Business & finance business homework

SC_WD365_2021_2b_Mac_SofiaGuallpa_13.docx

12 October 2021

Agile Project Management

One of the most-discussed topics in business management is agile project management, an approach to developing a product or service that uses short cycles, called sprints, to focus on continuous improvment (Larsen, 2020). The goal is to produce a quality product or service in a short amount of time.

Software developers originally introduced and refined agile project management, frequently shortened to “agile,” to streamline software development by quickly identifying and resolving problems and defects (Ross, 2021). Other industries now use agile when developing products and services, including financial services, insurance, and healthcare (Khouri, 2020). They follow 12 principles to guide an agile project. For example, the first principle is “Customer satisfaction is always the highest priority and is achieved through rapid and continuous delivery” (Marantes, 2020). Another principle is “Simplicity is an essential element.” Comment by Ray Haman: Interesting finding!

In his blog, software industry analyst John Frazier explains that “agile provides a way for developers and teams to deliver a better product, in a faster manner, through short, iterative, interactive sprints” (Frazier, 2021). The major benefits of speed and quality are achieved through careful selection of project team members. Frazier says that “Members of an agile team should be T-shaped. That is, they should have broad basic knowledge about their subject plus deep knowledge, experience, and ability in at least one specific area.” Team members should also have skills outside of their core areas. For example, an insurance agent might be an expert in policy details, but also have excellent communication skills.

Ideal attributes of agile team members are being adaptable, curious, and team-oriented. They are willing to step in and fill needs as necessary, and are commited to excellence. These characteristics make it easier to achieve the flexibility and focus on quality that agile projects demand.

Whether they use a model such as Scrum or Kanban, agile projects follow the same basic steps. The first is project planning, which involves “understanding the goal, the value to the organization or client, and how it will be achieved” (Sadler, 2021). Agile teams also create a roadmap, a detailed list of the features in the final product or service. The team builds the features during each sprint (Wilson, 2020).

The next step is release planning. According to Mira Khouri in Organizations Today, “Traditional project management sets a single installation or launch date that comes after the entire mission has been developed. Agile projects use sprints, or shorter development cycles, to create and release features” (Khouri, 2020, p. 12). After planning the product or service releases, the team plans the sprints by identifying what members want to accomplish and then assigning tasks to achieve the goals.

Next, agile team members meet every day to discuss whether they are on track or need to make changes. They mention what they achieved the day before and what they are working on next. The daily meetings are usually short, often 15 minutes long (Snyder, 2021). Some teams hold the meetings standing up to keep discussions brief.

Agile teams also meet twice after each sprint. The first meeting is with the project stakeholders—the people most invested in the mission outcome—to show them the results of the sprint. The second meeting is with the team to discuss what went well during the sprint, what needs to be improved, and whether the task load was too light or heavy.

Agile is not suited to all kinds of projects. Ken Choi, founder of Igloo Software, says that “the most appropriate missions for agile are ones with aggressive deadlines, a high degree of complexity, and a high degree of novelty” (Sadler, 2021). Projects involving tasks that the team has performed many times before do not benefit from an agile approach.

However, for businesses under pressure to introduce products and services with more speed and flexibility than they have before, agile offers significant benefits and a time-tested method for achieving those goals. Comment by Ray Haman: Good conclusion.

This file created specifically for Sofia Guallpa

SC_WD365_2021_2b_Mac_SofiaGuallpa_13.docx

Sophia Romano

Professor Haman

Introduction to Business Management

12 October 2021

Agile Project Management

One of the most-discussed topics in business management is agile project management, an approach to developing a product or service that uses short cycles, called sprints, to focus on continuous improvment (Larsen, 2020). The goal is to produce a quality product or service in a short amount of time.

Software developers originally introduced and refined agile project management, frequently shortened to “agile,” to streamline software development by quickly identifying and resolving problems and defects (Ross, 2021). Other industries now use agile when developing products and services, including financial services, insurance, and healthcare (Khouri, 2020). They follow 12 principles to guide an agile project. For example, the first principle is “Customer satisfaction is always the highest priority and is achieved through rapid and continuous delivery” (Marantes, 2020). Another principle is “Simplicity is an essential element.” Comment by Ray Haman: Interesting finding!

In his blog, software industry analyst John Frazier explains that “agile provides a way for developers and teams to deliver a better product, in a faster manner, through short, iterative, interactive sprints” (Frazier, 2021). The major benefits of speed and quality are achieved through careful selection of project team members. Frazier says that “Members of an agile team should be T-shaped. That is, they should have broad basic knowledge about their subject plus deep knowledge, experience, and ability in at least one specific area.” Team members should also have skills outside of their core areas. For example, an insurance agent might be an expert in policy details, but also have excellent communication skills.

Ideal attributes of agile team members are being adaptable, curious, and team-oriented. They are willing to step in and fill needs as necessary, and are commited to excellence. These characteristics make it easier to achieve the flexibility and focus on quality that agile projects demand.

Whether they use a model such as Scrum or Kanban, agile projects follow the same basic steps. The first is project planning, which involves “understanding the goal, the value to the organization or client, and how it will be achieved” (Sadler, 2021). Agile teams also create a roadmap, a detailed list of the features in the final product or service. The team builds the features during each sprint (Wilson, 2020).

The next step is release planning. According to Mira Khouri in Organizations Today, “Traditional project management sets a single installation or launch date that comes after the entire mission has been developed. Agile projects use sprints, or shorter development cycles, to create and release features” (Khouri, 2020, p. 12). After planning the product or service releases, the team plans the sprints by identifying what members want to accomplish and then assigning tasks to achieve the goals.

Next, agile team members meet every day to discuss whether they are on track or need to make changes. They mention what they achieved the day before and what they are working on next. The daily meetings are usually short, often 15 minutes long (Snyder, 2021). Some teams hold the meetings standing up to keep discussions brief.

Agile teams also meet twice after each sprint. The first meeting is with the project stakeholders—the people most invested in the mission outcome—to show them the results of the sprint. The second meeting is with the team to discuss what went well during the sprint, what needs to be improved, and whether the task load was too light or heavy.

Agile is not suited to all kinds of projects. Ken Choi, founder of Igloo Software, says that “the most appropriate missions for agile are ones with aggressive deadlines, a high degree of complexity, and a high degree of novelty” (Sadler, 2021). Projects involving tasks that the team has performed many times before do not benefit from an agile approach.

However, for businesses under pressure to introduce products and services with more speed and flexibility than they have before, agile offers significant benefits and a time-tested method for achieving those goals. Comment by Ray Haman: Good conclusion.

This file created specifically for Sofia Guallpa

SC_WD365_2021_2b_Mac_SofiaGuallpa_13.docx

SC_WD365_2021_2b_Mac_SofiaGuallpa_13.docx

Agile Project Management

SC_WD365_2021_2b_Mac_SofiaGuallpa_13.docx

Agile Project Management