Agile project management: Principles, benefits, tools, tips, and when to make the switch

This hybrid approach aids in making agile even more adaptable within various industries or to suit the more unique nature of a project, product, or service.  Again, due diligence is required to determine the suitability and capacity of the different methods and processes available.

Agile project management and Scrum

Scrum is a powerful framework for implementing agile processes in software development and other projects. This highly adopted framework utilizes short iterations of work, called sprints, and daily meetings, called scrums, to tackle discrete portions of a project in succession until the project as a whole is complete. There are three key roles within Scrum: the Scrum master, product owner, and Scrum team members:

• The product owner creates and prioritizes a product backlog (work to be done).
• Teams select items from the backlog and determine how to complete the work.
• Work must be completed within a sprint (usually two to four weeks).
• The Scrum master meets with teams briefly each day to get progress updates.
• Sprint reviews are conducted at the end of each sprint.
• The process starts again until all work or backlog is complete.

There are also many templates available from companies like Microsoft that project managers can use rather than re-creating the wheel. Here are just a few among several others available from Microsoft: 

Agile project management software vendors also typically have built-in agile templates in their software.

Agile project management software

Companies using agile are likely to leverage software geared to agile development in order to get the full benefits of this methodology. Here are just some of the agile solutions available:

• Atlassian Jira + Agile: This is an agile project management tool that supports Scrum, Kanban, and mixed methodologies. This project management software comes with a comprehensive set of tools that help Scrum teams perform events with ease.
• Agilean: Agilean automates workflow management for small and midsize IT companies fitting different verticals. It is customizable and has 50 built-in templates.
• SprintGround: This is a project management tool created for developers to organize work and help them track progress.
• VersionOne: This project management solution is built to support the Scaled Agile Framework at all levels.

For a deeper look at agile project management software options, see “Top 11 agile tools for project management.”

Key agile skills

There are six key agile project management skills or attributes that all project managers should have:

1. An ability to cut through unnecessary work and focus only on essential work
2. Sound judgment under pressure and the ability to remain calm under stress
3. Strong motivation and coaching skill to guide and support teams throughout a project
4. Exceptional organizational abilities to keep everything straight and prioritize
5. The ability to think and make decisions quickly as circumstances change rapidly
6. A high level of adaptability in order to accept change and reduce unnecessary confusion and risk

Agile project management certification and training

As agile methodology picks up speed, so does the demand for professionals with agile knowledge and experience. Here are the most popular agile-focused certs for benchmarking your knowledge.

• Agile Programme Management (AgilePgM)
• Agile Project Management (AgilePM)
• Professional Scrum Master (PSM)
• Professional Scrum Product Owner (PSPO)
• Certified Agile Project Manager
• SAFe Agilist
• SAFe Product Owner/Product Manager
• SAFe Scrum Master
• Certified ScrumMaster (CSM)
• Certified Scrum Product Owner (CSPO)
• ICAgile Agile Fundamentals (ICP)
• ICAgile Agile Product Ownership (ICP-APO)
• ICAgile Agile Team Facilitation (ICP-ATF)
• ICAgile Business Agility Foundations (ICP-BAF)
• ICAgile Agile Project and Delivery Management (ICP-APM)
• PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP)

For a more in-depth look at these certs, see “Top 16 agile certifications available today.”

The future of agile

As competition is continually increasing and time to market is also shrinking, agile offers numerous benefits and limited drawbacks. As more companies make the shift to a digital workplace that is highly dependent on speed, flexibility and increased productivity, agile or hybrid methodologies will become increasingly necessary. Its application in multiple industries and alignment with the benefits offered by a digital workplace model, indicate that agile adoption rates will continue to increase across industries around the world.