The Software Project Manager’s Bridge to Agility

The Software Project Manager’s Bridge to Agility

by Stacia Broderick, Michele Sliger
Released May 2008
Publisher(s): Addison-Wesley Professional
ISBN: 9780321572783

Explore a preview version of The Software Project Manager’s Bridge to Agility right now.

O’Reilly members get unlimited access to live online training experiences, plus books, videos, and digital content from 200+ publishers.

Start your free trial

Book Description

When software development teams move to agile methods, experienced project managers often struggle—doubtful about the new approach and uncertain about their new roles and responsibilities. In this book, two long-time certified Project Management Professionals (PMPRs) and Scrum trainers have built a bridge to this dynamic new paradigm. They show experienced project managers how to successfully transition to agile by refocusing on facilitation and collaboration, not “command and control.”

The authors begin by explaining how agile works: how it differs from traditional “plan-driven” methodologies, the benefits it promises, and the real-world results it delivers. Next, they systematically map the Project Management Institute’s classic, methodology-independent techniques and terminology to agile practices. They cover both process and project lifecycles and carefully address vital issues ranging from scope and time to cost management and stakeholder communication. Finally, drawing on their own extensive personal experience, they put a human face on your personal transition to agile--covering the emotional challenges, personal values, and key leadership traits you’ll need to succeed.

Coverage includes

  • Relating the PMBOKR Guide ideals to agile practices: similarities, overlaps, and differences

  • Understanding the role and value of agile techniques such as iteration/release planning and retrospectives

  • Using agile techniques to systematically and continually reduce risk

  • Implementing quality assurance (QA) where it belongs: in analysis, design, defect prevention, and continuous improvement

  • Learning to trust your teams and listen for their discoveries

  • Procuring, purchasing, and contracting for software in agile, collaborative environments

  • Avoiding the common mistakes software teams make in transitioning to agile

  • Coordinating with project management offices and non-agile teams

  • “Selling” agile within your teams and throughout your organization

    • For every project manager who wants to become more agile.

