Many agile project management methods have been developed with software in mind, and many of them have developed a set of values and principles that would be useful to any team wondering how to become agile.
If you are just looking for a definition for agile project management as it is, here is a useful definition for agile project management. Agile Project Management (APM) is steeped in a set of principles for guiding the project process, from the principles of continuous testing and responsiveness to change to the values of collaboration, collaboration, and accountability. It is a collaborative, iterative project management approach that includes continuous testing, responsiveness and change.
Agile is steeped in a project management methodology that uses short development cycles, known as sprints, to focus on the continuous improvement and development of products and services. In agile software development, for example, a single development cycle refers to an iteration, and an agile project can be completed in a short time, usually within a few weeks or months.
William Royce, who published an essay on the development of large software systems, discussed agile as an incremental software development method as early as 1957. Later, in 2001, 17 software developers published the first book Agile Software Development, a guide to using agile development methods for large software projects. The developers met to discuss the need for a lightweight design method based on their shared experience.
The modern agile approach was first introduced in 1999 when a group of software developers met to discuss alternative project management methods. In addition to the twelve principles of agile software, this philosophy became the basis for the development of a new type of project management and the basis of modern agile philosophy
Agile is a generic term used to identify the various models used for agile development. Unlike the simple linear waterfall model, agile projects consist of a number of small cycles or sprints.
Splitting the work into smaller chunks and working iteratively to improve the product or service enables agile teams to improve their processes, isolate problems, and achieve specific goals over time – isolated collaborative events, prioritized product residues, or a combination of the two.
At the highest level, Agile for Project Management is a style of project management that focuses on providing essential quality products. It uses crowding as a framework, eliminates wasted time and tasks, and helps companies strike the right balance between minimizing waste, cutting costs, and maintaining product quality.
At its core, Agile’s purpose is to focus on people, communication, and product flexibility, but also on the quality of the product itself.
Agile project management was originally developed for software teams with complex specifications who wanted to move quickly and be the first to deliver a high-quality product. There is some free, open-source, cross-platform software development platform used by leading organizations in software engineering, product management, and business development.
It’s packed with all the features your team might need to plan, collaborate, and organize functions. Your team can effortlessly start discussions, exchange ideas, move forward with collaborative tools, and move through the process quickly.
As you grow your team and business, this software brings all of these benefits under one roof. Agile project management may seem like just another trendy project – management methodology – but it has proved to be more than a flash in the pan. It combines the best of both worlds: high-quality, flexible, and flexible software and a cost-effective approach to project planning and management. His methods are based on the same principles of cooperation, communication, cooperation, and cooperation as the traditional methods of the past.
Agile project management enables teams of all kinds to work together, enabling them to adapt to the changing needs of their projects and deliver faster results. The agile project management model consists of independent, autonomous scrum teams that manage their own projects and have full control over their development and implementation.
For teams that want to integrate more agile project management methods into their workflows, here are a few terms they need to define. Behavior-driven development (BDD) is an agile software development technology that promotes the application of agile principles and practices in the design, development, and implementation of the software. BDD focuses on achieving a clear understanding of the desired software behavior through discussions with stakeholders.
Agile offers a managed approach to software development without the traditional procedural emphasis on compartmentalization and focuses on iterating product requirements, promoting continuous improvements, and responding quickly to changing requirements.
Scrum, a subset of the Agile Approach, is a set of principles and tools that enable rapid and responsive decision making. Scrum is an agile method designed to guide teams through the iterative and step-by-step delivery of products.
critical path method
Critical Path : is a combination of activities that, if any are delayed, will delay the project’s finish date.
Purpose of critical path method:
1. To calculate the project’s finish date.
2. To identify how much individual activities in schedule can slip with delaying project
3. To identify the activities with the highest risk that cannot slip without changing the project finish date.
Float Calculation using CPM
● Float is the amount of time an activity can be delayed without delaying the project end date.
● Float is always Zero on Critical Path activities.
● Critical Path is longest path of network diagram.
Each activity have same box
ES : Early Start
EF : Early Finish
LS: Late Start
LF : Late Finish
Float = LS-ES or LF-EF
Float Calculation
Late Start(LS) – Early Start(ES)
OR
Late Finish(LF) – Early Finish (EF)
Example
You are the project manager of project at SkillsMag and following activities are identified along with the activity effort.
Project A | ||
Activity | Preceding Activity | Duration (Wks) |
Start | None | 0 |
A | Start | 1 |
B | Start | 3 |
C | Start | 5 |
D | A | 9 |
E | B,C | 2 |
F | C | 3 |
G | D | 4 |
H | E | 8 |
I | F | 2 |
End | G,H,I | 0 |
First prepare schedule network Diagram
network diagram
Step 2:
Calculate the ES and EF of each activity using forward pass technique.
