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Agile Earned Value Management: Bridging the Gap Between Agility and Traditional Project Control
Author: Dr. Anya Sharma, PMP, PgMP, PMI-ACP
Dr. Sharma is a globally recognized expert in project management with over 15 years of experience in implementing and improving project delivery methodologies. She holds a PhD in Project Management from Stanford University, is a Project Management Professional (PMP), a Program Management Professional (PgMP), and a PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP). Her research focuses on the intersection of agile and traditional project management techniques.
Publisher: Project Management Institute (PMI) Publications
PMI Publications is a leading publisher of project management resources, known for its rigorous editorial standards and commitment to providing high-quality, credible information to project management professionals worldwide. They are the authoritative voice in the project management field.
Editor: Mr. David Miller, PMP, PMI-SP
Mr. Miller is a seasoned project management editor with over 20 years of experience working with PMI. His expertise lies in ensuring clarity, accuracy, and accessibility of complex project management concepts.
Keywords: Agile Earned Value Management, Agile EVM, Earned Value Management Agile, Agile Project Control, Agile Metrics, Project Performance Measurement, Agile Cost Control, Agile Schedule Management, Scrum Earned Value, Kanban Earned Value
Abstract: This article explores the challenges and opportunities presented by integrating earned value management (EVM) principles with agile methodologies. While EVM traditionally supports predictive project management, this paper argues that a modified approach can provide valuable insights into agile project performance, enabling better decision-making and risk mitigation. We will examine practical techniques for adapting EVM to agile contexts and discuss critical considerations for successful implementation.
1. The Traditional Divide: EVM and Agile Methodologies
Earned Value Management (EVM) is a powerful project management technique used to measure schedule and cost performance. It relies on detailed planning and predictable work breakdown structures, often at odds with the iterative and adaptive nature of agile methodologies. Traditional EVM struggles with the inherent uncertainty and frequent changes common in agile projects. The rigidity of defined scopes and timelines clashes with agile's embrace of flexibility and continuous feedback. This fundamental difference has often led to a perceived incompatibility between the two approaches.
2. The Need for Agile Earned Value Management
Despite the apparent incompatibility, there's a growing need for a system that provides reliable performance insights in agile projects. Stakeholders still require visibility into project progress, cost performance, and potential risks. While agile excels at delivering incremental value, it often lacks comprehensive, quantitative metrics to assess overall project health. Agile earned value management aims to bridge this gap by adapting the core principles of EVM to the agile framework.
3. Adapting EVM for Agile Environments: Practical Approaches
Several approaches can be taken to adapt EVM for agile projects. One strategy involves aligning EVM with agile sprints. Instead of using a large, upfront Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), smaller, sprint-level WBSs can be created, allowing for more frequent performance measurement. Value can be earned based on the completion of sprint goals or user stories, providing a granular view of progress.
Another approach involves focusing on high-level value rather than highly detailed tasks. Instead of tracking individual tasks, progress can be measured against the delivery of key features or functionalities. This allows for flexibility while still providing a high-level overview of project performance.
The use of story points, a common agile metric, can be integrated with EVM. Story points can be used as a proxy for effort or value, allowing for the calculation of earned value based on completed story points.
4. Challenges in Implementing Agile Earned Value Management
Implementing agile earned value management presents unique challenges. The iterative nature of agile means that the baseline plan is constantly evolving, making it difficult to maintain the accuracy of EVM calculations. Maintaining a consistent definition of "complete" across sprints and iterations can also be difficult, especially with rapidly changing requirements. Furthermore, the overhead associated with tracking EVM metrics can impact agile team velocity if not carefully managed. Finally, resistance to change from team members accustomed to traditional agile practices can hinder implementation.
5. Opportunities and Benefits of Agile Earned Value Management
Despite the challenges, the opportunities presented by agile earned value management are significant. It allows for better visibility into project performance, providing data-driven insights for informed decision-making. It enables early identification of potential cost overruns or schedule delays, allowing for proactive mitigation strategies. It fosters better communication and transparency between the development team and stakeholders, promoting alignment and trust. Finally, it provides a framework for comparing the performance of different agile projects, enabling continuous improvement.
6. Key Considerations for Success
Successful implementation of agile earned value management requires careful planning and execution. This includes selecting the right metrics, establishing clear definitions of value, and integrating EVM into the existing agile processes seamlessly. Training and coaching are essential to ensure team buy-in and understanding. Regular review and adjustment of the EVM process are crucial to adapt to the evolving nature of agile projects.
7. Tools and Technologies
Several software tools are available to support agile earned value management. These tools integrate agile project management software with EVM calculations, providing automated reporting and analysis. Choosing the right tool depends on the specific needs and context of the project.
Conclusion
Agile earned value management is not a simple replacement of traditional EVM, but rather a carefully considered adaptation for the dynamic context of agile development. While it presents challenges, the benefits of enhanced project visibility, improved decision-making, and better stakeholder communication make it a valuable investment. By addressing the challenges proactively and focusing on practical implementation strategies, organizations can leverage the power of agile earned value management to optimize project performance and deliver successful outcomes.
FAQs:
1. What is the main difference between traditional EVM and agile EVM? Traditional EVM relies on a fixed scope and timeline, while agile EVM adapts to iterative development and changing requirements.
2. Can agile EVM be used with Scrum? Yes, agile EVM can be adapted to fit Scrum, using sprints as the basis for measuring earned value.
3. What are some common metrics used in agile EVM? Story points, completed user stories, and features delivered are common metrics.
4. How often should agile EVM data be reported? Reporting frequency depends on project needs, but daily, weekly, or sprint-level reports are common.
5. What are the biggest challenges in implementing agile EVM? Maintaining accurate baselines, defining "complete" for evolving work, and managing overhead are key challenges.
6. What software tools can support agile EVM? Several project management software solutions offer features to integrate EVM calculations with agile methodologies.
