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Managing an Agility Project

By: Hajime Estanislao, PMP; Editor: Geram Lompon; Reviewed by: Alvin Villanueva, PMP

The pace of change is relentless. Markets evolve, customer needs shift, and technologies advance quickly. Are you struggling to keep up with the demands of projects? You’re not alone.

Imagine a way to adapt to changes, respond to challenges with agility, and consistently deliver value. Agility projects through a mindset of adaptability is a solution to thriving in uncertainty. They are not just a framework but a way to ensure your projects stay relevant, impactful, and efficient.

What if you could confidently lead projects, empower your team to collaborate effectively, and achieve quality outcomes faster? By understanding and implementing agility, you unlock the ability to turn chaos into opportunity, driving innovation and success.

Do not be overwhelmed by changes to your projects; embrace them. This article discusses agility projects, why they are essential, and how to apply them to transform your work. The future of project management is adaptive, collaborative, and value-driven!

A tablet displays a complex infographic titled "What Are an Agility Project?" It is filled with interconnected gears and terms related to Agile projects, such as iterative development, sprilt cycles, and customer feedback, in a blue and white color scheme.

What is an Agility Project?

An Agility Project is designed and managed with a focus on adaptability, flexibility, and responsiveness to change. It embodies the principles of agility by enabling teams to adjust to evolving priorities, deliver incremental value, and continuously improve processes and outcomes. Agility projects aim to thrive in dynamic environments by focusing on collaboration, customer satisfaction, and iterative progress.

Navigating the project lifecycle requires a mindset that embraces change, allowing teams to adjust and refine their strategies throughout various project phases.

Is it the Same as an Agile Project?

While closely related, an agility project is not the same as an Agile project. An Agile project follows specific methodologies and frameworks, such as Scrum or Kanban, which provide structured processes and roles to guide project execution. In contrast, an agility project adopts the broader mindset and principles of agility, which can extend beyond the formal boundaries of Agile methodologies.

Agile projects promote agility, but not all projects require strict adherence to Agile frameworks. Agility projects prioritize responsiveness and value delivery, whether or not they use formal Agile methods. Additionally, agility projects focus on new and innovative efforts rather than extending existing projects.

A split image comparing two Agile methodologies. The left side is labeled "Structured" with charts and lists. The right side, labeled "Agile Methodology," features gears, arrows, and icons representing concepts like agility and adaptability.

Agility vs Agile

Agility and Agile are closely related concepts but differ in scope and application. While agility refers to a mindset and capability, Agile is a structured approach that embodies agility through specific frameworks and practices.

Agility is a broad mindset that emphasizes adaptability, flexibility, and responsiveness in the face of change. It focuses on continuous improvement, innovation, and delivering value efficiently. In a business context, agility is essential for organizations to thrive in dynamic environments, enabling them to pivot strategies, adjust processes, and meet evolving customer needs.

Agility is not tied to specific rules or methodologies; it represents a cultural and operational approach to achieving resilience and success. Fundamental scientific exploration plays a crucial role in understanding and applying agility principles, as it bridges the gap between basic research and practical application.

Agile is a methodology or framework designed to operationalize agility in project management and workflows. It provides structured approaches like Scrum, Kanban, or SAFe, which guide teams in delivering value iteratively and collaboratively.

Agile emphasizes customer collaboration, iterative progress, and responding to change. From a business relevance perspective, Agile frameworks help organizations implement agility by providing tools and processes for efficient project execution and innovation.

A colorful infographic comparing Agile methodologies and agility. It includes sections on structured workflows, quick iterations, team roles, and organizational agility. Icons and text highlight benefits of adapting Agile practices for innovation and management.

Reasons You Need to be Agile and Have Agility!

Organizations should embrace agility to stay relevant and deliver value efficiently. Agility enables businesses to adapt to market changes, customer needs, and technological advancements with resilience and speed.

Agile project management skills, on the other hand, provide the structure and tools to implement this adaptability in practical, goal-driven ways. They empower organizations to innovate, improve collaboration, and achieve long-term success.

  • Quickly adapt to changing market demands and customer expectations.
  • Enhance collaboration across cross-functional teams for better outcomes.
  • Deliver value incrementally, ensuring faster time-to-market.
  • Become innovative by enabling teams to experiment and iterate on ideas.
  • Minimize risks through frequent feedback loops and iterative development.
  • Improve customer satisfaction by consistently aligning with their needs.
  • Stay competitive in many industries with evolving priorities.
  • Increase team engagement and morale by promoting empowerment and ownership.
  • Enable better resource utilization and task prioritization.
  • Drive continuous improvement in processes, products, and services.

Understanding Agility in Project Management

In project management, agility is the ability of a project or team member to swiftly and effectively respond to changes in the project environment. It means adaptability, flexibility, and responsiveness to evolving project requirements, stakeholder needs, and team dynamics. With projects where the subject frequently changes, agility is essential.

