The Newbie Guide To Agile Project Management
Let’s face it — Agile is the new normal. Today, nobody just picks up a project and does it. No, today everybody is agile, with more companies adopting the methodology with every passing year.
Jokes aside, Agile has earned its reputation. It is efficient, it is fast, it is flexible, and it is easy to adopt. If you know how, that is.
What is Agile project management?
The main principle of Agile project management is breaking a large project into a number of small tasks that can be accomplished within a relatively short period of time. Eating the elephant one bite at a time — those who first came up with this saying were definitely thinking Agile.
However, Agile project management is much more than just dividing the project into quickly executable tasks. Each iteration, called “sprint” in the Agile terminology, produces a finished product component that can be tested and evaluated. This approach opens enormous opportunities for quick change and error-fixing. Generally, each sprint passes through the following stages:
- Design, when the requirements to a particular feature or component are analysed and interpreted into actual development tasks
- Develop, when the design is implemented
- Test, when the components are tested, including integration testing with other components
- Deploy, when the developed component is put to action
- Review, when the finished component is demonstrated to the customer
Each cycle is followed by a new one that goes along the same route. Each iteration produces a new component that joins the others like jigsaw pieces until they form a complete product. Each iteration starts with a new task to be completed by its end.
Benefits of Agile project management
The iterative principle of the Agile project management brings multiple benefits for both the development team and the customer:
1. Higher product quality
With testing and review done in each sprint, the chances of finding an error are higher, and the costs of its correction are lower. By the end of the last sprint, you are getting a product consisting of a number of stable components that have been tested both individually and in integration.
2. Higher customer involvement
Unlike the traditional project management where the customer waits for months until they can see the complete product or at least a working prototype, the Agile methodology creates perfect conditions for active customer participation. Each sprint usually ends with a customer demo showing the feature that has been completed. The customer is, of course, expected to provide feedback. This way, the customer can monitor the development progress and suggest improvements immediately.
3. Allowance for change
Before the project is launched, it goes through the planning stage outlining the features, components, and details that should be implemented. However, as each sprint ends, new factors may appear that require adjustment of the original plan. Some features may need to be implemented differently and some discarded altogether. In Agile, the team plans the next sprint already armed with the results of the previous iterations and based on the initial backlog created during the planning stage. Thus, it is much easier to adapt to changes when there is no strict plan yet.
4. Early delivery
Projects managed by the Agile methodology tend to be delivered faster than those using the traditional approach. The reason is the same — frequent testing and deployment, more accurate estimations and higher predictability due to the smaller scope of each sprint.
5. Focus on the business goals
A team working by the Agile methodology has a better understanding of the business value of both individual features and the entire project. Every sprint they see how their work is translated into a functioning component with a clear purpose. In this respect, Agile motivates the team and increases the overall product quality.
Agile vs Waterfall project management
The traditional project management which is also called the Waterfall methodology is fundamentally different from Agile in the most basic principle of work organization: where an Agile project is a series of tasks, a Waterfall one is a continuous flow with the result obtained only at the very end.
How is Agile different from Waterfall?
Agile-
Incremental: a number of small “projects”, each with its clearly defined result and acceptance criteria
Constant customer involvement: the customer is monitoring the project progress on a regular basis participating in demos and providing feedback
Smaller, better-focused teams: depending on the scope of each sprint, the team may consist of developers with the skills required for this sprint.
Possibility of change: frequent delivery gives a better view of the scope of the subsequent sprints allowing quick adjustment
Predictability: Agile allows to plan future development on the basis of the already delivered components which gives a better idea of the total outcome
Waterfall-
Linear: one monolithic project developed as a continuous process with no or few intermediate results
No customer participation: the customer is only present at the completion of the project to accept the resulting product
Large teams: A Waterfall project team is usually on a larger side and most of the time represents all skills required for the project. This arrangement may result in higher man-hours
Low flexibility: the project is developed according to the original plan with errors and inconsistencies detected and corrected at the final stage
Result at the end of the project: with Waterfall, you can either succeed or fail but you will not know it until just before the end credits
Disclaimer: by no means we want to imply that Waterfall is inefficient or unproductive. It works great for small projects with a well-defined scope. For large ones, though, Agile is the preferred option as it reduces the chance of unpleasant surprises.
Agile project management with Kanban and Scrum
Now that we have looked at what Agile project management is, it’s time to discuss how Agile teams work. There are two major Agile formats — Scrum and Kanban.
Scrum agile project management
Scrum represents the Agile principles best — it practices the iterative approach to project planning with sprints and frequent deliveries. The beginning and end of each sprint, as well as the scope, is clearly defined.
Within a sprint, the scope is divided into even smaller tasks that are assigned to the team members. The team schedules daily sync-up meetings to report what has been done, what is blocking the next steps, what everyone is planning to do next. At the end of the sprint, the finished component is reviewed and demonstrated to the customer, and the tasks that could not be implemented are sent back to the backlog.
When the team meets for the next sprint, they get a new scope, a new set of tasks, and the cycle starts again.
Kanban agile project management
At first glance, Kanban resembles Waterfall rather than Agile. Indeed, it has no iterations with the development progressing as a single flow. However, Kanban is agile, although its organization is incremental rather than iterative.
In Kanban, the main principle is limiting the work in progress. This way, Kanban allows for a better allocation of resources and prevents bottlenecks. By limiting the work in progress, the team uses its capacity effectively and only performs a small chunk of work at a time. New tasks are accepted only when the previous ones are completed.
