PRINCE2 Agile Overview – Part 3
Agile fundamentals
When combining PRINCE2 with agile is important to understand what agile is in order to stop an inconsistent view of the basics of agile, and make combining the two difficult.
A basic view of agile could generally be seen as one or more of the following:
Using a time boxed and iterative approach to delivering software
Using a collection of techniques such as daily standup meetings, sprints and use of stories
Using the scrum framework
The basic “backlog” and “sprint” structure for delivering software can be seen as:
This is a very common structure that is used when working in an agile way for developing software.
Put simply, new features for a product are held in a prioritised list called a product backlog, and this list may be made up of user stories, which are structured in a way that describes who once the feature and why.
The team that will build the features decides on what items from the top of the product backlog they can create in a timeframe of typically 2 to 4 weeks – this is called a Sprint. The work that the team think they can achieve during the sprint is how the list called a sprint backlog.
Each day throughout the sprint, the meeting is held to assess progress and at the end of a sprint new features should have been created and they may go into operational use. The output, that is the new features, are reviewed along the way the team worked to achieve the output.
A Release
This is a general term used to describe the collection of features that will be moved into, or near to, operational use. In PRINCE2 Agile, a release is typically a container for more than one low level time box, that is a sprint, but this is not necessarily the case as the act of releasing features into operational use may happen more regularly.
An example of this is that after each print or several times during a sprint. The term “deployment” is sometimes used in agile and has a similar meaning.
The basic structure may exist within an overall approach that includes a vision, a product roadmap (which is a plan of how a product will involve) and a series of releases:
A comprehensive view of agile would include:
- IT and non-IT situations
- Large or small projects as well as routine business as usual (BAU) tasks
- Flow based working as well as time boxing
Flow based working
The flow based working approach avoids the use of partitioning work into time boxes and instead, manages work by using a queue. Work is then continually pulled into the system, which may itself be a high level time box, and moves through the various work states until it is done.
The most popular agile methods and approaches
There is a family of frameworks also known as methods or approaches, but generally recognized as being agile. Here is a summary of the most well known:
DSDM (Dynamic Systems Development Method)
An agile project framework that focuses on the iterative delivery of business systems through the use of timeboxing and continual business involvement. It has a defined process, a set of products, a set of roles, eight guiding principles and key techniques.
Flow-based working.
This avoids the use of dividing work into timeboxes and manages work by using a queue. Work is continually pulled into the system (which may be a higher level Timebox), and moves through various states until it is done
Kanban A way to improve flow and provoke system improvement through visualization and controlling work in progress
Lean Startup Originally an approach to creating and managing start-up companies, but now applied to any business to help them deliver products to customers quickly
Lean An approach that focusses on improving processes by maximizing value by eliminating waste (such as wasted time and wasted effort)
Scrum – An iterative timeboxed approach to product delivery that is described as “a framework within which people can address complex adaptive problems, while productively and creatively delivering products of the highest possible value”
Stand-up meetings – A short meeting, typically 15 minutes long, to review progress by establishing work that has been done, work yet to be done, and any problems
Agile behaviours, concepts and techniques
Along with the agile frameworks there are a variety of behaviours, concepts and techniques that are seen as being part of the actual way of working. I give some examples below.
PRINCE2 and PRINCE2 Agile do not favour one agile approach over any other, and with due care and consideration, they can engage with agile in all of its many forms to provide a holistic project management approach that can be tailored to suit a wide variety of conditions and working environments.
In a future article I will describe in more detail how PRINCE2 and Agile can be blended together to form such a holistic project management approach.
