This is the first post through the new BLOG provider. Brian Kennemer suggested that if I was serious about this I needed to get an RSS feed going. He was tired of checking every day.
A systems view of project management - some background
I've been developing the idea that Agile Project Management is really good systems management for some time now. I've been around Systems Engineering, I even have a Master in Systems Management from 1980. But it has never dawned on me to put Agile Project Management in the same class.
The impetus started with my current position. I left my VP PMO job when the Rocky Flats Nuclear Weapons plant closed and I needed a local engagement. This led me to doing Program Management on a contract basis in aerospace. It is a nice fit: Government contract experience, clearances in place, prior experience, and a moderate commute.
How Systems Engineers see Project Management
In the eyes of a Systems Engineer Project Management consists of:
- Configuration item structure - what items are to be developed and integrated
- Schedule - when this items need to be delivered
- Organizational Breakdown Structure - who will produce them
- Work Breakdown Structure - what work is needed to make, manage, and test the items
- Cost Breakdown Structure - how much they will cost
- Process standards - what standards apply to the work
- Process choice - what lifecycle will the development follow?
This is the basis of the "Agile Project Management is Systems Engineering" thread.
