I caused consternation with the past post. "You're being negative" was one response. Maybe so. Or maybe just being skeptical. The question still remains:
How can we put the Principles of Agile Project Management into Practice? Without a practice of the principles there is not much in the way of bookable value for the customer or project manager. As Agile Project Managers following the DoI we must increase return on investment by making continuous flow of value our focus.
Negative or not, for us here in the field, Project Management Principles are nice, but Practices are the end result. Nearly every project management guidebook we use, reference, or are contracted to follow has a statement of principles in the introduction. These principles are many times the same as the agile principles, sometimes they're domain specific, and but sometimes they're too general for practical application, in some ways too general like the DoI is too general, like how PMBOK is too general.
I know the founders of the Agile Project Learning Network and the DoI have a clear vision of what they want to convey to us here in the field. The Principle Based Management approach to this domain is the starting point.
In a presentation today kickin off a large proposal effort, there was an interesting statement by the proposal manager.
Our customer is switching from process based management assessment to outcome based management assessments. No more talking (in the proposal or during eecution) about all our glorious processes (agile or not, BTW), the customer wants to hear how we are going to deliver value for their investment.
What does this mean?
- Outcomes (dollarized benefits against the funding profile) are the units of measure for the project.
- Defining these outcomes - the technical and programmatic performance measures - is the role of planning (project management in our domain), business management, and technical leadership.
Could this be an approach to Agile Project Management?
Outcome based management practices, mapped to the APLN and the DoI?