Remember the following formulas for calculation.
Early Start (ES) = Early Finish(EF) of Predecessor activity. If no predecessor activity exists then 0.
Early Finish (EF) = Early Start (ES) + Activity Duration
Activity E is highlighted as it has 2 predecessor activities. we take higher one.
network diagram
Step 3:
Under this technique, we will start calculating the value from last activities on the path i.e. from G,H and I.
Thumb Rule : Take highest EF.
Our case we have EF 15 is highest for activity H.
The formula for LS(Late start) is
Late Start (LS) = Late Finish – Activity Duration
Activity c has 2 successor activity,take lowest one.
network diagram
Step 4 : Float calculation
float
Project integration management
Project Integration management is main responsibility of project manager. Here project manager has to do high level of project work and balancing between different processes.
[box] As per PMBOK®
“Project Integration management includes the process and activities need to be identify, define, combine, unify and coordinate the various process and project management activities within the project management process groups.”[/box]
Figure given Below shows project integration management processes and their respective process groups
Project integration management | Process group (done during ) |
Develop project charter | Initiating |
Develop project management plan | Planning |
Direct &manage project work | Executing |
Monitor & control project work | Monitoring and controlling |
Perform integration change control | Monitoring and controlling |
Close project or phase | Closing |
Let’s have better understanding for each process of integration management.
Develop Project Charter:
This is very first part of integration management.
Develop Project Charter |
Inputs
1. Project Statement of work 2. Business case 3. Agreements 4. Enterprise environmental factors 5. Organizational process assets |
Tool and Techniques
1. Expert judgement 2. facilitation techniques |
Outputs
1. Project charter
|
[box]As per PMBOK®
“Develop project Charter is the process of developing a document that formally authorize a project or a phase and documenting initial requirement that satisfy the stakeholder need and expectation. ”[/box]
Project charter should be developed by project sponsor, Customer, PMO or they can delegate duty to Project manager.
Project Manager is assigned in this process.
It formally authorizes the project.
Now let’s have a look on input, tool & technique and outputs of project charter
Inputs
Project statement of work:
[box]As per PMBOK®
“The statement of work (SOW) is a narrative description of product or a services to be delivered by project.” [/box]
The project statement of work contains
Business case:
Business case provides necessary information from business point of view whether project is feasible or not.
Business case is created based on one of following points
Agreements:
When working for external customer the contract is used as an input.
Enterprise environmental factors:
Enterprise environmental factors that can affect the development of project charter.That can be
Organization Process assets:
The organizational process assets that can effect development of project charter process may contain Organization standard process, Templates, Historical information and lesson learned and knowledge base.
Tool & Techniques
Expert judgement technique is used in every integration management process.
In this judgement is provided based on expertise by expert person of their fields.
They can be individuals, subject matter expert (SME), Consultant, stakeholder or group(s).
Brainstorming, managing meetings and keeping them on track, resolving conflict, and resolving problems are part of facilitation techniques. These techniques are used by facilitator.
Outputs
Project Charter is final outcome of develop project process. It provides summary of project.
Project Charter contains following things
In continues series of project management basics, in this article going to learn about different type or organizations and various project management roles. To understand project role first we need to know well about different type of organizations.
Functional organization
In this type of organization project is performed under functional department. This kind of organization structure is very common .Here project team member are not dedicated to project they are loaned from functional departments.
Pro :
These organization have experts by functions.
Easy resources scheduling.
Cons:
Project manager having very less authority towards a project.
Projects have lower priority.
Matrix organization
It’s a hybrid type of organization in that project manager share responsibility with functional manager for project resources, priorities.
This type of organization can be divided in weak matrix, balanced matrix and strong matrix organization
Pro :
They have well managed project as well as experts and specialists.
Cons:
Resources have to report to both project and functional manager.
Higher chances of conflicts between Project Manager and Functional manager.
Projectizied organization
This kind of organization is separate from functional department. The organization is designed according to the project not based on functional department.
Pro:
Project manager is fully responsible for project and its outcome.
Team is highly committed to project.
Easy and smooth communication.
Cons:
Project team belongs to project not to functional department.
There is no home for team members once project is over.
Note: for more detail about organization types and their comparison see my upcoming articles.
Now let’s have a look at different project management roles. It is very important to know difference between various project roles for PMP,CAPM and other project management exam point of view. Additionally it also helps you to work more efficiently in organization if you understands different roles and their responsibilities.
Project Manager
He is the person who is completely responsible for all project activities and results of project. They found in matrix and projectized organization. Project manager should not escalate any project related issue or problem to someone else.