7. Can agile EVM be used for all types of agile projects? While adaptable, it might be more suitable for projects with a significant focus on delivering quantifiable value.
8. How can resistance to change be overcome when implementing agile EVM? Effective communication, training, and demonstrating the benefits are essential to overcome resistance.
9. Is agile EVM suitable for small projects? While the overhead might be disproportionate for very small projects, it can still provide value for projects with moderate complexity.
Related Articles:
1. "Integrating Earned Value Management with Agile: A Case Study": This article presents a real-world example of how a company successfully implemented agile EVM, highlighting best practices and lessons learned.
2. "Agile Earned Value Management: A Practical Guide": A step-by-step guide detailing the process of implementing agile EVM, including choosing metrics and reporting techniques.
3. "Overcoming Challenges in Agile Earned Value Management": This article focuses specifically on common challenges and offers strategies for overcoming them.
4. "The Role of Agile Earned Value Management in Risk Management": This paper explores how agile EVM can be used to identify and mitigate project risks early on.
5. "Agile Earned Value Management and Stakeholder Communication": This article emphasizes the importance of communication and transparency in agile EVM.
6. "Comparing Agile Earned Value Management with Traditional EVM": A comparative analysis of the two approaches, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses.
7. "Agile Earned Value Management for Software Development Projects": This article focuses on the specific application of agile EVM in the context of software development.
8. "The Impact of Agile Earned Value Management on Project Success": Research-based analysis of the correlation between agile EVM implementation and successful project outcomes.
9. "Agile Earned Value Management: A Literature Review": A comprehensive review of existing research and publications on agile EVM.
| agile earned value management: Earned Value Management , 2008 |
| agile earned value management: The Standard for Earned Value Management Project Management Institute, 2020-04-13 Earned value management (EVM) is a management methodology for integrating scope, schedule, and resources; objectively measuring project performance and progress; and forecasting project outcome. It is considered by many to be one of the most effective performance measurement and feedback tools for managing projects. The Standard for Earned Value Management builds on the concepts for EVM described in the Practice Standard for Earned Value Management and includes enhanced project delivery information, by integrating concepts and practices from the PMBOK® Guide – Sixth Edition and The Agile Practice Guide. A central theme in this standard is the recognition that the definition for value in EVM has expanded. While the term retains its traditional definition in terms of project cost, it embraces current practice by including the concept of earned schedule. This standard also integrates hybrid methodologies that blend together historical EVM concepts with the needs of the agile practitioner, all with an eye towards aiding the project team in enhancing overall project delivery. This standard is a useful tool for experienced project management practitioners who are seeking to expand and update their knowledge of the field as well as less experienced practitioners who want to learn other approaches for managing project performance. It provides insight and detailed explanations of the basic elements and processes of EVM, and demonstrates how to scale EVM to fit varying project sizes and situations. This standard includes graphical examples and detailed explanations that will enable the reader to establish and implement EVM on projects in almost any environment and of almost every size. When used together with good project management principles, EVM methodology will provide a greater return on any project and results that will directly benefit your organization. |
| agile earned value management: Integrated Project Management and Earned Value Humphreys & Associates, 2021-04-04 This book is about integrated project management. It is not about all aspects of project management but it includes some of the most important aspects. All projects contain three elements; scope of work, a scheduled time frame in which the work must be accomplished, and a budget to perform the work. Integrating these three elements using Earned Value Management provides the basis for effective project management. This book discusses how the planning, control, and management of projects can be improved through the use of Earned Value. |
| agile earned value management: Benefit/Cost-Driven Software Development Jo Erskine Hannay, 2021 This open access book presents a set of basic techniques for estimating the benefit of IT development projects and portfolios. It also offers methods for monitoring how much of that estimated benefit is being achieved during projects. Readers can then use these benefit estimates together with cost estimates to create a benefit/cost index to help them decide which functionalities to send into construction and in what order. This allows them to focus on constructing the functionality that offers the best value for money at an early stage. Although benefits management involves a wide range of activities in addition to estimation and monitoring, the techniques in this book provides a clear guide to achieving what has always been the goal of project and portfolio stakeholders: developing systems that produce as much usefulness and value as possible for the money invested. The techniques can also help deal with vicarious motives and obstacles that prevent this happening. The book equips readers to recognize when a project budget should not be spent in full and resources be allocated elsewhere in a portfolio instead. It also provides development managers and upper management with common ground as a basis for making informed decisions. |
| agile earned value management: PMP Exam Master Prep Scott Payne, 2018-02-08 |
| agile earned value management: Evolving Software Processes Arif Ali Khan, Dac-Nhuong Le, 2022-01-05 EVOLVING SOFTWARE PROCESSES The book provides basic building blocks of evolution in software processes, such as DevOps, scaling agile process in GSD, in order to lay a solid foundation for successful and sustainable future processes. One might argue that there are already many books that include descriptions of software processes. The answer is “yes, but.” Becoming acquainted with existing software processes is not enough. It is tremendously important to understand the evolution and advancement in software processes so that developers appropriately address the problems, applications, and environments to which they are applied. Providing basic knowledge for these important tasks is the main goal of this book. Industry is in search of software process management capabilities. The emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic emphasizes the industry’s need for software-specific process management capabilities. Most of today’s products and services are based to a significant degree on software and are the results of largescale development programs. The success of such programs heavily depends on process management capabilities, because they typically require the coordination of hundreds or thousands of developers across different disciplines. Additionally, software and system development are usually distributed across geographical, cultural and temporal boundaries, which make the process management activities more challenging in the current pandemic situation. This book presents an extremely comprehensive overview of the evolution in software processes and provides a platform for practitioners, researchers and students to discuss the studies used for managing aspects of the software process, including managerial, organizational, economic and technical. It provides an opportunity to present empirical evidence, as well as proposes new techniques, tools, frameworks and approaches to maximize the significance of software process management. Audience The book will be used by practitioners, researchers, software engineers, and those in software process management, DevOps, agile and global software development. |