By embracing agility, project teams can confidently navigate uncertainties, ensuring they remain aligned with their goals and deliver value consistently.

Principles Underlying Human Performance

Understanding the underlying human performance is relevant for enhancing agility in project management. Research in human performance has demonstrated that individuals and teams perform when they are motivated, engaged, and empowered to make decisions. By integrating insights from human performance research into project management, teams can boost their agility, productivity, and overall performance.

This approach cultivates a more dynamic and responsive project environment and drives continuous improvement and innovation.

Step-by-Step Instructions to Adopt Agility

Adopting agility requires a blend of mindset shifts, structured planning, and actionable steps that align with the organizational goals and culture. This process focuses on creating a foundation of adaptability while empowering teams to deliver value iteratively and collaboratively.

Step 1: Set the Vision for Agility

Define why agility matters for your organization. Identify areas where adaptability is essential, such as responding to market trends or improving customer satisfaction. Engage stakeholders to establish a shared understanding of what agility means for your team or organization.

  • Conduct a workshop with leadership and team members to outline goals.
  • Align on measurable outcomes, such as faster time-to-market or improved team efficiency.
  • Communicate the vision clearly across all levels of the organization.

Step 2: Build the Agile Mindset

Promote adaptability, collaboration, and continuous improvement. Ensure team members understand the value of agility and are motivated to embrace change.

  • Provide training sessions on Agile principles and the benefits of agility.
  • Encourage open communication and feedback within teams.
  • Highlight success stories of agile practices within or outside the organization.

Step 3: Choose Your Agile Framework

Select the Agile framework that best fits your organizational needs, such as Scrum, Kanban, or a hybrid approach. Each framework provides tools and structures to help implement agility effectively. Including the qualifications and roles of project members involved in the project can enhance the credibility and success of your Agile implementation.

  • Evaluate the nature of your projects and teams to determine the best fit.
  • Train teams on the chosen roles, ceremonies, and processes.
  • Start with a pilot project to refine the approach before scaling.

Step 4: Iterate and Achieve Continuous Improvement

Agility thrives on ongoing improvement. Regularly review processes, team dynamics, and outcomes to identify areas for optimization. Detail each team member’s role and qualifications in full proposal submission, including the CVs or backgrounds of the members involved in the project, to enhance the proposal’s credibility and competitiveness.

  • Conduct retrospectives at the end of each iteration to assess what worked and what did not.
  • Encourage teams to experiment with new practices and adapt based on results.
  • Use metrics like velocity or customer satisfaction to track progress and inform adjustments.

Project Planning with Agility

Agile project planning is about setting clear project goals, objectives, and deliverables while remaining flexible and adaptable to changing requirements. It involves breaking down the project into smaller, manageable tasks, prioritizing them based on their value, and regularly reviewing and adjusting the project plan.

Agile planning emphasizes continuous improvement, learning from feedback, and delivering value to customers and stakeholders in short, frequent iterations. By adopting this approach, project teams can stay aligned with their goals, respond to changes swiftly, and ensure that they are consistently delivering value.

Collaboration and Teamwork

Collaboration and teamwork are the cornerstones of agility in project management. Agile project teams work cohesively to achieve common goals, share knowledge and expertise, and support each other through challenges.

Effective collaboration involves open communication, active listening, and a willingness to adapt to changing project requirements. By promoting a culture of collaboration and teamwork, project managers can enhance their team’s agility, productivity, and overall performance.

Risk Management and Mitigation

Risk management and mitigation are components of agility in project management. Agile project teams must be adept at identifying, assessing, and mitigating risks quickly and effectively to minimize their impact on the various project outcomes.

It involves developing a comprehensive risk management plan, identifying potential risks, and implementing strategies to address them. By being proactive and responsive to risks, project managers can enhance their team’s agility and reduce the likelihood of project failure.

Effective risk management ensures that teams can navigate uncertainties with confidence, maintaining their focus on delivering value and achieving project goals.

Considerations For a Successful Agility Project Lifecycle

A successful agility project requires more than just following frameworks and processes; it demands a commitment to cultural change and a focus on delivering value.

One of the most critical insights is the need for leadership buy-in. Without strong support from leadership, teams may struggle to align priorities, secure necessary resources, or sustain momentum. Leaders must champion agility by embodying its principles and empowering teams to make decisions and innovate.

Another factor is tailoring agility to your organization’s unique needs. Agility isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution; it must align with your industry, team dynamics, and customer expectations. Regularly assess how well your chosen practices and frameworks work and be prepared to adapt them as needed.

Never underestimate the importance of effective communication and stakeholder engagement in early-stage projects. Keeping stakeholders informed and involved throughout the project ensures alignment on goals and builds trust. Transparent communication helps teams address challenges early, collaborate effectively, and focus on delivering value.

