I've recently read some discussions about how to get started with Agile Project Management. Its not hard to get started with Agile, however Agile project management is hard to sustain if you are not prepared for the issues that will arise. From personal experience there are a few things to tackle before adopting Agile Project Management. These ere education, training, finding a coach, and just getting started. The education part is pretty easy, there are some really good books that cover Agile Project Management and User Stories.
Books -I've read all of these Agile Project Management book and use them as a reference.
Certification - The Certified Scrum Master certification class is a great way to get some exposure to Scrum and learn about some common issues that beginners run into. Its even better to send several people on the team to the CSM class.
Coaching - Agile is hard, get an Agile Coach to guide you through the first project or at least the first few sprints. The value of the knowledge transfer and guidance will far outweigh the cost of the coach. The coach will know from experience what problems happen with new agile teams and can guide the team through the trouble spots
Just Get Started - I remember the very first step we took to adopt Agile Project Management. The development team was in a conference room with the product owner, we wrote 12 user stories and prioritized them. The simple step of getting requirements via user stories and prioritizing them into the product backlog was an eye opening experience for the team. At once the software development team understood what was important to the product owner and the product owner better understood what the software development team could do in the time period for the project. In the world of Agile this is a very simple step but it was the first crucial step to change the way the software development team interacted with the product owner. So, go read some books, get certified and take your first steps, its worth it.
1 comment:
Helpful and encouraging post. Will be taking a look at these recommended books.
Thanks and have a happy 2009.
Alec
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