| agile earned value management: Using Earned Value Alan Webb, 2017-05-15 The concept of 'earned value' as a project management tool has been around since the 1960s; although recognized as an important technique and widely used on US Government contracts, it failed to excite much interest in the wider world because of its specifically American requirements and the cumbersome, prescriptive bureaucracy that seemed to accompany it. Recently however, with the advent of suitable software and used in a much more flexible way, there has been a growth in interest among project managers. Crucially it has been recognised that this technique can be helpful in a wide variety of projects of almost any size, not just government projects costing billions of pounds. In essence, earned value allows the project manager a more precise view of actual project performance in terms of both value generated and schedule progress than is possible with any other approach. Alan Webb's concise guide provides practising project managers with everything they need to: ¢ assess the appropriateness and benefits of the earned value process for both their project(s) and their organization; ¢ appreciate, understand and learn the techniques involved; ¢ identify how to apply the data to manage projects with flexibility, pragmatism and rigour; ¢ understand the different features and benefits of the various software packages available; ¢ plan for the introduction of an earned value methodology, anticipating both the systems and people problems they may face. The book uses worked examples, cases and anecdotes from the author's own extensive experience to bring this technical subject to life. Alan's writing style is direct and economical, which means that whether you are dipping into chapters for reference or reading about the process from cover to cover, everything he has to say is pertinent and helpful. |
| agile earned value management: Agile Practice Guide , 2017-09-06 Agile Practice Guide – First Edition has been developed as a resource to understand, evaluate, and use agile and hybrid agile approaches. This practice guide provides guidance on when, where, and how to apply agile approaches and provides practical tools for practitioners and organizations wanting to increase agility. This practice guide is aligned with other PMI standards, including A Guide to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK® Guide) – Sixth Edition, and was developed as the result of collaboration between the Project Management Institute and the Agile Alliance. |
| agile earned value management: Earned Value Management Lingguang Song, 2010-04-01 Funded by a research grant from Project Management Institute (PMI) and PMI's College of Performance Management (CPM), this study's aim is to help project managers better comprehend and gauge the current level of EVM practice and its user base. A key element of the research is a survey of more than 600 project management practitioners, providing a cross-sectional view of the most current EVM practices. To provide practical and meaningful comparison of EVM practice, respondents are classified by industry sector, motivation for EVM usage, organization role, and geographic location. |
| agile earned value management: Analytical Hierarchy Process, Earned Value and Other Project Management Themes Ricardo Viana Vargas, Sergio Alves Lima Jardim, 2014-09-26 Twelve technical articles from 1999 to 2014 that will help the understanding of the project management context. |
| agile earned value management: Earned Value Project Management Quentin W. Fleming, Joel M. Koppelman, 2000 Earned value is a project management technique that is emerging as a valuable tool in the management of all projects, including and, in particular, software projects. In its most simple form, earned value equates to fundamental project management. This is not a new book, but rather it is an updated book. Authors Quentin Fleming and Joel Koppelman have made some important additions. In many cases, there will be no changes to a given section. But in other sections, the authors have made substantial revisions to what they had described in the first edition. Fleming and Koppelman's goal remains the same with this update; describe earned value project management in its most fundamental form, for application to all projects, of any size or complexity. Writing in an easy-to-read, friendly, and humorous style characteristic of the best teachers, Fleming and Koppelman have identified the minimum requirements that they feel are necessary to use earned value as a simple tool for project managers. They have also witnessed the use of simple earned value on software projects, and find it particularly exciting. Realistically, a Cost Performance Index (CPI) is the same whether the project is a multibillion-dollar high-technology project, or a simple one hundred thousand-dollar software project. A CPI is a CPI ... period. It is a solid metric that reflects the health of the project. In every chapter, Fleming and Koppelman stick with using simple stories to define their central concept. Their project examples range from peeling potatoes to building a house. Examples are in rounc numbers, and most formulas get no more complicated than one number divided by another. Earned Value ProjectManagement--second edition may be the best-written, most easily understood project management book on the market today. Project managers will welcome this fresh translation of jargon into ordinary English. The authors have mastered a unique early-warning signal of impending cost problems in time for the project manager to react. |
| agile earned value management: Performance-Based Earned Value Paul Solomon, Ralph Young, 2007 A complete toolkit for implementation of Earned Value Management Performance-Based Earned Value uniquely shows project managers how to effectively integrate technical, schedule, and cost objectives by improving earned value management (EVM) practices. Providing innovative guidelines, methods, examples, and templates consistent with capability models and standards, this book approaches EVM from a practical level with understandable techniques that are applicable to the management of any project. Clear and unambiguous instructions explain how to incorporate EVM with key systems engineering, software engineering, and project management processes such as establishing the technical or quality baseline, requirements management, using product metrics, and meeting success criteria for technical reviews. Detailed information is included on linking product requirements, project work products, the project plan, and the Performance Measurement Baseline (PMB), as well as correlating technical performance measures (TPM) with EVM. With straightforward instructions on how to use EVM on a simple project, such as building a house, and on complex projects, such as high-risk IT and engineering development projects, it is the only book that includes excerpts from the PMI®'s Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK®), CMMI, the EVM