A colorful infographic on Agile terminology filled with icons and text. Words like "Scrum," "Kanban," "Product Backlog," "Sprint," and more are prominently displayed, accompanied by illustrations of graphs, gears, and people.

Taking it to the Next Level: Agile Jargon You Must Remember.

To excel in agility projects, it is essential to go beyond the basics and immerse yourself in the language of Agile. Understanding and effectively using Agile jargon enhances communication within teams and ensures alignment with Agile principles and practices. These terms encapsulate concepts and processes that promote collaboration, improve efficiency, and drive continuous delivery.

Understanding this jargon enables you to refine your approach to Agile, ensuring everyone on the team is on the same page and speaking the same language. It helps create a shared understanding of roles, responsibilities, and expectations within agility projects. Here are 20 jargon that you should know and use effectively to take your agility projects to the next level:

  • Backlog: A prioritized list of tasks or requirements.
  • Sprint: A fixed period for completing a specific set of work.
  • User Story: A brief description of a feature from the customer’s perspective.
  • Epic: A user story divided into smaller, manageable tasks.
  • Minimum Viable Product (MVP): The simplest product version that delivers value.
  • Kanban: A visual workflow management system.
  • Scrum: An Agile framework emphasizing iterative progress and collaboration.
  • Product Owner (PO): The person responsible for defining the product vision.
  • Scrum Master: A facilitator ensuring the team follows the Scrum framework.
  • Daily Stand-Up: A brief meeting for team updates.
  • Iteration: Another term for a sprint or cycle of work.
  • Retrospective: A review meeting to discuss improvements.
  • Increment: A deliverable created during a sprint.
  • Velocity: A measure of work completed in a sprint.
  • Burndown Chart: A visual graph showing work progress over time.
  • Definition of Done (DoD): Criteria for task completion.
  • Cross-Functional Team: A team with diverse skills to complete projects.
  • Stakeholder: Individuals or groups affected by the project.
  • Continuous Delivery (CD): Regularly delivering updates to customers.
  • Agile Manifesto: The foundation of Agile principles.

Wrapping Up: The World is Going Fast

In a world that moves at breakneck speed, the ability to adapt, innovate, and deliver value is an expectation. Agility projects, grounded in the principles of adaptability and collaboration, offer a roadmap for confidently navigating. By embracing an Agile mindset and refining your project management skills, you position your team and organization to thrive amidst constant change.

However, in the rush to keep up, pause and ensure everyone is aligned. Taking time to synchronize your efforts fosters clarity, improves communication, and enhances the efficiency of your agility project. An adaptive, thoughtful approach to managing projects is not just about moving fast – it’s about moving smart.

So, as the world accelerates, take a moment to recalibrate, align, and move forward with purpose. That’s how you stay ahead.

References

Beck, K., Beedle, M., van Bennekum, A., Cockburn, A., Cunningham, W., Fowler, M., Grenning, J., Highsmith, J., Hunt, A., Jeffries, R., Kern, J., Marick, B., Martin, R. C., Mellor, S., Schwaber, K., Sutherland, J., & Thomas, D. (2001). Manifesto for Agile Software Development. Agile Alliance. https://agilemanifesto.org/

Schwaber, K., & Sutherland, J. (2020). The Scrum guide: The definitive guide to Scrum: The rules of the game. Scrum.org. https://scrumguides.org/

Highsmith, J. (2013). Adaptive leadership: Accelerating enterprise agility. Addison-Wesley.

Human Performance Alliance. (2024). Transforming human health through the science of peak performance. Retrieved December 2024, from https://humanperformancealliance.org/

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A woman sits at a table in a modern workspace, smiling at the camera. Around her, other people are engaging with digital tablets and smartphones, suggesting a collaborative environment. She appears cheerful and engaged in the ongoing activities.
Two men are at a counter with a laptop. The man on the left, wearing a dark suit and glasses, is pointing at the laptop screen while the man on the right, wearing an orange shirt and glasses, is smiling and looking at the screen. They appear to be having a discussion.
A group of five people are gathered in a conference room. One person stands at a whiteboard, presenting. Four others are seated around a table, taking notes and engaging. A large screen and various office supplies are in the background.
Two professionals, a man in a blue suit and red tie, and a woman in a light grey outfit, smile confidently in a modern office with large windows and natural light. The atmosphere appears bright and welcoming.
Two women sit closely together at a table, engaged in discussion while looking at a laptop screen. One woman, wearing a headscarf and denim jacket, points at the screen, while the other woman, in a black top, gestures towards the laptop.
A group of six people are gathered around a table, focused on laptops and a screen. They appear to be engaged in a collaborative discussion or meeting in a bright, casual office setting. A mix of notebooks, coffee mugs, and water bottles are on the table.

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