In the scrum development framework (part of the Agile project management methodology) the scrum master is the servant leader for the scrum team. They are not the boss nor the project manager. Rather, they promote scrum practices and facilitate scrum meetings. They are the resident scrum expert within the team and attempt to maximize the productivity of the … [Read more...]
The 4 Main Agile Roles
In project management, efficiency is everything. Projects that run like well oiled machines create high quality products and delighted stakeholders, especially the product owner. Fortunately, the Agile roles and responsibilities make it easy to create just such a project. But let's get some semantics out of the way first. Agile does not have roles as such. It is … [Read more...]
The Agile Principles, Broken Down
The 12 Agile Principles, which were developed at the same time as the Agile Manifesto, provide a little bit more detail from the Agile founders relating to vision and implementation of the Agile project management methodology. In the 12 Principles, the founders expand on the four points in the Manifesto and provide a more detailed working explanation. The Agile … [Read more...]
Project Management in 2040: A Journey Into the Future
In the grand tapestry of human endeavor, project management has always been the thread that weaves chaos into order, the alchemy that turns plans into reality. As we stand at the threshold of 2040, let's embark on a speculative voyage to explore how this ancient art has evolved in the face of technological change, societal shifts, and the unquenchable human desire to … [Read more...]
Understanding the Agile Manifesto
The agile project management revolution has transformed project management. Instead of the fully planned and predictive methods of the past, the world now recognizes that an iterative, cyclical process is significantly faster and cheaper, even if you can't promise everything up front. The origins of this revolution trace back to the creation of the Agile … [Read more...]
Guide to Project Scope Management
Project scope issues are the number one reason for unhappy clients and customers. Human nature is such that unauthorized tasks will always tend to slip into a project unannounced, thus project scope management is just as important as the more visible aspects of project management like scheduling and budgeting. Hence, it is the project manager's job to actively manage … [Read more...]
Guide to Project Management Methodologies
In many areas of life there are multiple ways to accomplish a goal, and project management is no different. At its most basic level, project management is the organization of people to accomplish a task. Humans have been successfully performing complex projects, like the ancient pyramids of Egypt, for thousands of years however today the processes and methods are … [Read more...]
OceanGate was Agile
By now most people have heard about the disaster of the OceanGate Titan, the underwater submersible that imploded on its way down to the Titanic wreck site carrying five billionaires on a tourist mission. I'm genuinely surprised about how little the project management community is talking about this, because the lessons appear to be vast. Although the cause is not … [Read more...]
How to Hold a Useful Sprint Retrospective Meeting
One of the elements of Agile project management that makes it truly high performance is the Sprint Retrospective meeting. It takes place at the end of a sprint (project iteration) and its goal is to improve the processes being used by the project. Sprint Retrospectives are the secret that makes the agile project management system so effective in increasing productivity … [Read more...]
How to Run a Useful Sprint Review Meeting
Sprint Review meetings represent the finish line of the sprint. It's a great feeling to finish a project iteration. In a sprint review meeting, finished product is presented to the product owner and the stage is set for the next iteration. In agile project management, a sprint review meeting is conducted at the conclusion of each 1-4 week long "sprint" … [Read more...]