System standard, systems engineering standards, federal acquisition regulations, and Department of Defense guides. Performance-Based Earned Value allows both novices and experienced project managers, including project manager of suppliers and customers in the commercial and government sectors; software and systems engineering process improvement leaders; CMMI appraisers; PMI members; and IEEE Computer Society members to: Incorporate product requirements and planned quality into the PMB Conduct an Integrated Baseline Review Analyze performance reports Perform independent assessments and predictive analysis Ensure that key TPMs are selected, monitored, and reported Identify the right success criteria for technical reviews Develop techniques for monitoring and controlling supplier performance Integrate risk management with EVM Comply with government acquisition policies and regulations Written by Paul Solomon and Ralph Young, internationally recognized industry experts, Performance-Based Earned Value is constructed from guidance in standards and capability models for EVM, systems engineering, software engineering, and project management. It is the complete guide to EVM, invaluable in helping students prepare for the PMI®-PMP® exam with practical examples and templates to facilitate understanding, and in guiding project professionals in the private and public sectors to use EVM on complex projects. (PMI, PMBOK, PMP, and Project Management Professional are registered marks of the Project Management Institute, Inc.) |
| agile earned value management: Earned Value Management – Fast Start Guide Roland Wanner, 2020-02-16 Discover How to Make Your Project Control Even More Effective and Bring More Transparency and Security to Your Projects This book covers the basic concepts of EARNED VALUE MANAGEMENT in an easy understandable way. You will find on more than 200 pages comprehensive knowledge about Earned Value Management, simply explained with more than 50 illustrations – and aligned with the PMBOK® Guide 6th Edition 2018. Project control and reporting of costs, schedules, technical progress and risks is essential in projects. With EARNED VALUE MANAGEMENT (EVM) you get an extremely effective project control tool to bring the necessary transparency and security to your projects. Find out the answers to this difficult questions: - The actual costs are lower than the planned costs. Does this mean that the project is working well or that it is behind schedule? - The actual costs are higher than the planned costs and the project is half completed. What are the estimated costs of the project when it is completed? - When will the project be completed? - How efficiently are we using our time and resources? - How much will the profit or ROI be at the end of the project? With the answers to these questions you will quickly know the real status and health of your project. Overly optimistic estimates regarding actual project progress are quickly revealed with the EVM performance figures. This way you obtain early warning signals to manage y our project successfully and you can also make early forecasts of the project end costs and the probable project duration. In this book you will discover the most important concepts of Earned Value Management in order to apply it successfully. You will learn about the following topics: - Project control fundamentals - The Genesis of Earned Value Management - What is Earned Value Management and why do we need it? - Project and budget planning when using Earned Value Management - The calculation of the Earned Values and its derived EVM performance figures - Project monitoring and forecasts with EVM performance figures - Reporting when using Earned Value Management - Implementing Earned Value Management With its comprehensive glossary containing definitions of all key terms, this book is equally suitable as a comprehensive introduction and as a reference book for everyday work. This book is an indispensable manual for beginners in the EVM topic but also for experienced Project Managers, Project Controls Specialists and Project Portfolio Managers who have the first contact with EVM. The terminology used in this book is Check out the preview! Buy this book to make your projects even more successful! |
| agile earned value management: Practice Standard for Earned Value Management Project Management Institute, 2006-06 The Practice Standard for Earned Value Management expands on the earned value information in A Guide to the Project Management Body fo Knowledge (PMBOK Guide) - Third Edition. EVM is often referred to as management with the lights on because it helps objectively and succincly identify where a project is where it is going. The methodology incorporates project scope, schedule and costs, and the process is applicable across many Knowledge Areas and Process Groups. |
| agile earned value management: Agile and Iterative Development Craig Larman, 2004 This is the definitive guide for managers and students to agile and iterativedevelopment methods: what they are, how they work, how to implement them, andwhy they should. |
| agile earned value management: The Business Value of Agile Software Methods David F. Rico, Hasan H. Sayani, Saya Sone, 2009-10-15 Whether to continue using traditional cost and benefit analysis methods such as systems and software engineering standards or to use a relatively new family of software development processes known as Agile methods is one of most prevalent questions within the information technology field today. Since each family of methods has its strengths and weaknesses, the question being raised by a growing number of executives and practitioners is: Which family of methods provides the greater business value and return on investment (ROI)? Whereas traditional methods have been in use for many decades, Agile methods are still a new phenomenon and, until now, very little literature has existed on how to quantify the business value of Agile methods in economic terms, such as ROI and net present value (NPV). Using cost of quality, total cost of ownership, and total life cycle cost parameters, The Business Value of Agile Software Methods offers a comprehensive methodology and introduces the industry's initial top-down parametric models for quantifying the costs and benefits of using Agile methods to create innovative software products. Based on real-world data, it illustrates the first simple-to-use parametric models of Real Options for estimating the business value of Agile methods since the inception of the Nobel prize winning Black-Scholes formulas. Numerous examples on how to estimate the costs, benefits, ROI, NPV, and real options of the major types of Agile methods such as Scrum, Extreme Programming and Crystal Methods are also included. In addition, this reference provides the first comprehensive compilation of cost and benefit data on Agile methods from an analysis of hundreds of research studies.The Business Value of Agile Software Methods shatters key myths and misconceptions surrounding the modern-day phenomenon of Agile methods for creating innovative software products. It provides a complete business value comparison between traditional and Agile methods. The keys to maximizing the business value of any method are low costs and high benefits and the business value of Agile methods, when compared to traditional methods, proves to be very impressive. Agile methods are a new model of project management that can be used to improve the success, business value, and ROI of high-risk and highly complex IT projects in today's dynamic, turbulent, and highly uncertain marketplace. If you are an executive, manager, scholar, student, consultant or practitioner currently on the fence, you need to read this book! |
