agile – Resource Library

You have a new project! That’s generally exciting news. It means you have the opportunity to build something from scratch and generate new prospects for your team. But then, the other shoe drops.

Hybrid project management is soon to be (if not already) the predominant methodology for projects in any sector, but especially in the federal space. It is not because it is inherently more effective nor because it generates opportunities that couldn’t be found with more traditional methodologies. It is because there is no singular definition for hybrid. Without a clear definition of the approach, any definition is acceptable.

Is Agile Really Compatible with Government Projects and Programs?

The answer is yes, if the conditions are just right. The trouble is that Agile was originally designed for software development, an environment where any change, pivot, or backstepping that may be required, would only impact labor costs and deadlines.

CIO.com defines Agile as “a project management methodology that uses short development cycles called ‘sprints’ to focus on continuous improvement in the development of a product or service.” Agile was established to optimize the commercial development of software. While it has been applied in many other ways, the purposes, requirements, and regulatory demands of government projects require significant adaptation. ‘Pure’ Agile is not compatible with the way the Federal Government does business. However, a modified version has been proven useful, especially regarding information technology (IT) projects.

When the 17 founders of the Agile philosophy met and agreed upon the values and principles of what has become the Agile Manifesto, they brought with them a wealth of experience, skill, and knowledge on developing, testing, and deploying software in private and commercial industries. But very few of the founders had much experience in developing software within the environment of government. As a result, the Manifesto reflects this limited background and does not align with governmental software projects.

In April 2016, we highlighted several of the changes to the Standard for Project Management from the PMBOK Guide 6th edition. In February of this year, the Project Management Institute (PMI) provided a pre-release Draft of A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Sixth Edition to registered education providers (REPs) so that training materials can be updated to align with the new PMBOK® Guide, expected to be officially released in the 3rd quarter of this year.

Agile style methodologies seem to have had some success in environments with common conditions:
Software deliverables
Small team sizes (5-9 is usual sizes surveys contend)
Co-located deliverable’s owner or owner’s representative
Senior developers populating the team

Tag: agile