Agile Methods
Agile project management in a nutshell
Agile methods have long been established in the field of software development, but are also increasingly in demand in project management. This is mainly because that challenges in project management are becoming more and more complex and diverse. Deviations from the plan are often the rule rather than the exception and quick reactions are required. In addition, there are many projects where the requirements for the project outcome are not clearly defined at the beginning. With a classic project management approach, however, even small changes to the requirements can lead to significantly higher project costs and a longer project duration. In such cases, agile project management is an optimal solution as it takes changes into account right from the start.
» The top priority is to implement what is needed rather than what was planned in the past. «
How does agile project management work?
Managing agilely means proceeding step by step instead of precisely planning all parts of a project. In this process, the team members organise themselves for the most part and define their own tasks. Project managers moderate this iterative process instead of planning the project in detail. Iterative means working in loops. In other words, individual “milestones” are defined first, which represent the most important requirements of the project one after the other. Once one of these milestones has been reached, a result is achieved that can be reviewed. The feedback from this review then defines the further course of action. In this way, only the really important things get implemented and the things that are not good yet are improved – and this is done in regular, often very short cycles.
Advantages
- Very fast
- Minimisation of necessary resources
- Strong flexibility and adaptability with fast response times
- Quick identification of problems and errors
- More collaboration and feedback
Disadvantages
- Difficult to implement in traditional companies with many hierarchical levels
- Meetings cost a lot of time
- Employees concentrate strongly on individual tasks instead of on the project as a whole
Well-known methods
Some particularly well-known agile methods are:
- SCRUM
- Kanban
- Lean
- Design Thinking
Can agile and classic approaches be combined?
It can make sense to use different project management approaches within a company – for example, agile methods in the development department and classic project management in marketing. Agile methods can also be used within classic project management, for example, to plan tasks. Such hybrid approaches can be useful when, on the one hand, the planning reliability of classic project management and, on the other hand, the flexibility of agile methods are desired.
What does Parm offer for agile projects?
The basic principle of myPARM is that the flow of tasks, information and communication is continuous and permanent – this is of central importance in agile projects. In addition, Kanban boards for agile project management are integrated alongside classic project planning methods such as the waterfall model.
Did you know that Parm AG’s software development also uses agile methods? We work according to the Scrumban method. This gives us very short decision-making paths, rapid development cycles and allows us to implement your wishes quickly and flexibly.
More about the project management software myPARM:
Would you like to get to know the myPARM project management software in a demo? Then make an appointment with us right away!