| agile earned value management: Agile for Project Managers Denise Canty, 2015-02-24 Agile project management is a proven approach for designing and delivering software with improved value to customers. Agility is all about self-directed teams, feedback, light documentation, and working software with shorter development cycles.The role of the project manager with agile differs significantly from traditional project management in th |
| agile earned value management: The Practitioner's Handbook of Project Performance Mark Phillips, 2019-11-11 Practitioners operate in a necessary reality. We work in a space where project performance is above theory or methodology. In the best environments, delivery and an affirmative culture are what matter most. In the worst, it is politics and survival. In any environment we are challenged to adopt best practices and adapt our style to the environment in which the project is occurring. This is a book about those best practices and practitioner experiences. It is a must have reference and guide book for project managers, general managers, business leaders and project management researchers. This book is the result of the hard work and dedication of more than 35 authors from more than 15 countries across four continents. It brings a diversity of experience, professional and personal. It includes practitioners, leading academics, renowned theorists and many who straddle those roles. The chapters cover experiences in software, large scale infrastructure projects, finance and health care, to name a few. The chapters themselves take many forms. Check out the table of contents to get a deeper sense of the topics included. All provide real-world guidance on delivering high performing projects and show you how to build, lead and manage high performing teams. The Practitioners Handbook of Project Performance is complete in itself. It can also be an enticing start to an ongoing dialogue with the authors and a pleasurable path to get deeper into the subject of project performance. Find your favorite place to begin learning from these chapters, to begin taking notes and taking away nuggets to use in your everyday. But don’t stop there. Contact information and further resources for this diverse team of experts authors are found throughout. The Practitioners Handbook is a modern guide to the leading edge of project performance management and a path to the future of project delivery. |
| agile earned value management: The Fast Forward MBA in Project Management Eric Verzuh, 2015-11-09 The all-inclusive guide to exceptional project management The Fast Forward MBA in Project Management is the comprehensive guide to real-world project management methods, tools, and techniques. Practical, easy-to-use, and deeply thorough, this book gives you answers you need now. You'll find the cutting-edge ideas and hard-won wisdom of one of the field's leading experts, delivered in short, lively segments that address common management issues. Brief descriptions of important concepts, tips on real-world applications, and compact case studies illustrate the most sought-after skills and the pitfalls you should watch out for. This new fifth edition features new case studies, new information on engaging stakeholders, change management, new guidance on using Agile techniques, and new content that integrates current events and trends in the project management sphere. Project management is a complex role, with seemingly conflicting demands that must be coordinated into a single, overarching, executable strategy — all within certain time, resource, and budget constraints. This book shows you how to get it all together and get it done, with expert guidance every step of the way. Navigate complex management issues effectively Master key concepts and real-world applications Learn from case studies of today's leading experts Keep your project on track, on time, and on budget From finding the right sponsor to clarifying objectives to setting a realistic schedule and budget projection, all across different departments, executive levels, or technical domains, project management incorporates a wide range of competencies. The Fast Forward MBA in Project Management shows you what you need to know, the best way to do it, and what to watch out for along the way. |
| agile earned value management: The Art of Agile Development James Shore, Shane Warden, 2008 For those considering Extreme Programming, this book provides no-nonsense advice on agile planning, development, delivery, and management taken from the authors' many years of experience. While plenty of books address the what and why of agile development, very few offer the information users can apply directly. |
| agile earned value management: Agile Software Development with Scrum Ken Schwaber, Mike Beedle, 2002 Arguably the most important book about managing technology and systems development efforts, this book describes building systems using the deceptively simple process, Scrum. Readers will come to understand a new approach to systems development projects that cuts through the complexity and ambiguity of complex, emergent requirements and unstable technology to iteratively and quickly produce quality software. BENEFITS Learn how to immediately start producing software incrementally regardless of existing engineering practices or methodologies Learn how to simplify the implementation of Agile processes Learn how to simplify XP implementation through a Scrum wrapper Learn why Agile processes work and how to manage them Understand the theoretical underpinnings of Agile processes |
| agile earned value management: Agile Excellence for Product Managers Greg Cohen, 2010 Agile Excellence for Product Managers is a plain-speaking guide on how to work with Agile development teams to achieve phenomenal product success. It covers the why and how of agile development (including Scrum, XP, and Lean, ) the role of product management, release planning, and more. |
| agile earned value management: Lean but Agile William Rothwell, Jim Graber, Neil McCormick, 2012-01-30 As organizations strive to meet stringent budgets, the mandate to produce greater results with fewer resources is no longer sufficient. Rather than accepting less, managers and executives must strive for better--evaluating every process and every role and doing away with assumptions about how work gets done and who does it in order to streamline processes and maximize efficiency. William Rothwell, who was honored with the ASTD Distinguished Contribution Award in Workplace Learning and Peformance, presents a system for analyzing work and selecting the ideal combination of cost-effective resources--employees, consultants, contractors, temporary workers, and vendors--to accomplish it. Lean but Agile does this by teaching readers to focus on outcomes and work backwards--exploring the introduction, implementation, and management of lean work and agile staffing methods that will produce those outcomes. You’ll also learn about advantageous changes in hiring, goal-setting, learning and development, and performance management, and the fundamental role technology can play in transforming your processes. Packed with practical advice, examples, guides, worksheets, diagrams, and metrics, Lean but Agile will help leaders, managers, and human resource professionals optimize their workforces while still achieving superior results. |