Project Coordinator
Weak matrix or functional organization does not have role for project manager. They have role called project coordinator. This role have less authority then project manager. This role is not allowed to make budget decision but have little authority to reassign resources.
Project Expeditor
This is weakest role in project management. Project expeditor only make sure that things complete on time. This role has no formal authority. This kind of role is found in functional organization.
Stakeholder
Person who is involved or affected by project in either positively or negatively know as a stakeholder.
Sponsor
The person who is paying all expenses of project. Sponsor may be from organization itself (internal) or external to the organization. Sponsor and customer may or may not be same.
Program manager
Program manager is responsible for program. Program manager manages project and programs at higher level than project manager.
Functional manager
Functional manager is also known as a line manager. He actually manages group or department that actually perform a service or create a product.
To learn more about project management we have to get familiar with some basics of project management. Here we are going to learn few project management concepts.Even these terms are very easy to learn but they have important place in project management learning as well as PMI’s project management professional (PMP) and Certified associate in project management (CAPM).
A set of action to achieve specific end result or output for the project.
PMP and CAPM exam points of view process is group of input, tools & technique and outputs.
Output of one process may input of another process.
Process can be performed more than one time on the project.
Operation is ongoing process and always gives same outcome. They are not part of Project but can be part of a program.
Example of operation is, School management is daily managing students for day to day routine.
Project is always temporary.
It has predefined start and end date.
It has a set of operation to achieve a single goal.
At the end it creates unique product, service or result.
[box type=”shadow”]
Examples of Project:
A new Venture. (Goal: Product)
Market research (Goal: Result)
Process improvement (Goa: Service)
[/box]
Program is group of related projects and sub-program. Program may also contain operations.
Portfolio is group of related programs and projects. It should be aligned to meet business objectives.
The iterative process of getting detail about project as we progress. At the start of project we know very little about project.
Project Management is combination of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to full fill project requirement.
Simply we can say it is original plan or any approved changes in project plan from formal change control procedures.
The experience gained during a project in each phase of project.
It is an organizational asset.
It is used as an input in many project planning processes.
In this we focus on what was happen instead of what should happen and how we can handle this kind of situation in current project.
All the information and data from previous project is known as a historical information. It is part of organizational process asset.
Project management plan is master plan for project. It is developed once project charter is approved.
[box] “Develop project management plan is process of documenting the actions necessary to define, prepare, integrate and coordinate all subsidiary plans. The project management plan define how the project is executed, monitored & controlled and closed.”[/box]
It integrates all the knowledge area. It also include baseline of project. Project baseline once defined can only be change through perform integrated change control process.
To develop successful project plan one should have following skills.
Develop project Management plan |
Inputs
· Project Charter · Output from planning process · Enterprise environment factor · Organizational process assets |
Tool & Techniques
· Expert judgement · Facilitation techniques |
Output
· Project Management plan |
Inputs
Project Charter: Please click here to see more about project charter.
Output from planning process:
Information from other planning processes help to develop project plan.
Table below shows various planning process
Scope management plan |
Requirement management plan |
Project scope statement |
Scope baseline |
Schedule management plan |
Schedule baseline |
Cost management plan |
Cost performance baseline |
Quality management plan |
Process improvement plan |
Human resource plan |
Communication management plan |
Risk management plan |
Procurement management plan |
Stakeholder management plan |
Enterprise environment factors: Please click here to see more about Enterprise environment factors.
Organizational process assets: Please click here to see more about Organizational process assets.
Tools and Technique:
Expert judgement
Expert judgement technique is used in every integration management process. In this judgement provided based on expertise by expert person of their fields. They can be individuals, subject matter expert (SME), Consultant, stakeholder or group(s).
Facilitation techniques
Brainstorming, managing meetings and keeping them on track, resolving conflict, and resolving problems are part of facilitation techniques. These techniques are used by facilitator.
Output:
Project management plan is main output of this process. It is a formal approved document. Table above shows components of that.
