Learn how to use the Agileometer tool with PRINCE2 7th Edition to assess agile suitability, manage risks, and tailor project governance for better adaptability.
Enhance your PRINCE2 7 projects with the Agileometer!
While not part of the official PRINCE2 7th Edition syllabus, this tool helps project managers assess agile suitability, identify risks, and tailor governance effectively.
By following a structured ten-step process, teams can balance flexibility and control, ensuring agile success within PRINCE2.
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Applying the Agileometer Tool to PRINCE2 7th Edition
The Agileometer is a valuable tool for assessing the agile environment within a project and tailoring PRINCE2 accordingly.
Although it is not included in the PRINCE2 7th Edition syllabus, it serves as a practical agile tailoring tool to enhance project adaptability and risk assessment.
In this article, we explore how the Agileometer works, when to use it, and the ten-step process for applying it effectively.
Why Use the Agileometer with PRINCE2 7?
PRINCE2 7 includes detailed guidance on tailoring the methodology for agile environments. The Agileometer helps project managers assess how agile a project can be and highlights potential risks and benefits.
By using this tool, project managers can:
- Evaluate the agile readiness of a project.
- Identify areas requiring adaptation within PRINCE2.
- Provide data-backed insights for decision-making.
- Support continuous improvement through regular assessment
When to Use the Agileometer?
The Agileometer should be applied throughout the project lifecycle, including:
- Pre-Project Phase – Helps assess project suitability for agile approaches.
- Initiation Stage – Guides the Project Brief and Project Initiation Documentation (PID).
- Retrospectives & Reviews – Used during end-stage assessments and after release periods.
Since agile projects evolve dynamically, regular Agileometer assessments help maintain alignment with PRINCE2 principles.
How the Agileometer Works
The Agileometer consists of six key assessment areas, each represented by a slider that determines the project’s agile suitability.
Project managers must engage with stakeholders to evaluate each category. However, averaging scores across sliders is discouraged as it hides potential risks or opportunities.
Key Benefits of the Agileometer
- Identifies risks associated with adopting agile practices.
- Highlights opportunities for greater agility
- Helps balance flexibility and control in PRINCE2.
Applying the Agileometer: The Ten-Step Process
Step 1: Monitoring the Agileometer Assessment
The Agileometer provides answers to:
- How agile can we be on this project?
- What level of control is necessary?
- Regular assessments ensure tailored project governance, balancing control and adaptability within PRINCE2.
Step 2: Evaluating Risks & Opportunities
If a slider is set low, explore ways to improve it.
- Avoid using average scores—instead, examine individual slider values.
- Challenge assumptions around “must-have” requirements—consider flexibility.
- Educate stakeholders on the need for adaptability in agile projects.
Step 3: Addressing Specific Agile Challenges
Low Collaboration?
- Encourage cross-team interaction and break down silos.
- Identify barriers to collaboration and resolve them.
Low Ease of Communication?
- Improve co-location, use video conferencing, and reduce formal documentation.
Low Iterative & Incremental Delivery?
- Challenge teams to define smaller, valuable deliverables.
- Highlight the benefits of early releases.
Low Environmental Conditions?
- Invest in better tools and training.
- Reduce external distractions that hinder agile work.
Low Agile Acceptance?
- Offer training and informal workshops.
- Provide clear Agile benefits to key stakeholders.
Step 4: Identifying Deviations Between Prediction & Reality
- If a slider is lower than expected, it indicates new risks.
- If a slider moves higher than expected, less governance may be required.
Step 5: Customizing the Agileometer for Your Organization
- Organizations should adapt the Agileometer by adding relevant sliders.
- Avoid overcomplicating the tool with too many sliders—keep it focused.
If Agile appears too risky, the Agileometer may suggest using an alternative approach.
Step 6: Understanding Flexibility in Delivery
A high flexibility score (Level 5) means:
- Stakeholders embrace change and understand their role in agile projects.
- Changes are managed efficiently while protecting quality.
- Prioritization is customer-driven.
Step 7: High Collaboration & Trust
In a high-collaboration environment, teams work as one unit without silos.
- There is no blame culture—teams accept mistakes and support each other.
Step 8: Creating a Communication-Rich Environment
- Information is visible, transparent, and easily accessible.
- Face-to-face communication is prioritized over formal reporting.
- Low-tech, tactile tools (such as whiteboards) are widely used.
Step 9: Encouraging Iterative & Incremental Delivery
- Teams focus on delivering small, valuable increments regularly.
- They work in a lean, experimental, and exploratory way.
- Projects follow a “think big, start small” approach.
Step 10: Building a Supportive Agile Environment
- Teams are stable, experienced, and dedicated full-time.
- Contracts and compliance structures do not restrict Agile workflows.
- Third parties are comfortable working in an Agile manner.
Final Thoughts: The Agileometer as a PRINCE2 Tailoring Tool
The Agileometer provides project managers with practical insights into how agile a PRINCE2 project can be.
By following the ten-step process, organizations can:
- Assess agile suitability within PRINCE2.
- Identify and mitigate risks.
- Optimize flexibility while maintaining control.
- Improve communication, collaboration, and delivery efficiency.
While not part of the official PRINCE2 7 syllabus, the Agileometer remains a useful tool for managing Agile PRINCE2 projects effectively.
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