Agile terminology (2)
Agile terminology (2)
Project charter
The project charter is an important governing document that requires all stakeholder participation. Although experts recommend it not be longer than a page in length, creating a project charter can be challenging, as all stakeholders must participate and come to a consensus. Three key elements should be included in a project charter: vision, mission, and success criteria. Vision is the ‘why’ or rationale of a project. Mission is the ‘what’ of the project and describes what the team will accomplish to reach the vision. Success criteria are management metrics that define ‘how’ the project will be deemed successful. [Lean-Agile Software Development: Achieving Enterprise Agility. Alan Shalloway, Guy Beaver, James R. Trott.]
Facilitation methods
As a project leader or scrum master, effective facilitation methods are critical for building a high-performance and motivated team. Facilitation of meetings, discussions, demonstrations, etc., is a constant on an agile project. Some general facilitation methods include: using a small number of people for brainstorming events; hosting events in a non-threatening/comfortable environment; having an agenda that is shared with the group ahead of time; using open-ended questions instead of closed-ended questions; including a diverse representation to gain a broader perspective of the topic. [Agile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great. Esther Derby, Diana Larsen, Ken Schwaber.]
Problem-solving techniques
Literally thousands of decisions are made in the course of a project. Many of these decisions are made in response to problems that inevitably arise and confront the agile team. Therefore it is essential that an agile team is properly versed in problem-solving strategies, tools, and techniques. Some common problem-solving techniques include: ask it loud; revisit the problem; 5Y; sunk cost fallacy; devil’s advocate; be kind, rewind; asking probing questions; and reflective/active listening. [Agile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great. Esther Derby, Diana Larsen, Ken Schwaber.]
Participatory decision models
(e.g., inputbased, shared collaboration, command)
To build trust among the team, agile believes heavily in participatory decision models where team members collaborate to make decisions. Although a team leader or scrum master will need to make some decisions individually, many decisions can be made by the team collectively. These agile principles are also known as collective ownership, self-organization, and self-discipline. In collective ownership, the team members are equally responsible for project results and are empowered to participate in decision making and problem solving processes. [Agile Retrospectives: Making Good Teams Great. Esther Derby, Diana Larsen, Ken Schwaber.]
PMI’s Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct
PMI professional code of conduct
The Project Management Institute (PMI) outlines a professional code of conduct in the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct document. [PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct. Project Management Institute.]
Process analysis techniques : Value stream mapping
Value stream mapping is a collaborative process analysis technique where a diverse team depicts/maps a process to identify where waste occurs and where improvements can be made. It is an example of a process analysis technique. Like value stream mapping, process mapping is also used to map a process to identify bottlenecks (places where processing slows and inventory can build). [Lean-Agile Software Development: Achieving Enterprise Agility. Alan Shalloway, Guy Beaver, James R. Trott.]
Value-based analysis
Value-based analysis strives to understand how value, as defined by the customer, relates to various components of the product, like features and tasks. Features are often prioritized with prioritization based on value and risk. Prioritization can be performed using the MoSCoW or Kano method and through the use of risk-to-value and cost-to-value matrices. [Lean-Agile Software Development: Achieving Enterprise Agility. Alan Shalloway, Guy Beaver, James R. Trott.]
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