pmp formulas
PERT = (P+4M+O)/6
P = Pessimistic M= Most Likely O= Optimistic |
Standard deviation = (P-O)/6 |
Variance = {(P-O)}/6 |
Project PERT = Sum of PERT value of each task
|
Project Variance = Sum of variance of each task |
Normal distribution (sigma)
6 sigma = 99.99% 3 sigma = 99.73% 2 sigma = 95.46% 1 sigma = 68.26% |
No of communication channel = N*(N-1)/2
Here N is number of member in project team If team have 10 member then =10 *(10-1)/2 =>10*9/2=>45 Communication channel |
Float = LF – EF = LS- ES
LF = Late finish EF = Early finish LS = Late start ES = Early start Float value is 0(zero) on critical path. |
Schedule variance (SV) = EV-PV (Positive variance is good)
EV = Earned value PV=Planned value |
Cost Variance (CV) = EV- AC (Positive variance is good
EV = Earned value AC= Actual cost |
Cost performance index (CPI) = EV/AC
(>1 are good) |
Schedule performance index (SPI) = EV/PV
(>1 are good) |
Estimate at complication (EAC) =
1. Estimating assumptions are not valid = AC+ETC 2. Current variance are atypical = AC+BAC-EV 3. Current variance are Typical =AC+(BAC-EV)/CPI 4. Variance to continue at current rate = BAC/CPI 5. EAC = AC + [(BAC -EV)/(CPI*SPI)] |
Estimate to complete (ETC) = EAC-AC |
Variance at complete (VAC) = BAC-EAC |
TCPI =
1. TO Complete performance index based on BAC= (BAC-EV)/(BAC-AC) 2. To complete performance index based on EAC= (BAC-EV)/(EAC-AC) |
Percentage complete of budget=(EV/BAC)* 100 |
Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR) = Payback/project cost
Bigger is better |
Net present value (NPV) bigger is better
Internal Rate of Return (IRR) bigger is better |
Present Value PV= FV / ((1 + r)^term) |
Expected Monetary Value = Probability * Impact |
Procurement related
Actual cost (AF) ={(TC-AC)*SSR}+TF TC = target cost AC = actual cost SSR= Sellers share ration TF= target fee |
This article is going to brief about Project Management Process. You are going to find word “process” more frequently during study of PMP exam. It is most important word for project management professional (PMP) exam.
Process is combination of input, tool& technique and output. You are going to manage your project with help of different processes.
Input: This is known as an entry point of process. It can be internal or external or an outcome of a other process, which can be used as an input.
Tools:
Tool can be anything like software for development or management, templates.
Technique:
Technique is a systematic way to solve the problem.
Output:
It is final outcome of a process which can be product, result or a service.
Project Management Institute (PMI) defines 47 processes and 5 Process groups. Each process belongs to one of the five process group.
Here is list of five process group
Apart from that process also belongs to one of ten knowledge area which is defined by Project Management Institute (PMI).
Here is list of ten knowledge areas
Here is the list of 47 Processes with their mapping with process group and knowledge areas
Process group/knowledge area | Initiating (2) | Planning(24) | Executing (8) | Monitoring and controlling (11) | Closing (2) |
Integration (6) | Develop Project Charter | Develop Project Management Plan | Direct and Manage Project Work |
|
Close Project or Phase |
Scope (6) |
|
|
|||
Time (7) |
|
Control Schedule | |||
Cost (4) |
|
Control Cost | |||
Quality (3) | Plan Quality Management | Perform Quality Assurance | Control Quality | ||
Human Resource (4) | Plan HR Management |
|
|||
Communication (3) | Plan Communications Management | Manage Communications | Control Communications | ||
Risk (6) |
|
Control Risks | |||
Procurement (4) | Plan Procurement Management | Conduct Procurements | Control Procurements | Close Procurements | |
Stakeholder (4) | Identify Stakeholders | Plan Stakeholder Management | Manage Stakeholder Engagement | Control Stakeholder Engagement |
Please go through this series of PMP exam. Here is first part What is project management professional ?
Project management professional (PMP ®) is a globally industry recognized Qualification. In better words we can say certification program, which is offered by Project Management Institute (PMI). Project Management Institute offers nine different certification program of project management for different skills sets and education level.
PMP exam does not belong to any particular industry such as Information technology or construction etc. It is widely accepted in all major industries.
Anyhow wherever you are in your career, PMI has certification for you. Express your proficiency with PMI Certification.
Below is list of certification programs offered by PMI. Choose the best suited to you.
Let’s know what is project Management professional (PMP) and how can you achieve it?
Project management professional certification exam is based on PMI Project Management Body of Knowledge PMBOK® Guide. Currently 5th edition is latest edition of PMBOK® Guide. The exam consists of 200 multiple choice questions from which 25 (which are chosen randomly) are not evaluated. Prometric testing centres provides online computer based Exam. Computer based exam have duration of 4 Hours. There is provision of Paper base test to candidates if they are not having prometric test centres in nearby locations.
The exam contain question from different Project management domains defined in PMBOK®.
Result of computer based test is received immediately upon finishing the exam. While for Paper based exam the result takes up to 4 weeks.
Test report have two sections
Project Management professional is exam to judge your management experience and knowledge of industry practices.
Gelatinize your expertise and face project challenges with a PMI Certification.
To know more about eligibility and apply process of Project Management Professional certification wait for the next article