    Part I    An Agile Overview 7

    Chapter 1    What is "Agile"? 9

    Chapter 2    Mapping from the PMBOKR Guide to Agile 25

    Chapter 3    The Agile Project Lifecycle in Detail 37

    Part II    The Bridge: Relating PMBOKR Guide Practices to Agile Practices 49

    Chapter 4    Integration Management 51

    Chapter 5    Scope Management 67

    Chapter 6    Time Management 83

    Chapter 7    Cost Management 111

    Chapter 8    Quality Management 129

    Chapter 9    Human Resources Management 143

    Chapter 10    Communications Management 159

    Chapter 11    Risk Management 177

    Chapter 12    Procurement Management 197

    Part III    Crossing the Bridge to Agile 215

    Chapter 13    How Will My Responsibilities Change? 217

    Chapter 14    How Will I Work with Other Teams Who Aren't Agile? 233

    Chapter 15    How Can a Project Management Office Support Agile? 249

    Chapter 16    Selling the Benefits of Agile 265

    Chapter 17    Common Mistakes 285

    Appendix A    Agile Methodologies 295

    Appendix B    Agile Artifacts 301

    Glossary 321

    Bibliography 327

    Index 333

    Table of Contents

    1. Copyright
      1. Dedication
    2. The Agile Software Development Series
      1. Alistair Cockburn and Jim Highsmith, Series Editors
    3. Preface
      1. Why We Wrote This Book
      2. Structure and Content of the Book
        1. Part I: An Agile Overview
        2. Part II: The Bridge: Relating PMBOK® Guide Practices to Agile Practices
        3. Part III: Crossing the Bridge to Agile
        4. Appendixes
      3. Who This Book Is For
      4. Final Thoughts
      5. Endnote
    4. Acknowledgments
    5. About the Authors
    6. Introduction: How One Project Manager Crossed the Bridge
    7. I. An Agile Overview
      1. 1. What Is “Agile”?
        1. What Are the Origins of Agile?
        2. What Is the Agile Manifesto?
          1. Individuals and Interactions over Processes and Tools
          2. Working Software over Comprehensive Documentation
          3. Customer Collaboration over Contract Negotiation
          4. Responding to Change over Following a Plan
        3. What Are the Agile Principles That Guide Teams?
        4. Summary
        5. Endnotes
      2. 2. Mapping from the PMBOK® Guide to Agile
        1. The Project Management Institute and the PMBOK® Guide
        2. Project Lifecycle
        3. Project Management Processes
        4. Summary
        5. Endnotes
      3. 3. The Agile Project Lifecycle in Detail
        1. What Does an Agile Project Lifecycle Look Like?
        2. Agile Project
        3. Agile Release
        4. Agile Iteration
          1. Iteration Planning
          2. Iteration Review
          3. Iteration Retrospective
        5. Daily Work
          1. Rinse, Repeat
        6. How Is Agile Different from a Plan-Driven Approach?
        7. Summary
        8. Endnotes
    8. II. The Bridge: Relating PMBOK® Guide Practices to Agile Practices
      1. 4. Integration Management
        1. Develop the Project Charter and Preliminary Scope Statement
          1. Vision Meeting
            1. Elevator Statement
            2. Design the Box
          2. Summary Comparison
        2. Develop Project Management Plan
        3. Direct and Manage Project Execution and Monitor and Control Project Work
        4. Integrated Change Control
        5. Close Project
        6. Summary
        7. Endnotes
      2. 5. Scope Management
        1. Scope Planning
          1. Scope Definition
            1. Product Vision
            2. Product Roadmap
            3. Release (or Quarterly) Planning
            4. Iteration Planning
            5. Daily Stand-Up
            6. Summary Comparison
          2. Create a WBS
          3. Scope Verification
          4. Scope Control
        2. Summary
        3. Endnotes
      3. 6. Time Management
        1. Strategic Versus Tactical Planning
        2. Release Planning: Developing the Schedule at the Strategic Level
          1. The Release Plan: Schedule Development at the Strategic Level
          2. The Release Plan: Schedule Control at the Strategic Level
        3. Iteration Planning: Developing the Schedule at the Tactical Level
          1. Activity Definition
          2. Activity Duration Estimating
          3. Activity Sequencing
          4. Activity Resource Estimating
          5. The Iteration Plan: Schedule Control at the Tactical Level
        4. Summary
        5. Endnotes
      4. 7. Cost Management
        1. Cost Estimating
          1. Agile Project Costs Are Best Calculated by the Delivery Team
          2. Agile Projects Are Estimated Top-Down Rather Than Bottom-Up
          3. Teams Can Present Alternatives during Release Planning
          4. Cost Estimates Become More Refined throughout the Life of the Project
        2. Cost Budgeting
          1. Reserve Analysis and Funding Limit Reconciliations
        3. Cost Control
          1. Managing the Release Backlog
          2. Locking Down the Iteration
          3. Informing Stakeholders of Cost Changes
          4. AgileEVM (Earned Value Management) to Measure Cost Performance
        4. Summary
        5. Endnotes
      5. 8. Quality Management
        1. Quality Planning
        2. Quality Assurance
          1. Demo, Review, and Retrospective
          2. Quality Control
        3. Summary
        4. Endnotes
      6. 9. Human Resources Management
        1. Human Resource Planning
        2. Acquiring a Project Team
        3. Develop the Project Team
          1. Values in Agile
          2. From Values to Behaviors
        4. Manage the Project Team
        5. Summary
        6. Endnotes
      7. 10. Communications Management
        1. Communications Planning
        2. Communicating Basic Project Information—The Who, What, When, Where, and How
