
• Provides methodological support to the Product Owner in carrying out their tasks.
• ensures the dissemination, understanding and acceptance of Scrum within the organisation.

In addition to these two roles, there is also the team, the ‘developers’. They translate requirements into concrete results. They …

• work independently. The Product Owner communicates the requirements (the ‘WHAT’), but it is entirely up to the developers to decide HOW they will turn these into concrete results
• draw up their own plan for a project phase (‘sprint’) and adjust it regularly.
• ensure the quality of their work by adhering to a ‘Definition of Done’ (i.e. a clear description of what ‘done’ means).
• hold one another accountable as experts.

Kanban: An agile methodology from Japan

The Japanese word ‘Kanban’ literally translates as ‘sign’ or ‘visual signal’. Kanban is a work management method that originated from the Toyota Production System (TPS). It aims to optimise the flow of work and identify bottlenecks. Kanban boards show the current status of work and help to set priorities and manage the workflow. Kanban is based on the following principles:

• visualising the workflow

• limiting work in progress (WIP)

• Managing processes

• specifying precise process guidelines

• Feedback loops

• Continuous improvement

The method was originally developed in the manufacturing industry and subsequently adopted by software developers for agile project management. In the late 1940s, Toyota introduced ‘just-in-time’ production. The approach is based on a pull system. Production is geared towards customer demand rather than being fixed at specific quantities – as is usual with push systems – which are then brought to market. The main aim is to create more value for customers without incurring additional costs.

David J. Anderson developed the Kanban method as an approach to incremental, evolutionary process and system changes for knowledge-based organisations. It focuses on getting work done. Its fundamentals can be divided into two areas:

Although mastering these practices is of crucial importance, it is a process of development – all organisations are aware that the way in which they apply Kanban practices is not yet fully developed.

Extreme Programming (XP)

Extreme Programming (XP) is an iterative and incremental method aimed at developing high-quality software in short iterations of 1 to 2 weeks. XP is based on the principles …

• Communication
• Simplicity
• Feedback
• Courage
• Respect

The project management tool encompasses a range of practices such as pair programming, test-driven development (TDD), continuous integration and refactoring. XP is particularly well-suited to software development projects where requirements and technical challenges are often unclear and can change rapidly.

XP is suitable for small to medium-sized organisations that require high quality and a rapid time-to-market. However, agile project management using XP requires close collaboration and communication between team members.

Agile project management tools

To find the best tool for your agile project management, you should get an overview of the software and apps available on the market. But which tools are best suited to agile project management?

Jira Software and Confluence

With the help of Jira Software, planning your projects in an agile and flexible way is easier than ever, making it a valuable ally for agile project management. The customisable user interface allows different tasks to be displayed transparently and clearly, ensuring that every team member has a clear overview of tasks that have already been completed and those still to come.

Agile project management with Jira can also benefit greatly from Confluence. Content provided can be clearly organised as a form of document management and then conveniently assigned to the relevant team in the form of tickets using Jira. This ensures that every stage of a project is assigned to the relevant team members, leaving nothing to stand in the way of agile working.

Trello

Trello is a visual project management tool that focuses entirely on Kanban boards and, consequently, task management. It enables teams to organise and track tasks and projects on a board. Trello is particularly easy to use and is suitable for small to medium-sized teams.

Asana

Asana is a project management tool based on the principles of collaboration and communication. It enables teams to organise, track and communicate about tasks and projects. From boards and timelines to custom fields and dependencies, Asana offers a comprehensive range of project management features. The software is particularly suitable for medium to large teams.

Basecamp

Basecamp is a real-time communication tool that helps teams stay up to date and is less suited to traditional project management tasks (e.g. resource planning and long-term scheduling). It enables teams to organise and track tasks and projects and to communicate with one another, and is particularly suitable for small to medium-sized teams.

Conclusion: Agile project management

Agile project management is essential in today’s business world. Companies must be able to adapt quickly to change in order to remain competitive. Agile methods enable teams to work flexibly and effectively by focusing on continuous improvement, collaboration and rapid delivery.

Companies that successfully implement agile methods can complete their projects more quickly and cost-effectively, whilst at the same time increasing customer satisfaction. It is important for companies to recognise the need to integrate agile methods into their working practices and to train their staff accordingly. Only in this way can they thrive in today’s fast-paced business world.

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