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W H I T E P A P E R

NAVIGATING THROUGH AGILE

www.ilxgroup.com

E X E C U T I V E S U M M A R Y

In June 2015, AXELOS launched PRINCE2 Agile®, with the aim of blending the PRINCE2 and agile approaches, providing the best of both worlds. But many organisations and individuals using agile or considering introducing agile elements to their current project management and product development are unclear about what PRINCE2 Agile offers that are not covered by Agile Project Management (AgilePM®) Foundation and Practitioner training or certification.

Organisations of all types are embracing agile methodologies. 60% of organisations have already had some exposure to agile – a steady ten per cent increase from last year. While 25% of UK-based practitioners say they are using agile concepts in their day-to-day activities, only 50% believe their organisations have made the required philosophical shift to support its use.

There are many different agile courses on offer and it is often unclear which route will best suit individual and organisational needs. Agile methods and training courses emerged spontaneously across the world as organisations sought to benefit from agile methodologies, particularly for IT development. This has led to a patchwork of agile approaches, encompassing a wide variety of techniques and approaches under the agile umbrella. It is possible to attend quite short courses with no assessment that enable trainees to claim some level of expertise on completion of the course such as ‘Scrum master’.

The emphasis of agile has remained on IT product development and, particularly, handling ongoing development of IT products, but the agile approach has an increasingly wider appeal. However, not all agile methodologies fit the project environment. The Scrum method on its own will not provide the governance a project needs. For example, at the beginning of a project, Scrum does not offer any support in developing the business case that will be necessary to get buy-in from stakeholders.

The focus of many agile methodologies is supporting business as usual rather than projects that are focused on delivering brand new products. Mature agile organisations often wrap a project approach around their agile processes in recognition of the need for some governance.

Credible agile training falls into two distinct camps. Organisations and individuals looking for a sound qualification, obtained by passing a rigorous, independently certified exam that it is actually possible to fail, would do well to look at courses leading to PRINCE2 Agile or Agile Project Management Foundation and Practitioner certification. Both PRINCE2 Agile and AgilePM incorporate creating the business case and end-to-end control of projects or production.

“Mature agi le organisat ions tend to wrap a project approach around their agi le processes in recognit ion of need for some governance.”

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A G I L E D E V E L O P M E N T AT G O V E R N M E N T D I G I T A L S E R V I C E S

Civil servants have a reputation for bureaucracy. Agile development of the Government Digital Services (GDS) turned that perception on its head, with a lean approach to documentation, leading the world in agile government development. The GDS is an enormous piece of ongoing change to Government assets that works in an agile way, and has been influential in recent years in driving the agile agenda.

GDS now focuses on the importance of a clear and inspiring vision with a set of goals that describe an outcome rather than a set of deliverables. Both PRINCE2 and agile methods help focus on outcomes – whilst PRINCE2 then focuses on “measurable benefits”, agile has a focus on “value” which can mean different things to different people. Jamie Arnold has been a driving force behind agile working at GDS from the beginning. He cautions: “Be careful about growing your team. Don’t throw people at the problem because the problem won’t be solved that way. In other words, star t small and grow organical ly.”

The GDS plays a leading part in the digital transformation of government, making public services digital by default – and simpler to use. It works in small, agile teams of developers, designers, content people and others. The team builds a minimum viable product quickly, and then iterates that widely, putting user requirements at the heart of everything it does Using agile methods, it designed and built the alpha version of www.gov.uk, in ten weeks. The website has received two billion visits in the two years since going live.

D E T E R M I N I N G T H E B E S T A G I L E F I T

How do you determine the best agile fit for your organisation? Which is the best course or route for you? If your organisation has some degree of PRINCE2 maturity and wants to start getting the benefit of running projects in an agile way, PRINCE2 Agile might be the right way to go. On the other hand, organisations that tend to work in an agile way but are starting to feel the need for some more formal project governance might benefit from AgilePM.

If an individual is looking to boost his or her portfolio of skills and certifications then they may wish to decide between PRINCE2 Agile and AgilePM based on which approach would make them more saleable in their target sectors and with their preferred employers’ cultures and ways of working.

The myriad agile training courses are essentially addressing one major pain point – the need to deliver product development on time and to deliver something that is more closely matched to the business purpose it is intended to fulfil, with the ultimate aim of delivering a better and earlier return on investment on the project. Organisations using PRINCE2 might well look to PRINCE2 Agile to meet this need.

Organisations that already develop projects using agile methods may struggle to address the more senior stakeholders in an organisation using this approach. They are not able to provide basic details around project deliverables and timeframes that budget holders need to make the decision to release funding to one project or another. AgilePM supplies the governance discipline needed to meet this need without dampening the enthusiasm that underpins agile methods.

“The myriad agile training courses are essentially addressing one major pain point – the need to deliver product development on time and to deliver something that is more closely matched to the business purpose it is intended to fulfil”

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W H E R E T O S T A R T ? Q U E S T I O N S T O A S K W H E N C H O O S I N G B E T W E E N P R I N C E 2 A G I L E & A G I L E P M

There are a number of questions organisations and individuals can ask themselves to help decide whether to choose the PRINCE2 Agile or the AgilePM approach:

PRINCE2 Agile is part of the AXELOS Global Best Practice Portfolio alongside the project and programme management (PPM) suite of products and the ITIL® service management standard. Both PRINCE2 Agile and AgilePM are complementary to the rest of the AXELOS stable of good practice, including MSP®, MoP® and P3O®. If organisations or individuals have invested in developing these models of Best Practice, they will be able to continue to build on their investment whether they go forward with PRINCE2 Agile or AgilePM.

