Table of contents - What you can expect:
What does agility mean?
The Agile Manifesto
Project management with ZEP
Agile project management: advantages and disadvantages
Classic vs. agile project management
Do you think that agile project management and Scrum are identical? That's not true! Rather, agile project management is a generic term for more than 50 different agile methods, frameworks or approaches that are used in an agile project environment. The term does not describe an independent method, but rather a philosophy or an approach to product or service development based on defined values and principles.
Agile project management is characterised by self-organised teams, the pursuit of continuous improvement, a focus on high-quality services and intensive communication.
The desire for clear processes and rules has given rise to various frameworks and methodologies based on the agile guidelines. The basic idea is to develop rules and descriptions of processes and roles that can be used to implement agile ideas in practice. In this article, we present the agile manifesto in detail so that you can drive your project management processes forward.
How often do you use the term "agile" in everyday language? Probably not very often. That's why it's worth taking a closer look at this word. Derived from the Latin term "agilis" (agile), it describes the Gabler Business Dictionary Agility in the economic environment as
"... the agility, manoeuvrability or flexibility of organisations and people or in structures and processes. One reacts flexibly to unforeseen events and new requirements. One is not only reactive, but also proactive, for example in relation to change."
To summarise: Someone who is agile is not a sluggish block, but reacts flexibly and proactively to change. But how did this term find its way into our current project management? Surprisingly, agile approaches have not only existed since the upswing in the software industry.
Today, we experience agility everywhere: in the company, in teamwork and in projects. Even though the agile manifesto was developed by 17 representatives from the software industry, it can be applied to all sectors in today's business world - including project management. The agile manifesto defines four important values:
Agile values provide a basis for making projects successful and efficient by focussing on the essential aspects of collaboration and development. These values emphasise the importance of people and interactions, functioning products, close collaboration with customers and the ability to respond to change:
What can you do with these values? The following 12 principles of the agile manifesto bring these values to life and provide you with concrete ways to approach agile project management:
These 12 principles contain fundamental guidelines for an agile Project management in your company. Process models and frameworks such as Scrum are based on the values and principles of the agile manifesto. They provide a clear framework within which you can carry out your project. To work successfully in an agile environment, you should view the manifesto as a kind of code of conduct for everyone involved - from the top manager to every single member of your project team.
Agile project management has proven itself in various industries such as Software development, Engineering, Construction and Management consultancy as an important way of working. The principles of the agile manifesto form the foundation of this methodology, and methods such as Scrum, which are based on these values, support its practical implementation. Tools for Project time tracking such as ZEP facilitate the practical implementation and documentation of agile project management. The Ticket system in ZEP enables detailed planning and management of tasks and helps to integrate the agile principles of the manifesto into everyday project work. This method promotes structured planning and monitoring of tasks, creates transparency and improves collaboration within the team.
The ZEP add-on module Tickets, Tasks & To-dos is central to efficient agile project management. It enables clear assignment of tasks to projects and transparent communication within the team. Flexibility is a key aspect of agile project management and ZEP supports this by making it easy to adjust tasks and priorities. The integration of customer feedback also plays an important role; the module makes it possible to create tickets directly from emails and involve customers in the project process. This not only promotes customer centricity, but also enables a rapid response to customer needs and agile working in the team. By documenting tasks in a structured way, teams can carry out retrospective analyses in order to learn from successes and failures.
Project management is sluggish and strongly focussed on planning - this is the widespread perception of project management. The emergence of agile approaches and the replacement of the outdated waterfall model was made possible by digitalisation and the increased emphasis on software projects. But agile methods already existed before that:
These are just a few examples, but the breakthrough of agile methods ultimately came in the software industry. Here, agile approaches have become widely accepted since the late 1980s. The importance of self-responsible and self-organised teams increasingly became the focus of work here. Then, in 2001 the agile manifesto developed by leading minds in the software industry. The agile manifesto provides basic guidelines for the efficient development of software. The underlying approach is to avoid inefficient and superfluous elements.
Agile project management offers numerous advantages when used correctly and tailored to the right industry. Nevertheless, this way of working is not suitable for every project and can also have disadvantages if used incorrectly:
Advantages |
✅ Rapid prototyping |
✅ Continuous optimisation of products/services |
✅ Efficient use of resources |
✅ Close collaboration with customers |
✅ Rapid problem detection |
Disadvantages |
⛔ Difficulties for large teams |
⛔ Risk of loss of control due to less defined procedures at the start of the project |
⛔ Quick decisions unsuitable for companies that need a lot of time for analyses |
⛔ Constant collaboration in which communication problems can occur |
⛔ High responsibility of the Scrum Master and Product Owner |
Are you always on the lookout for effective methods to optimise your work processes and organise your team? The following agile methods have proven to be extremely effective in this context:
Scrum
Scrum is a proven and popular agile framework that enables teams to achieve iterative progress and short timeframes - known as sprints. It is based on the principles of transparency, inspection and customisation, which promotes effective collaboration and continuous improvement of products or services. Scrum defines clear roles and events that structure and optimise the development process. Artefacts are also used to track the progress of the project.
Kanban
Kanban is an agile method that originated in lean production and was later adapted for software development. It focuses on optimising the flow of work to identify bottlenecks and increase efficiency. Kanban is based on a flexible approach that allows teams to work continuously and adapt to changes.
Objectives and Key Results (OKRs)
OKRs is an agile method for goal setting and performance measurement that helps organisations to focus on the most important goals and track progress transparently for all team members.
Classic project management
|
Agile project management |
🔵 Scope is fixed, while time and effort are variable | 🟢 Time and effort are fixed, while the scope is variable |
🔵 Process follows a linear approach (waterfall model), in which development takes place from phase to phase | 🟢 Process is iterative, with runs through all phases in one iteration |
🔵 Process is rigid | 🟢 Process is continuously improved |
🔵 Stakeholder influence decreases over the course of the project | 🟢 Stakeholder influence constant throughout the entire project |
🔵 Requirements are recorded at the beginning, for example in a specification sheet | 🟢 Requirements are continuously recorded, for example through backlogs |
🔵 Results are only delivered and evaluated at the end of the project | 🟢 Results are regularly delivered and evaluated during the project |
🔵 Project manager manages and bears responsibility for the entire project | 🟢 Team is self-organised and bears joint responsibility |
🔵 Communication takes place through long meetings and documentation | 🟢 Communication takes place through short, daily meetings and less documentation |
Agile project management offers a flexible and effective solution for dynamic projects with changing requirements. By applying agile principles and tools correctly, teams can improve their collaboration and increase project success. However, it is important to understand the challenges and manage them appropriately to minimise potential risks and reap the full benefits.
Agile project management is particularly suitable for projects that are characterised by high dynamics, changing requirements and close collaboration with customers. It is ideal for situations in which flexibility, rapid response to change and continuous improvement are essential. For example, agile project management is particularly effective in software development, product development or innovative projects.
Good agile project management tools help teams to optimise their processes, promote collaboration and keep track of tasks and progress. Popular tools include Jira, Trello, Asana, Monday.com and Zoho Projects.
Agile projects can fail if they are not properly planned, implemented or managed. Reasons can include inadequate planning, poor communication, resistance from the team or management, complex requirements and lack of experience.
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