| agile earned value management: Hybrid Project Management Mark Tolbert, Susan Parente, 2020-10-08 Compared to a few decades ago, companies today are faced with a much more challenging environment providing successful products and solutions for their customers. They are dealing with global competition, very rapid change in technologies, and tremendous volatility in economic conditions. As project managers, we are helping our companies survive in this difficult landscape. We are “agents of change” and “drivers of change.” The most important project management methodology today that will help us deal with this change and this volatility is Agile. However, no one process or project management methodology fits all situations! Agile is not a panacea for all projects. Many times, our projects are large enough and complex enough that some parts of the project are best suited to using a predictive planning approach, and other parts are more suited to using Agile. Therefore, a hybrid approach that mixes the traditional, waterfall approach with Agile is really required in many situations today. The agile community oftentimes has quite a negative view of hybrid approaches. Key writers on Agile often say that attempting to use hybrid will corrupt all attempts to use Agile, and will result in failure. In this book, the argument is made that integrating these methodologies can be done if approached the right way, and in fact, this is necessary today. |
| agile earned value management: Agile Portfolio Management Klaus Nielsen, 2021-09-27 Agile Portfolio Management deals with how an organization identifies, prioritizes, organizes, and manages different products. This is done in a streamlined way in order to optimize the development of value in a manner that’s sustainable in the long run. It ensures that a company provides their clients with the best value for their investment. A good portfolio manager understands and follows the agile principles while also considering the various factors needed to successfully manage numerous teams and projects. The project management offices of many organizations are faced with the reality of more and more agile deliverables as part of agile transformations; however, they lack the knowledge to perform these tasks. Researchers and practitioners have a good understanding of project, program, and portfolio management from a plan-based perspective. They have common standards from Axelos, PMI, and others, so they know the best practices. The understanding of agile on a team level is fairly mature and the knowledge of more agile teams (scaling) is increasing. However, the knowledge of agile portfolio management is still limited. The aim of this book is to give the reader an understanding of management of a portfolio of agile deliverables, what the options are (theory), what we know (research), and what others are doing (practice). Many organizations in banking or insurance, to name a few, are in the middle of major agile transformations with limited knowledge of the practice. In this book, the author collects and analyzes common practices in various industries. He provides both theory and, through case studies, the practical aspects of agile portfolio management. |
| agile earned value management: Scrum Project Management Kim H. Pries, Jon M. Quigley, 2010-08-17 Originally created for agile software development, scrum provides project managers with the flexibility needed to meet ever-changing consumer demands. Presenting a modified version of the agile software development framework, Scrum Project Management introduces Scrum basics and explains how to apply this adaptive technique to effectively manage a w |
| agile earned value management: Agile Project Management Gary Chin, 2004-01 In a fast-paced environment filled with uncertainty, successfully completing projects on time can feel like running an obstacle course. An emphasis on speed often forces project teams to make decisions without crucial data, leading to frequent changes of direction once more information becomes known. If people aren’t light on their feet, complicated projects can easily get tripped up. Agile Project Management gives readers the strategies they need to take charge of urgent projects that involve unique resources and elements of uncertainty. The book offers an improvement upon classical project management processes by tying project processes more directly to the ever-changing requirements of business objectives -- achieving improved flexibility and response time. Filled with examples showing how to implement agile PM into all project situations, the book demonstrates how to develop an appropriate and supportive infrastructure and environment, and reviews the roles of the project manager, general management, and the project team. Agile Project Management is the ultimate method for achieving superior results in an accelerated and changing environment. |
| agile earned value management: User Story Mapping Jeff Patton, Peter Economy, 2014-09-05 User story mapping is a valuable tool for software development, once you understand why and how to use it. This insightful book examines how this often misunderstood technique can help your team stay focused on users and their needs without getting lost in the enthusiasm for individual product features. Author Jeff Patton shows you how changeable story maps enable your team to hold better conversations about the project throughout the development process. Your team will learn to come away with a shared understanding of what you’re attempting to build and why. Get a high-level view of story mapping, with an exercise to learn key concepts quickly Understand how stories really work, and how they come to life in Agile and Lean projects Dive into a story’s lifecycle, starting with opportunities and moving deeper into discovery Prepare your stories, pay attention while they’re built, and learn from those you convert to working software |
| agile earned value management: Agile Project Management with Kanban Eric Brechner, 2015 With Kanban, every minute you spend on a software project can add value for customers. One book can help you achieve this goal: Agile Project Management with Kanban. Author Eric Brechner pioneered Kanban within the Xbox engineering team at Microsoft. Now he shows you exactly how to make it work for your team. Think of this book as {28}Kanban in a box. |
| agile earned value management: The Earned Value Management Maturity Model Ray W. Stratton, Ray W. Stratton PMP, EVP, 2006-09 The Earned Value Management Maturity Model® gives you the fundamental tools needed to build an effective Earned Value Management System (EVMS). This must-have resource makes earned value management easy by defining a maturity model and describing metrics to measure the health and efficiency of your EVMS. Discover valuable ways to improve your EVMS and achieve project success. Through point by point discussions, you will: • Gain fundamental knowledge of Earned Value Management (EVM) • Learn how EVM can be applied to a team, project, program, or organization • Understand how to define what your organization wants from its EVMS • Discover a five stage maturity model for EVMS implementation • Bring your EVMS in line with ANSI 748 guidelines • Review many real or imagined impediments to implementing EVM and how to overcome the real ones PLUS — You'll gain practical EVM experience through a comprehensive case study that follows a fictional company and newly hired project manager. By applying the EVM knowledge and skills covered in the book, the project manager illustrates the ease of implementing an effective EVMS! |
