Read time: 2.49 mins
Discover the Purpose of Agile Project Management
Projects vary in their degree of complexity and can be classified as either “definable” or as “high-uncertainty” projects, each one requiring a different approach. Projects which fall into the latter category are characterised by unpredictability and risk, and require methods of Agile Project Management. This approach was developed specifically for projects in which the final outcome is unknown.
Find out more about navigating complex projects from Ulrike Rivett, Course Convenor on the Agile Project Management online short course from the University of Cape Town.
Transcript
Imagine you have been employed to plan an event. You know that the purpose of the event is to celebrate a special occasion, and that it is a matter of great importance to your client. It is your job to locate a venue, ensure that it is decorated in an appropriate manner, pick the food, and invite all the guests.
The only problem is that your client is a little vague about the details of the event. Is it a wedding or a funeral? Will the guests be a handful of close friends? Or is it open to the public? Will it be a sit-down affair? Or will a table of snacks suffice? This is an example of a high-uncertainty project and it is exactly the kind of scenario that Agile project managers deal with on a daily basis.
This video will situate the Agile approach within the broader field of project management and introduce the idea that projects exist on a scale of complexity.
Project management knowledge assists people who are working towards a mutual objective to complete a time-limited project, on budget, and within scope. While it was only recognized as a distinct discipline in the 1950s, people have been utilizing the skills of project management informally for centuries.
There are many ways to categorize projects, but one way is to think of them as existing on a spectrum, from “definable” to “high-uncertainty”.
Projects in which the final outcome is known, and the process for getting there is well understood, are definable. For example, building a house or a car are both definable projects – the steps for each case are likely to be similar if the process is repeated.
Projects that require problem-solving or new designs are on the other end of the spectrum – the outcome is not clear from the outset and the process of getting there is exploratory in nature. These are high-uncertainty projects and are characterized by high levels of change, risk, and complexity. They frequently include those challenges that cannot be solved by our current thinking, or by existing solutions. Professionals who encounter these kinds of projects regularly include software engineers, lawyers, finance specialists, and CEOs of big corporates.
Traditional project management makes sense for definable projects, but it is less effective for high-uncertainty projects. Agile Project Management was developed specifically for high-uncertainty projects.