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7 Tips for Agile Project Managers project integration management resource management scope management Feb 14, 2021

Whether you are a project manager or a scrum master, if you are leading an agile project, there are some critical things to keep in mind.  Some of these we have covered in past articles and some of them are new. Here are seven tips for agile project managers.  Repetition helps to build retention, so even if these seem old, think of them as new :)

  1. Respect client deliverables. ...
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6 Tips to Improve Agile Estimation scope management Jan 10, 2021

Let's face it.  Estimation is a necessary evil for all projects.  Having good estimates helps to mitigate time and cost risks and better enables us to deliver successful projects.  While the agile environment may have more flexibility, most organizations cannot tolerate never-ending projects.

As a whole and at a high level, estimation of agile projects is not that different from...

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4 Variations of User Stories Agile Project Managers Should Know scope management Dec 20, 2020

As an agile project manager, you may need to conduct requirements elicitation or work with a BA team that performs elicitation.  Either way, you will need some familiarity with the common forms of agile requirements.  As with all projects, requirements are an important element for success. 

Having the right requirements and having them understood by those doing the project work...

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8 Tips for Project Managers Transitioning to Agile project integration management scope management Dec 06, 2020

With a growing number of organizations shifting to agile methods for projects, those in the traditional project management role may want to consider how to transition from predictive to agile projects.  In the future, the best project managers will operate more flexibly and manage projects with either waterfall or agile methods as needed. 

While many project management fundamentals...

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5 Tips for Effective Sprint Planning cost management schedule management scope management Nov 29, 2020

Effective sprint planning is essential for the success of any agile project.  The agile project manager should ensure every iteration delivers the highest possible value to customers to stay true to agile values.  Without effective planning, the team will not start the sprint with a shared understanding of the work.  As a result, the team may defer user stories' implementation...

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Fine Tune User Stories with MoSCoW scope management Nov 15, 2020

By nature, agile requirements are considered "lighter." With requirements often taking the form of user stories recorded in a product backlog, some requirements may become obsolete as the project progresses.

To avoid the waste of implementing unnecessary or lower priority requirements, prioritization by the business owner is critical.  One aid that helps the business owner think things...

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3 Must Have Metrics for Agile Projects scope management Nov 01, 2020

All projects generate vast amounts of data beyond regular items, such as retrospectives and lessons learned.  As the project progresses, the project manager needs to collect, index, and perhaps even diarize it for current and future use.

Project data and documents contain information such as:

  • Changes to the product backlog for agile projects, change requests for predictive
  • Performance of...
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Definition of Done scope management Oct 25, 2020

An important concept for agile projects is the “definition of done.” The team must discuss and understand this concept in terms of the specific project at hand before the first iteration.  Without this understanding, the ability to deliver value will be both difficult and chaotic. 

There are two overarching concepts which are ingredients in the definition:

  • Requirements:...
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5 Critical Elements for More Effective Project Management communications management project integration management resource management scope management Jul 12, 2020

Julia couldn't be more frustrated! There were less than three months to finish the project, and yet everything was going wrong. And to top it all, the budget to complete the work was nearly exhausted.

Julia's problem boils down to ineffective project management. She may have failed to complete the steps necessary to prepare for project success.  She may have also failed to create a proper...

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Leaders: 5 Times You Should Cancel a Project project integration management scope management Mar 01, 2020

For over 10 years, stakeholders tried to make the Denver International Airport Automated Baggage Handling project work before giving up. The cost of continuing was around $120M, on top of an already over-budget project that was too complex to fix. Project leaders should know when to give up and cancel a project. Here are 5 circumstances that signal the necessity of cancellation:

  1. Project...
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