Question

Define and evaluate the SCRUM element of Agile Project Management, then determine how it worked at Blue Cloud.

Answer 1

Agile Project Management (APM) is an iterative approach to planning and guiding project processes.

Just as in Agile Software Development, an Agile project is completed in small sections. These sections are called iterations. In Agile Software Development, for instance, an iteration refers to a single development cycle. Each section or iteration is reviewed and critiqued by the project team, which should include representatives of the project's various stakeholders. Insights gained from the critique of an iteration are used to determine what the next step should be in the project.

For Blue Cloud, the main benefit of Agile Project Management is its ability to respond to issues as they arise throughout the course of the project. Making a necessary change to a project at the right time can save resources and, ultimately, help deliver a successful project on time and within budget.

For instance, project goals are set by the product owner, while team members divvy up scheduling, progress reporting and quality tasks. Certain Agile approaches add other layers of management; the Scrum approach, for example, calls for a scrum master who helps set priorities and shepherd the project through to completion.

However, project managers are not obsolete in Agile Project Management. Many organizations still use them for Agile projects -- particularly larger, more complex ones -- but the organizations generally place these project managers in more of a coordinator role with the product owner taking responsibility for the project's overall completion.