Agile project management takes the ideas from Agile software development and applies them to project management. Agile methodologies generally promote a project management process that encourages stakeholder involvement, feedback, objective metrics and effective controls. Mindblaze Technologies emphasized on Agile Project Management Principles.

Picking a Project Management Methodology:

A short study from Vertebrae on choosing between an agile or waterfall approach for their latest software development project. We were having an internal meeting to pick a project management methodology for a web project we are working on for a new clients. As developers of commercial software, our instinct was to lean towards an agile based approach.

Metrics that Matter in Agile Projects

Agile methods need only the most important metrics: the ones that tell the whole story about the project. Metrics measure the health of a project and are by far the most objective ways by which a project manager enables all project sponsors and delivery teams to see where resources are needed or spent, or which areas of a project need more focus. So how do Agile teams determine the most important metrics?Like we ‘re collecting different metrics on different stages of our SDLC.

Agile Through the Waterfall

Many organizations have adopted Agile practices into their development methodologies and they have proved to be successful for the organization as a whole. There also are many organizations that have pockets of people who wish to be Agile, but can’t get traction within to make it a widely accepted practice throughout the enterprise. I recently had an opportunity to participate in an Open Space session where we explored how organizations that are mainly guided by Waterfall methodologies, unwittingly also employed Agile practices.

CMMI and Agile: Opposites Attract

The myths surrounding the compatibility of CMMI and Agile have recently been debunked by SEI. Learn how these seemingly opposing strategies can be paired to foster dramatic improvements in business performance! Despite the perception that CMMI best practices and Agile development methods are at odds with each other, new research suggests just the opposite train of thought. In fact, CMMI and Agile champions can benefit from using both methods within organizations, with the potential to dramatically improve business performance.

What Agile Methods Mean to Your Process, People and Products

Studies show that most successful projects were those that followed agile principles, proving that model-driven methods are not always the best when it came to managing changes, fastpaced project implementation, or even meeting market demands. The concept of agile development is not new. However, many technologists still stick to the age-old notion that software development can be easily designed and the outputs predicted without giving much
thought to the more dynamic factors of projects, such as communication lines, people, and change.

Which Life Cycle Is Best for Your Project?

When choosing a development life cycle, don’t just trust your feelings. Decide based on factors that really matter. Which life cycle will work best for your project? This is an important strategic question because making the wrong choice could lead to disastrous results of catastrophic proportions. Think about delayed deliveries, unhappy clients, project overruns, and cancelled projects.

Can We Combine Agile and Waterfall Development Strategies?

While there are likely as many unique Project Management approaches as there are Project Managers, there are two well-know production cycle methodologies that have been the topic of much discussion in PM circles – agile and waterfall methodologies. As I evolve in my own area of expertise, I am constantly reinventing small aspects of what I consider best practice. Most recently, to address the incredibly complex requirements of a large client imitative, I
challenged myself to come up with a “super” Project Management process that would not only improve the way in which we deliver, but what we deliver at the end of the engagement.  I determined there was a way to combine the best features of waterfall development disciplines with agile principles for superior results.

The Blending of Traditional and Agile Project Management

Traditional project management involves very disciplined and deliberate planning and control methods. With this approach, distinct project life cycle phases are easily recognizable. Tasks are completed one after another in an orderly sequence, requiring a significant part of the project to be planned up front. For example, in a construction project, the team needs to determine requirements, design and plan for the entire building, and not just incremental
components, in order to understand the full scope of the effort.