| agile earned value management: Agile Project Management Jim Highsmith, 2009-07-10 Best practices for managing projects in agile environments—now updated with new techniques for larger projects Today, the pace of project management moves faster. Project management needs to become more flexible and far more responsive to customers. Using Agile Project Management (APM), project managers can achieve all these goals without compromising value, quality, or business discipline. In Agile Project Management, Second Edition, renowned agile pioneer Jim Highsmith thoroughly updates his classic guide to APM, extending and refining it to support even the largest projects and organizations. Writing for project leaders, managers, and executives at all levels, Highsmith integrates the best project management, product management, and software development practices into an overall framework designed to support unprecedented speed and mobility. The many topics added in this new edition include incorporating agile values, scaling agile projects, release planning, portfolio governance, and enhancing organizational agility. Project and business leaders will especially appreciate Highsmith’s new coverage of promoting agility through performance measurements based on value, quality, and constraints. This edition’s coverage includes: Understanding the agile revolution’s impact on product development Recognizing when agile methods will work in project management, and when they won’t Setting realistic business objectives for Agile Project Management Promoting agile values and principles across the organization Utilizing a proven Agile Enterprise Framework that encompasses governance, project and iteration management, and technical practices Optimizing all five stages of the agile project: Envision, Speculate, Explore, Adapt, and Close Organizational and product-related processes for scaling agile to the largest projects and teams Agile project governance solutions for executives and management The “Agile Triangle”: measuring performance in ways that encourage agility instead of discouraging it The changing role of the agile project leader |
| agile earned value management: Agile Career Development Mary Ann Bopp, Diana Bing, Sheila Forte-Trammell, 2009-08-17 Supercharge Performance by Linking Employee-Driven Career Development with Business Goals How do you make career development work for both the employee and the business? IBM® has done it by tightly linking employee-driven career development programs with corporate goals. In Agile Career Development, three of IBM’s leading HR innovators show how IBM has accomplished this by illustrating various lessons and approaches that can be applied to other organizations as well. This book is for every HR professional, learning or training manager, executive, strategist, and any other business leader who wants to create a high performing organization. “In the 21st century, there will be an increasing competitive need for any company to operate as a globally integrated enterprise that can effectively develop and then tap the skills and capabilities of its workforce anywhere in the world. In IBM, we have worked to enable a workforce that is adaptive, flexible, and capable of responding to changes in the marketplace and the needs of our clients. Agile Career Development shows how focusing on career development opportunities and guidance for employees is a key factor in our business strategy and a major source of value for IBM employees. This book can be used as a guide to any organization that is seeking to find practical ways to develop the talent of its workforce.” –J. Randall MacDonald, Senior Vice President, IBM Human Resources “This book highlights tried and true best practices developed at a company known the world over for active dedication to their workforce. Mary Ann, Diana, and Sheila have captured the key issues that will enhance and streamline your career development program and, subsequently, increase employee engagement, retention, and productivity. I particularly like their practical, real-life understanding of the barriers to most career development programs and the manageable framework to bring career growth to life. They also teach us how to make a business case for career development–critical in creating the foundation for a sustainable program. This includes a good blend of benefits both for the individual employee and the organization as a whole. I only wish I had this book available to me years ago when I was managing a career development program!” –Jim Kirkpatrick, Ph.D., author of Implementing the Four Levels of Transferring Learning to Behavior |
| agile earned value management: Antiquities from Boeotia, Tanagra, Greece Etc. Also Persians, Enamel Faïence Etc , 1903 |
| agile earned value management: Large-Scale Scrum Craig Larman, Bas Vodde, 2016-09-30 The Go-To Resource for Large-Scale Organizations to Be Agile Rather than asking, “How can we do agile at scale in our big complex organization?” a different and deeper question is, “How can we have the same simple structure that Scrum offers for the organization, and be agile at scale rather than do agile?” This profound insight is at the heart of LeSS (Large-Scale Scrum). In Large-Scale Scrum: More with LeSS, Craig Larman and Bas Vodde have distilled over a decade of experience in large-scale LeSS adoptions towards a simpler organization that delivers more flexibility with less complexity, more value with less waste, and more purpose with less prescription. Targeted to anyone involved in large-scale development, Large-Scale Scrum: More with LeSS, offers straight-to-the-point guides for how to be agile at scale, with LeSS. It will clearly guide you to Adopt LeSS Structure a large development organization for customer value Clarify the role of management and Scrum Master Define what your product is, and why Be a great Product Owner Work with multiple whole-product focused feature teams in one Sprint that produces a shippable product Coordinate and integrate between teams Work with multi-site teams |
| agile earned value management: Earned Value Management in easy steps John Carroll, 2017-09-28 Measuring Project Progress What we are concerned with in project management has been defined as the Iron Triangle of: Time, Cost and Scope. Traditional project management methodology tends to focus on time and cost, as scope is fixed, isn’t it? But the way progress is typically reported is through the Gantt (or bar) chart, and in particular a tracking Gantt chart illustrates where a project currently is against the schedule. Also typically, the accounts department will produce reports on cost against budget, but this just shows what we have spent up to the last accounting period against the total budget. But this doesn’t really tell us exactly where we are in terms of progress today and where we will be at the end of the project. And that is precisely why Earned Value Management was developed. Earned Value Management Earned Value Management (EVM) helps us to determine the real status of a project. As well as telling us how much time and money we have spent, it also shows us how much we have achieved. Further, it tells us how much we still need to do and provides a good indication of final costs and expected completion dates of the project. EVM builds on, and therefore supports good project management practice and underpins good corporate governance. Its introduction can drive the cultural and organizational change key to supporting these objectives. In summary: It provides an objective measurement of what has been achieved on a project It enables accurate forecasting It provides project management information in a format that is easy for all stakeholders to understand and act upon It provides an early warning of problems, which allows the timely identification and analysis of progress and cost issues and corrective actions to be identified It shows stakeholders whether they’re getting value for money It enables detailed project comparisons across programs and portfolios It can be scaled to fit projects of all sizes and complexities It has the ability to combine measurements of scope, time and cost (the Iron Triangle) in a single integrated system In summary EVM provides a set of metrics that will enable you to accurately report on project progress to date and to completion. In addition, research has shown that the areas of planning and control are significantly improved by the use of EVM; and similarly, using the methodology improves both scope definition as well as the analysis of overall project performance. Finally it has shown that the use of EVM is a positive predictor of project success. Earned Value Management in easy steps covers: Introduction to EVM Key Elements of EVM EVM Project Life Cycle EVM Planning Using EVM EVM Reporting EVM Criteria EVM Lite Glossary of EVM Terms |