When to use Scrum and Kanban
We at HelpCrunch are great Agile enthusiasts as it allows our team to move very fast. Like any other SaaS tool, we consider quick delivery an essential requirement, thus, Agile is our methodology of choice. We started with Kanban and later switched to Scrum along with our core development team. From our experience of using both approaches, we can recommend the following criteria for choosing the way to organize your Agile development:
Choose Scrum when:
- You have a large project that can be easily broken into smaller tasks
- You do not expect the scope of each sprint to change dramatically
- Your team has new members that will adapt easier if assigned small, clearly defined tasks
Choose Kanban when:
- Your project scope is more homogeneous and is difficult to divide into logical chunks
- You expect changes to the scope to be multiple and frequent. In this case, Kanban works better than Scrum
- Your team is well-weathered and used to working together
Agile project management tools
No matter whether you choose Scrum or Kanban as your working methodology, your central point will be the agile board. This is where you will be moving tasks from stage to stage, each of them traveling the route from backlog to “Done”.
In fact, you do not need a fancy tool to be agile. Use a regular whiteboard and markers or sticky notes. At the end of the day, it’s the principle that counts. However, tools help you save time and effort — this is what they were designed for. There are a lot of Agile project management tools on the market, let’s look at the most popular ones.
ProofHub’s Kanban boards help you become both scrum and agile. Apart from Kanban boards, ProofHub is a project management tool packed with all the features that help you become agile or scrum. The best part is that it makes agile look effortless as it is easy-to-understand unlike other complex tools on the market.
Jira by Atlassian, is a leader in the project management tools supporting both Scrum and Kanban boards.
“Finding Jira complex? Here’s a list of Jira alternatives.”
Trello, which is also Atlassian’s product, is better suited for Kanban, however, there is an extension that allows using it for Scrum teams, too.
Resources to learn agile project management
Agile project management is a complex, multi-layered job that requires knowledge and practice to be successful. To become a professional Scrum Master or Agile coach, you need to invest time and costs into learning the skill, and we want to help you by sharing our recommendations on the best learning resources on the market.
Agile project management courses
Start with online learning platforms. They offer self-paced courses that not only provide a wealth of knowledge and information but sometimes also give certificates upon completion.
Udemy Agile courses
Udemy learning platform has a selection of Agile management courses where you can find the one that suits your needs. Try, for example, Scrum Certification Prep + Scrum Master + Agile Scrum Training. This course not only teaches you the basics of the Agile methodology and Scrum techniques but also prepares you for Scrum certification.
Coursera Agile courses
Coursera accumulates learning programs by reputed experts and educational institutions. Among others, it also offers a number of online Agile management courses that you can choose from. You can enroll in the Agile Development Specialization — an extensive six-month learning program consisting of a number of courses, each including a practical project. Upon completion, you are getting a certificate.
Agile project management certifications
A certificate from an authorized organization both confirms your knowledge of the Agile methodology and raises your value on the market. After taking the corresponding courses, you can take an exam and apply for a certificate in one of the Agile centers of certification.
Certified ScrumMaster®
Certified ScrumMaster® by Scrum Alliance requires you to attend a 16-hour Scrum course followed by a timed test. Completing this program entitles you to the Scrum Alliance Membership and turns you into a Certified ScrumMaster®.
Kanban Management Professional
After taking the Kanban Management Professional course in Kanban University, you are getting a corresponding certificate that confirms your Kanban knowledge and skills.
Agile project management books
The best way to learn is to combine an online or instructor-led course with self-education. There are many good books on Agile management, and you are definitely going to benefit from reading them. We have put together a list of books we suggest you read if you want to expand your Agile knowledge.
Agile Project Management: The Definitive Beginner’s Guide to Learning Agile Project Management and Understanding Methodologies for Quality Control
Agile Project Management by Sam Ryan explains the fundamentals of Agile showing that you can apply its principles not only in managing business projects but in everyday life too.
Agile can help you plan and implement such projects as building a house as well as creating a software product. Read Sam Ryan’s book to grasp the basics of Agile and understand its benefits and challenges.
Agile Project Management For Dummies
Agile Project Management For Dummies by Mark C. Layton and Steven J. Ostermiller is a practical guide to Agile project management. The book provides clear real-life guidelines on managing the project scope, planning the tasks, evaluating and managing project risks, and a lot more.
You can start implementing recommendations you find in Agile Project Management for Dummies immediately and eventually create an efficient Agile environment.
Kanban and Scrum — making the most of both
Kanban and Scrum — making the most of both by Henrik Kniberg and Mattias Skarin explain the two major approaches to implementing the Agile methodology.
The book displays what Kanban and Scrum have in common and where they are different. Lots of practical examples form a clear picture of how to organize the processes in each of the two methodologies and, most importantly, when to use each of them for the best results.
Wrapping up
Agile is effective. Agile is innovative. Agile is flexible. Agile is fun. Most importantly, Agile has proved to be an extremely efficient project management methodology. If you have not embraced it yet, we suggest that you try. You will be amazed at how your project management improves and how your product quality raises. If not, you can always roll back to your usual ways of working but we doubt that will be the case.
Today, the market offers a true wealth of Agile learning resources, consulting services, and tools. You can try and choose the best ones to set up your own Agile management processes. Among others, consider ProofHub, which, being an Agile project management software, offers not only a set of tools for efficient project management but also a great deal of resources to help you get started in this exciting world of project management.
Author Bio: Anastasiia Khlystova is a content manager at HelpCrunch which is a customer communication platform for support, marketing, and sales.
