This combination of Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity is called VUCA. In today´s VUCA world, conventional project management methods that have been proven for complicated system reach their limits. Agile project management offers a much-discussed and prominent solution in many areas.
What are the goals of agile project management?
In our fast-paced world agile project management methods are set to…
- Carry out a development process in an ambiguous and changing, complex environment
- Be more flexible and lean than traditional process models
- Adapt quickly to changes without increasing the risk of error
- Identify errors earlier and fix them at a lower cost
What are the characteristics of agile project management?
Agile project management contains:
- Self-organizing teams
- The assumption of high responsibility for the product
- Iterative Practice
- Increments – Conclusive results that are reviewed by the customer regularly and build on each other
Iteration and feedback as the key to success to agile project management methods
Agile project management essentially consists of two key elements: Incremental output and feedback. They form the basis of a much higher communication density than in classic project management. Agile project management allows mistakes and path adjustments and even thinks they are good. Every change in requirements can be seen as an opportunity to better understand the customer’s desires, potentially returning a higher customer satisfaction in the end. Agile project management uses feedback and iterations to create transparency, embrace inevitable change, and ultimately create a more valid end product.
Agile project management requires case-specific adjustments
Agile project management originates in software development and reaches its limits when it comes to transferring it to the development of physical products. Agile project management has its roots in certain premises. Often, the premises of agile methods clash with classic product development processes, which prevents the adaptation of agile methods as a blueprint. If these premises cannot be fulfilled, but the organization is well grounded in the agile mindset and already uses agile methods and practices, case-specific solutions can be developed.
The innovative approach: A hybrid project management method
How can agile and classic project management be used together even though agile methods are not 100% applicable due to limiting factors? How is it possible to interweave agile and classic project management methods if these two project management approaches have to work side by side? How can we combine structure and agility to create both stability and flexibility in an organization?
A first step in this direction is the hybrid model developed by [bu:st], a Munich based project management service company, which combines classic and agile methods. Our white paper gives a detailed insight into this contemporary and appropriate project management method.