| agile earned value management: Agile Project Management For Dummies Mark C. Layton, Steven J. Ostermiller, 2017-09-05 Flex your project management muscle Agile project management is a fast and flexible approach to managing all projects, not just software development. By learning the principles and techniques in this book, you'll be able to create a product roadmap, schedule projects, and prepare for product launches with the ease of Agile software developers. You'll discover how to manage scope, time, and cost, as well as team dynamics, quality, and risk of every project. As mobile and web technologies continue to evolve rapidly, there is added pressure to develop and implement software projects in weeks instead of months—and Agile Project Management For Dummies can help you do just that. Providing a simple, step-by-step guide to Agile project management approaches, tools, and techniques, it shows product and project managers how to complete and implement projects more quickly than ever. Complete projects in weeks instead of months Reduce risk and leverage core benefits for projects Turn Agile theory into practice for all industries Effectively create an Agile environment Get ready to grasp and apply Agile principles for faster, more accurate development. |
| agile earned value management: Handbook for Construction Planning and Scheduling Andrew Baldwin, David Bordoli, 2014-06-23 The authoritative industry guide on good practice for planning and scheduling in construction This handbook acts as a guide to good practice, a text to accompany learning and a reference document for those needing information on background, best practice, and methods for practical application. A Handbook for Construction Planning & Scheduling presents the key issues of planning and programming in scheduling in a clear, concise and practical way. The book divides into four main sections: Planning and Scheduling within the Construction Context; Planning and Scheduling Techniques and Practices; Planning and Scheduling Methods; Delay and Forensic Analysis. The authors include both basic concepts and updates on current topics demanding close attention from the construction industry, including planning for sustainability, waste, health and safety and Building Information Modelling (BIM). The book is especially useful for early career practitioners - engineers, quantity surveyors, construction managers, project managers - who may already have a basic grounding in civil engineering, building and general construction but lack extensive planning and scheduling experience. Students will find the website helpful with worked examples of the methods and calculations for typical construction projects plus other directed learning material. This authoritative industry guide on good practice for planning and scheduling in construction is written in a direct, informative style with a clear presentation enabling easy access of the relevant information with a companion website providing additional resources and learning support material. the authoritative industry guide on construction planning and scheduling direct informative writing style and clear presentation enables easy access of the relevant information companion website provides additional learning material. |
| agile earned value management: EARNED VALUE MANAGEMENT: Integrated View of Cost and Schedule Performance Piyush Solanki, 2009 This book is organized with a brief overview of EVM, highlighting the key management questions EVM can help answer and exploring where EVM fits into the projet management universe. It also emphasizes EVM Performance Analysis and contains the basic elements of Earned Value Management. This book also outlines basic EVM practices in their project management context and shows how EVM practices facilitate project planning and control for better management of project cost and schedule performance. |
| agile earned value management: Head First Agile Andrew Stellman, Jennifer Greene, 2017-09-18 Head First Agile is a complete guide to learning real-world agile ideas, practices, principles. What will you learn from this book? In Head First Agile, you'll learn all about the ideas behind agile and the straightforward practices that drive it. You'll take deep dives into Scrum, XP, Lean, and Kanban, the most common real-world agile approaches today. You'll learn how to use agile to help your teams plan better, work better together, write better code, and improve as a team—because agile not only leads to great results, but agile teams say they also have a much better time at work. Head First Agile will help you get agile into your brain... and onto your team! Preparing for your PMI-ACP® certification? This book also has everything you need to get certified, with 100% coverage of the PMI-ACP® exam. Luckily, the most effective way to prepare for the exam is to get agile into your brain—so instead of cramming, you're learning. Why does this book look so different? Based on the latest research in cognitive science and learning theory, Head First Agile uses a visually rich format to engage your mind, rather than a text-heavy approach that puts you to sleep. Why waste your time struggling with new concepts? This multi-sensory learning experience is designed for the way your brain really works. |
| agile earned value management: The Standard for Risk Management in Portfolios, Programs, and Projects Project Management Institute, 2019-04-22 This is an update and expansion upon PMI's popular reference, The Practice Standard for Project Risk Management. Risk Management addresses the fact that certain events or conditions may occur with impacts on project, program, and portfolio objectives. This standard will: identify the core principles for risk management; describe the fundamentals of risk management and the environment within which it is carried out; define the risk management life cycle; and apply risk management principles to the portfolio, program, and project domains within the context of an enterprise risk management approach It is primarily written for portfolio, program, and project managers, but is a useful tool for leaders and business consumers of risk management, and other stakeholders. |
什么是 Agile Software Development（敏捷软件开发）？ - 知乎
Apr 16, 2014 · 既然题主问的是“Agile Methodology”,那么便应该比限定在“软件开发”领域要更加宽泛。本回答从“敏捷开发”出发，尝试解读究竟什么才是“敏捷”。 一、从“敏捷开发”说起 “敏捷” …
什么是芯片领域的“敏捷设计（Agile Development - 知乎
什么是芯片领域的“敏捷设计（Agile Development）”？ 引用矽说公众号对DARPA资助项目的解说；也有提到RISCV，CHISEL等字眼。 敏捷设计与超高效计算芯片，DARPA为未来半导体发 …
请问路由器双频合一开了好还是不开好？ - 知乎
说实在的。。。这个问题要看具体场景，没什么确定性的答案。就我自己而言，一般都是开着的。除非是我自己这边设备很多，要做隔离优化网络的时候，否则不会手动去把双频分开来。 双 …
什么是 Agile Software Development（敏捷软件开发）？ - 知乎
Apr 16, 2014 · 既然题主问的是“Agile Methodology”,那么便应该比限定在“软件开发”领域要更加宽泛。本回答从“敏捷开发”出发，尝试解读究竟什么才是“敏捷”。 一、从“敏捷开发”说起 “敏捷” …
什么是芯片领域的“敏捷设计（Agile Development - 知乎
什么是芯片领域的“敏捷设计（Agile Development）”？ 引用矽说公众号对DARPA资助项目的解说；也有提到RISCV，CHISEL等字眼。 敏捷设计与超高效计算芯片，DARPA为未来半导体发 …
请问路由器双频合一开了好还是不开好？ - 知乎
说实在的。。。这个问题要看具体场景，没什么确定性的答案。就我自己而言，一般都是开着的。除非是我自己这边设备很多，要做隔离优化网络的时候，否则不会手动去把双频分开来。 双 …
