Adaptive (Agile) Project Management

INTRODUCTION

Why do so many projects executed by both private and public sector organizations fail to realize their expected outcomes.

In the modern volatile business environment project planning and control need to be much more flexible and embrace change as being the norm rather than the exception.

Adaptive project management deals with quick adaptation to project reality and changing scope.

Like the traditional model, you will also schedule, plan and identity vital dependencies and milestones with this method.

The adaptive project management approach offers more flexibility and provide opportunity for modifications or changing requirements before project completion.

In volatile environments where requirements change rapidly and stakeholder needs emerge during project execution, stakeholder value (and satisfaction) is best supplied through an adaptive management approach rather than traditional predictive techniques.

The Project Management Institute (PMI)® clearly acknowledges the emergence of this paradigm through their increased focus on adaptive concepts in the ANSI standard “Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge, seventh edition, (PMBOK® Guide)”.

While Agile project management is mainly focused on the project organization, adaptive Project Management takes it to another lever.

Besides helping you organize your project more efficiently, it also gives you the ability to include quantitative analysis methods, which can help you to better:

• analyze the model and test hypothesis,
• measure the actual performance of the project.
• analyze project risk.

Using adaptive project management helps the organization and the project team to be more reactive to changes, increases the success of a project and realize faster benefits for the organization.

This Adaptive (Agile) Project Management training course will highlight:

• The adaptive life cycle from start to finish,
• The values and principles that drive many of the adaptive practices,
• How the characteristics of effective teams will influence effective adaptive project management
• The adaptive project management techniques

Objectives

This 5-day training course exposes delegates to the most current generally accepted practices of project management.

Both predictive and adaptive project management approaches are explained and contrasted so that delegates can make informed decisions on when and how to apply each approach.

At the end of this Adaptive (Agile) Project Management training course, the participants:

• Appreciate how characteristics of effective teams influence effective adaptive project management
• Apply predictive project management techniques to integrate scope, time, resources and cost management into a dynamic, manageable plan
• Learn the rules and approaches to the implementation of the most widely applied adaptive project management framework - SCRUM
• Identify general considerations that are critical to setting up and applying the Scrum framework
• Critique the value of core practices performed to plan a Scrum sprint
• Apply the core practices performed in the execution of a Scrum sprint
• Evaluate core post-Sprint practices used for review and improvement purposes

Training Methodology

The facilitator will introduce each of the core topics using a lecture format. Presentations are supported by reinforcement exercises to emphasize the application of theory in real-world project settings. 

The training course commences with an overview of the nature of projects and the fundamentals of project management. This enables delegates to reflect on how a project management framework supports effective control processes. Delegates apply techniques to control both planning and execution of scope, schedule, cost and risk.

Adaptive project management is then introduced and reinforcement exercises are applied to provide delegates with insights into the power of effective team empowerment to foster flexibility, responsiveness and innovation.

Organisational Impact

Adaptive project management tailors a project to a client's specific, developing needs. This flexible approach allows the team to

• Integrate client feedback continually throughout your process.
• Deliver the most valuable product, regardless of prior expectations.
• Create more satisfied clients, communicative relationships with clients and an improved final product.

Personal Impact

Adaptive project management becomes more and more important. Participants to this Adaptive Project Management training course will learn –

• To define what is needed to meet the goals of the organization
• How to make a realistic “business case” of a change
• To identify the impact of a change on the scope, time and budget
• Ways to get feedback from the stakeholders on delivered products/components.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

This Adaptive (Agile) Project Management training course is suitable to a wide range of professionals but will greatly benefit:

• Associate Project Managers
• Project Managers
• IT Project Managers
• Project Coordinators
• Project Analysts
• Project Leaders
• Senior Project Managers
• Team Leaders
• Product Managers
• Program Managers
• Project Sponsors
• Project Team Members
• Project Management Professionals
• Customers who will engage with project teams that apply the agile approach

Understanding Projects and Project Management

• Characteristics of Projects
• Fundamental Concepts of Project Management
• Setting-up for Success - The Charter
• Setting-up for Success - The Project Team
• Setting up for Success – Needs analysis & Solution Vision
• Understanding Stakeholders

Predictive Project Management - Planning

• Product Scope Planning - requirements collection
• Project Scope Planning - establish work breakdown structure
• Schedule Planning - constructing the project timeline
• Schedule Planning - optimizing the project timeline
• Cost Planning - cost planning and estimation
• Cost Planning - establishing the project budget

Predictive Project Management - Control

• Risk Management - Risk Identification and Analysis
• Risk Management - Establishing Risk Response Approaches
• Managing Project Change
• Controlling Adversity through Effective Contingency Planning
• Controlling Progress through Earned Value Management

Adaptive Project Management

• SCRUM Foundations - Characteristic of Highly Effective Teams
• The SCRUM Framework
• Key Roles of Scrum - The Product Owner
• Key Roles of Scrum - The Scrum-master
• Key Roles of Scrum - The Self-organized Team
• Key Artifacts of Scrum

Practical Considerations in the Application of SCRUM

• Sprint Planning Techniques
• Executing Iterations - The Scrum “Sprint”
• Continuous Learning Techniques through Project Retrospective
• Course and Techniques Review
• Contrasting Control Mechanisms of these Different Approaches