PRINCE2 Agile Overview – Part 1
So what exactly is PRINCE2 Agile?
PRINCE2 Agile describes how to configure and tune PRINCE2 so that PRINCE2 can be used in the most effective way when it is combined with agile behaviours, concepts, frameworks and techniques.
PRINCE2 and PRINCE2 Agile are only suitable for use on projects, whereas agile can be used for projects and routine ongoing work as well. Routine ongoing work is also called “business as usual” or BAU and as such is covers areas like I’m going product development, product maintenance and continual improvement.
PRINCE2 Agile provides best practice guidance for managing related projects and activities in programmes of work that deliver business benefits through new capabilities.
It is important that you understand the difference between a project and BAU. A project is temporary, the team is created, the work is challenging and it contains a degree of uncertainty.
Comparing that to BAU, where the work is ongoing using a stable team, the work is routine and there is little uncertainty.
Therefore, when carrying out a piece of work is important to understand the type of work being undertaken, to ensure that it is addressed in the appropriate way and the agile is used appropriately.
The characteristics of BAU work
BAU work would typically be repeatable routine tasks that can be carried out by people with the appropriate technical skills without needing to be managed by a project manager.
An example of BAU could be where modifications need to be made to an existing product and the timescales are relatively short. There would be a long list of these tasks arriving regularly throughout the lifespan of the product. There may be an established team dedicated to carrying out this work.
The characteristics of a project
The project is a temporary situation, where a team is assembled to address a specific problem, opportunity or change that is sufficiently difficult than it cannot be handled as BAU. It may even be a collection of BAU items handled collectively.
An example of a project would be where a new product or service is being created and they may be a need to engage many stakeholders and a significant amount of uncertainty exists.
The project team may be based in different locations, the team personnel may change over the life of the project, the project may last a long time and may even be part of a wider programme of work. Most important of all, a project needs to be managed by a project manager.
A project has defined stages for upfront work before any delivery activity commences. It also has layers of project management and project direction to ensure the correct output is ultimately arrived at.
By the end of a project at which point the project team disbands or moves on to other work, the product created will have gone into operational use, and from then on it may be maintained and enhanced in a BAU environment.
What is a Timebox?
It is a finite period of time during which work is carried out to achieve the goal or make an objective where the deadline should not be moved. This is because the method of managing a Timebox is to prioritise the work inside it.
At a low level, a Timebox will last a matter of days or weeks for example within a Sprint. High level Timeboxes act as an aggregated Timebox and contain lower level Timeboxes – for example project stages.
In a BAU environments, the list of work is prioritized in some form and may be packaged into Timeboxes. As the work is completed the existing product evolves, continually, over time.
