PROJECT 5040

Agile Project Management

In

Harvard Business School’s Information Technology Group

What is Agile?

“An iterative and incremental approach to managing projects, with every iteration delivering a complete, working subset of the final product.”1

The Agile Manifesto, a set of guiding principles for Agile Project Management, was developed in 2001.

The Agile Manifesto2

We are uncovering better ways of developingsoftware by doing it and helping others do it.Through this work we have come to value:

Individuals and interactions over processes and tools

Working software over comprehensive documentation

Customer collaboration over contract negotiation

Responding to change over following a plan

That is, while there is value in the items onthe right, we value the items on the left more.

© 2001, the above authorsthis declaration may be freely copied in any form, but only in its entirety through this notice.

Principles Behind the Agile Manifesto2

Our highest priority is to satisfy the customerthrough early and continuous deliveryof valuable software.

Welcome changing requirements, even late in development. Agile processes harness change for the customer's competitive advantage.

Deliver working software frequently, from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, with a preference to the shorter timescale.

Business people and developers must work together daily throughout the project.

Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need, and trust them to get the job

done.

The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a development team is face-to-face conversation.

Principles Behind the Agile Manifesto2

Working software is the primary measure of progress.

Agile processes promote sustainable development. The sponsors, developers, and users should be able to maintain a constant pace

indefinitely.

Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design enhances agility.

Simplicity--the art of maximizing the amount of work not done--is essential.

The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams.

At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT OFFICE (PMO)IN THE

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY GROUP (ITG)

ATHARVARD BUSINESS SCHOOL (HBS)

ITG Structure

Dean

Administrative Dean

CIO

Managing Director of Technology Services

Functional Directors

Managing Director of Architecture

Functional Directors

Managing Director of Educational

Technology Group and Web Services

Functional Directors

Managing Director of PMO and Strategic

Initiatives

Functional Directors

Project

Management

Office

Executive Team

Senior Management

Team

External PMO Oversight

Information Technology Resource Allocation Committee (iTRAC)Comprised of the school’s senior

management, and some facultyReviews project requests annually from the

various departments and allocates resources to the top priority projects

Sets the agenda for what ITG will work on over the course of a fiscal year

Internal PMO Oversight The Director of the PMO reports directly to

the Managing Director of the PMO and Strategic Initiatives

The Project Managers that make up the PMO report directly to the Director of the PMO

The Director of the PMO is responsible for directing the Project Management processes and procedures for all of ITGPMO CookbookITG Project Management Community of Practice

THE “PRINCIPLES” AND ITG

The “Principles” and ITG

Principle ITG

Our highest priority is to satisfy

the customerthrough early and

continuous deliveryof valuable

software.

ITG develops the software in iterations and presents each iteration’s product to the stakeholders

The concept of “MVP” (Most Viable Product) is what ITG strives for in each iteration

The “Principles” and ITG

Principle ITG

Business people and developers

must work together daily throughout the

project.

Daily “standups” with the project team and the project sponsors

Constant communication between PM and Sponsor

Often the developers know and interact directly with the sponsor

The “Principles” and ITG

Principle ITG

Build projects around motivated individuals. Give

them the environment and

support they need, and trust them to get

the job done.

ITG encourages developer creativity and exploration in projects

Open and collaborative environment creates a positive energy and allows information to flow freely amongst teams

Budgetary and resource constraints are few when it comes to improving a project.

The “Principles” and ITG

Principle ITG

The most efficient and effective method

of conveying information to and

within a development team is face-to-face

conversation.

Major projects have weekly face-to-face project meetings with sponsors to review progress

The progress or current status is demoed and feedback is given

The project sponsors are able to see the project from its infancy to its completion

The “Principles” and ITG

Principle ITG

Working software is the primary measure of progress.

Each project team is scored every month on their ability to deliver on their planned objectives

Often the “planned objectives” are customer-facing iterations of a project

The “Principles” and ITG

Principle ITG

Working software is the primary measure of progress.

Each project team is scored every month on their ability to deliver on their planned objectives

Often the “planned objectives” are customer-facing iterations of a project

The “Principles” and ITG

Principle ITG

The best architectures,

requirements, and designs emerge

from self-organizing teams.

Project teams are built around agile teams

Each agile team has at least a developer, a quality engineer, a project manager, and a database admin

The team is responsible for managing several business partners’ software portfolios

The “Principles” and ITG

Principle ITG

At regular intervals, the team reflects

on how to become more effective, then tunes and

adjusts its behavior accordingly.

Agile teams meet regularly to discuss process and progress

Retrospectives after each project allow for reflection and insight on what went well, what didn’t go well, and lessons learned

Members of each agile team hold each other accountable for tuning and adjusting behavior

QUESTIONS?

References

1. Goncalves, Marcus. Fundamentals of Agile Project Management: An

Overview. New York, NY: ASME, 2010. Print.

2. http://agilemanifesto.org/