        3. Information Distribution
          1. Iteration Demo and Review Meeting
          2. Daily Communication via the Daily Stand-up Meeting
          3. Retrospectives
          4. Highly Visible Information Radiators
        4. Performance Reporting
        5. Manage Stakeholders
        6. Summary
        7. Endnotes
      8. 11. Risk Management
        1. Organic Risk Management in Agile
          1. Mitigating Intrinsic Schedule Flaw
          2. Mitigating Specification Breakdown
          3. Mitigating Scope Creep
          4. Mitigating Personnel Loss
          5. Mitigating Productivity Variation
        2. Risk Management Planning
        3. Risk Identification
        4. Risk Analysis
        5. Risk Response Planning
        6. Risk Monitoring and Controlling
        7. Summary
        8. Endnotes
      9. 12. Procurement Management
        1. Plan Purchases and Acquisitions
        2. Plan Contracting
        3. Request Seller Responses
        4. Select Sellers
        5. Contract Administration
        6. Contract Closure
        7. Summary
        8. Endnotes
    9. III. Crossing the Bridge to Agile
      1. 13. How Will My Responsibilities Change?
        1. Allows Teams to Self-Manage and Adapt Their Process Empirically
        2. Assumes Different Leadership Styles for Different Stages of Team Formation
        3. Leads by Serving
        4. Possesses Self-Awareness
        5. Partners with Managers for the Good of the Team
        6. Relinquishes the Inner Taskmaster
        7. Facilitates Collaboration
        8. Removes Impediments
        9. Summary
        10. Endnotes
      2. 14. How Will I Work with Other Teams Who Aren’t Agile?
        1. Working as an Agile Team in a Waterfall Enterprise
          1. Integrating Traditional Process Requirements Upfront
          2. Integrating Traditional Process Requirements At-End
          3. Integrating Traditional Process Requirements in Tandem
        2. Working as Part of a Multiteam Project where Your Team Is Agile and Others Aren’t
        3. Clearing the Hurdles in a Waterfall Enterprise
          1. Resistance
          2. Culture
          3. Resource Management
          4. Vendors and Contracting
          5. Facilities and Tooling
          6. Cost Accounting and Reporting
          7. Auditors and Assessors
          8. Communications
        4. Summary
        5. Endnotes
      3. 15. How Can a Project Management Office Support Agile?
        1. An Extension of Product Management
        2. Project Initiation
        3. Are We Compliant?
        4. Resourcing
        5. Backlog Control Versus Change Control
        6. Project Metrics
        7. The PMO as Educator and Coach
        8. Keepers of the Retrospective
        9. Who Is the Agile PMO?
        10. Do You Really Need an Agile PMO?
        11. Summary
        12. Endnotes
      4. 16. Selling the Benefits of Agile
        1. Some General Ideas about Selling
        2. Selling to the Team
          1. There Are Too Many Meetings
          2. We Don’t See the Point in Gross-Level Estimating
          3. If We Don’t Do Any Technical Planning, Our Architecture Will Fail
          4. We Aren’t Co-Located, So We Can’t Be Agile
          5. Some Unspoken Reasons
        3. Selling to Management
          1. Agile Doesn’t Allow for Long-Term Planning. How Are We Supposed to Do Our Budgets?
          2. It Has Worked So Far, Why Do We Need to Change?
          3. Our Situation Is Just Too Complicated for Agile
          4. We Need to Matrix Resources to Get Maximum Efficiency
          5. Our People Can’t Be Trusted to Self-Organize
          6. How Can We Make Strategic Decisions without Gantt Charts?
        4. Selling to Customers/Product Owners
          1. You Just Want Us to Contract with You on a Time and Expenses Basis So You Can Bill Us for Eternity
          2. There’s Not Enough Time to Work with the Team Every Iteration
          3. I Can’t Wait an Entire Iteration for That Feature!
        5. Selling to Other Departments in the Organization
        6. Other Ways to Sell Agile
        7. Summary
        8. Endnotes
      5. 17. Common Mistakes
        1. Thinking That Agile Means “No Documentation” and “Cowboy Coding”
        2. Thinking That You Can Piecemeal Agile Practices and Gain All the Benefits
        3. Thinking That Agile Stops at the Engineering Teams and Won’t Affect the Rest of the Organization
        4. Not Having a Champion
        5. Having the Wrong People Lead the Effort and/or the Teams
        6. Hanging On to the Death March as a Solution
        7. Allowing the Team to Say, “You’ll Get It when You Get It. We’re Agile Now and Only Plan One Iteration at a Time.”
        8. Allowing the Agile Team Leader to Say, “You’re Self-Organizing—You Figure It Out.”
        9. Lack of Participation by the Business
        10. Not Bothering with the Retrospective
        11. A Values Mismatch
        12. Summary
    10. A. Agile Methodologies
      1. Scrum
      2. XP
      3. DSDM
      4. Crystal Methods
      5. Lean Software Development
      6. Feature-Driven Development
      7. Adaptive Systems Management
      8. Agile Unified Process
      9. Endnotes
    11. B. Agile Artifacts
      1. Project Initiation
        1. Product Overview Document
        2. The Release Planning Meeting
        3. The Release Plan
        4. The Iteration Planning Meeting
        5. The Iteration Plan
      2. Working in the Iteration
        1. Iteration Backlog
        2. Iteration Burndown Chart
      3. The End of the Iteration
      4. Summary
    12. Glossary
    13. Bibliography

    Product Information

    • Title: The Software Project Manager’s Bridge to Agility
    • Author(s): Stacia Broderick, Michele Sliger
    • Release date: May 2008
    • Publisher(s): Addison-Wesley Professional
    • ISBN: 9780321572783