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PRINCE2 Agile might suit you best

• Is your organisation a mature user of PRINCE2 methodologies, but unfamiliar with agile?

• Do you want to improve your delivery performance? • Do you want to improve ROI? • Do you want to deliver solutions that are more fit for purpose than you are

achieving currently? • Do you experience a high staff turnover with a high level of team change?

• Do you want to bring control to your agile way of working? • Do you want to improve the governance of your agile projects? • Has your agile business grown and become more complex? • Have your agile projects and processes become more interdependent with a

wider range of interconnected stakeholders? • Has your business developed so that discrete product development is no

longer the main focus? Perhaps business transformation is your current focus?

• Have you got a stable, dedicated agile team or the resources to create one?

AgilePM might suit you best

TRAINING ORGANIZATION ACCREDITED BY

ON BEHALF OF

I N D I V I D U A L S & O R G A N I S AT I O N S B E N E F I T F R O M A G I L E

The agile approach or methodology, using either the PRINCE2 Agile or AgilePM approach benefits both individuals and organisations in the real working environment.

Individuals or organisations no longer have to make a choice between the classic agile approach, with daily stand up meetings, prioritisation and sprints – and all the other buzzwords of agile – or engaging in a serious way with stakeholders through a project governance framework. Likewise Individuals or organisations from a more traditional project management background can learn and benefit from agile approaches as well.

H O W A G I L E M E T H O D O L O G I E S C A N H E L P

Agile methodologies can help achieve organisational objectives by: • producing more products that are more fit for purpose• bringing products and services to market more quickly• underpinning a collaborative, empowered working culture • delivering more projects on time and on budget• increasing flexibility around documentation while retaining the

structure that will keep regulated sectors within the law• creating a more flexible and pragmatic workforce• improving the organisation’s ability to respond to change

A G I L E T R A I N I N G & C E R T I F I C AT I O N O P T I O N S

PRINCE2 AgileAXELOS’ PRINCE2 Agile is a complete agile project management solution, combining the flexibility and responsiveness of agile with the defined framework of PRINCE2.

PRINCE2 Agile is tailored for organisations and individuals already benefiting from PRINCE2. It provides further guidance on how to apply agile methods to the PRINCE2 project management method. PRINCE2 Agile is supported by an exam and formal qualification and delivered by accredited training providers. PRINCE2 Agile can be applied to any type of project within any industry sector.

ILX is offering PRINCE2 Agile training from September 2015. For more information here.

Agile Project Management Foundation & PractitionerThe APMG-International AgilePM certification aims to address the needs of people who want to be agile in a project-focused environment. AgilePM certification is based on the DSDM Agile Project Management Framework. It provides the ability to deliver projects in organisations requiring standards, rigour and visibility around project management, while at the same time enabling the fast pace, change and empowerment provided by AgilePM.

AgilePM certification is available at both Foundation and Practitioner levels. ILX offers AgilePM Foundation and Practitioner courses via a range of delivery methods including online learning, instructor-led training and blended learning.More Information click here.

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R E F E R E N C E S

• PRINCE2®, MSP®, MoP®, ITIL®, P3O® and PRINCE2 Agile® are registered trade marks of AXELOS Limited, used under permission of AXELOS Limited. All rights reserved. The Swirl logo™ is a trade mark of AXELOS Limited, used under permission of AXELOS Limited. All rights reserved.

• The APMG-International Agile Project Management and Swirl Device logo is a trade mark of The APM Group Limited. AgilePM is a Registered Trade Mark of Dynamic Systems Development Method Limited. APMG-International AgilePM is a trade mark of The APM Group Limited.

• AgilePM is a Registered Trade Mark of Dynamic Systems Development Method Limited. APMG-International AgilePM is a trade mark of The APM Group Limited.

A U T H O R S

• Steve Boronski – PRINCE2, PRINCE2 Agile & P3O lead trainer at ILX Group plc• Joe French – Agile Project Management lead trainer at ILX Group plc

A B O U T I L X G R O U P ( I L X )

ILX Group is a global all-in-one provider of Best Practice Learning Solutions. ILX delivers Portfolio Programme & Project Management, IT Service Management, Risk Management and Business Financial Literacy learning solutions. The Best Practice courses are delivered through a blend of classroom, workshops, e-Learning and mobile platforms.

ILX is a market leader in PRINCE2® training and has provided Best Practice learning to more than 250,000 people across 5,000 organisations in over 100 countries. ILX works closely with its clients to deliver industry standard qualifications and helps organisations to deliver continuous workforce improvement. The company and its multi-lingual trainers can support customers around the world with local offices also in the UK, Middle East, India, Australia and New Zealand.

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PRINCE2® is a registered trade mark of AXELOS Limited, used under permission of AXELOS Limited.