Agile for Project Managers

234 Pages·2015·1.481 MB·English

by  Denise Canty

Business & Management / Project Management C Agile
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Agile project management is a proven approach for designing and delivering
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software with improved value to customers. Agility is all about self-directed teams, y
feedback, light documentation, and working software with shorter development
cycles. Project
The role of the project manager with agile differs significantly from traditional
project management in that there is minimal up-front planning. Agile for Project
Managers will help project managers from any industry transition to agile project A
Managers
management.
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i
The book examines the project management component of agility, concentrating
l
on industry standards, certifications, and being agile. It also compares agile e
methods to traditional project management methods throughout to provide readers
f
with a clear understanding of the differences between the two.
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r
The book’s focus is in alignment with the Project Management Institute (PMI®)

Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP®) credential—making it an ideal resource P
for anyone preparing for the PMI-ACP® exam. Coverage includes r
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• Agile as a project management methodology
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e
• Agile teams
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• Agile tools and techniques
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• Flavors of agile
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• Agile principles
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• Agile certifications
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The book provides readers with the understanding required to decide which a
projects will benefit from agile. It also includes information that can help readers g
to assess their organizations’ readiness for agile methods. e
r
Complete with a list of agile training providers, the book will help certified project s
managers make a smooth transition to agile project management and will provide
newcomers with the basic knowledge needed to pass the PMI-ACP® exam, the first Denise Canty
time around.
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Agile
for
Project
Managers
Best Practices and Advances
in Program Management Series
Series Editor
Ginger Levin
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Mark C. Bojeun
Successful Program Management: Complexity Theory, Communication,
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Sustainable Program Management
Gregory T. Haugan
Leading Virtual Project Teams: Adapting Leadership Theories
and Communications Techniques to 21st Century Organizations
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Agile
for
Project
Managers
Denise Canty
CRC Press
Taylor & Francis Group
6000 Broken Sound Parkway NW, Suite 300
Boca Raton, FL 33487-2742
© 2015 by Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
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I would like to dedicate this book to my husband of several
decades, James, our daughter, Raven, our son, Trae-Edward, and
our granddaughter, Versailles Isabella-Vision. You guys rock!
This book is also dedicated to my mom, Catherine, my grandma, Jannie,
my mother-in-law Mary, and my cousin, Ann. I miss all of you so much.
Finally, I would like to thank my aunt, Rosemary, for all of her prayers.

Contents
Acknowledgments ................................................................................xv
About the Author. ...............................................................................xvii
Introduction .........................................................................................xix
Chapter 1 What Exactly Is Agile? .......................................................1
Agile Is Faster ...............................................................................2
Agile Changes Are Inherent ......................................................2
Agile Is Value- Focused ...............................................................3
Agile Is Risk- Focused ..................................................................4
Agile Methods Support the Delivery of High- Quality
Products ........................................................................................4
Agile Manifesto ...........................................................................4
Traditional Project Management ..............................................5
Moving to Agile ...........................................................................6
Chapter Summary .......................................................................6
Chapter 2 Agile Concepts ...................................................................9
Agile Values ..................................................................................9
Recap ......................................................................................11
Agile Guiding Principles ..........................................................11
Declaration of Interdependence ..............................................16
Chapter Summary .....................................................................18
Chapter 3 The Most Popular Agile Methods ...................................19
Scrum Overview ........................................................................22
Scrum Transparency ............................................................23
Adaptation .............................................................................24
Inspection ..............................................................................27
Iterative and Incremental Development ...........................28
Time- Boxing .........................................................................28
Collaboration .......................................................................28
Self-O rganization .................................................................29
vii
viii • Contents
Scrum Management and Leadership Styles ......................29
Scrum Roles and Responsibilities ......................................29
Product Owner ................................................................30
ScrumMaster ...................................................................30
Scrum Team ......................................................................31
Scrum Planning .........................................................................31
Sprints ....................................................................................31
Core Values of Scrum ...............................................................32
Sprint Artifacts (Deliverables) .................................................33
Product Vision ......................................................................33
Prioritized Product Backlog ................................................33
Sprint Goal .............................................................................33
Sprint Backlog .......................................................................33
Blocks List .............................................................................34
Sprint (Product) Increment ................................................34
Sprint Burndown Chart ......................................................34
Scrum Board ..........................................................................35
Recap of Scrum .....................................................................35
Extreme Programming (XP) Overview .................................35
XP Core Values .....................................................................36
XP Roles and Responsibilities .............................................37
Customer ...........................................................................37
Developer ..........................................................................37
Tracker ...............................................................................37
Coach .................................................................................38
XP Core Practices .................................................................38
Recap of XP ..........................................................................40
Chapter Summary .....................................................................41
Chapter 4 Agile Tools ........................................................................43
Agile Project Management Tools ...........................................43
Tools Review and Analysis Process ...................................44
Agile Automated Tools ........................................................47
Build Automation Tools ......................................................48
Cameras .................................................................................49
Collaboration Tools ..............................................................49
Task Boards ...........................................................................50
Chapter Summary .....................................................................50