Concepts
Agile principles are crucial for the success of any project, especially in today’s fast-paced and ever-changing business environment. As a PMI Agile Certified Practitioner (PMI-ACP), it is important to not only advocate for these principles but also model them in your own behavior and discussions with the team and the customer.
Valuing Individuals and Interactions
One of the key agile principles is valuing individuals and interactions over processes and tools. As a PMI-ACP, you can exemplify this principle by fostering open communication and collaboration within the team. For example, instead of relying solely on project management tools, encourage face-to-face interactions and regular status updates to ensure everyone is on the same page. By modeling this behavior, you can help develop a shared mindset within the team that values communication and teamwork.
Responding to Change
Another important agile principle is responding to change over following a plan. This means being adaptable and flexible in the face of new information or changing requirements. As a PMI-ACP, you can demonstrate this principle by being open to feedback and willing to adjust plans as necessary. For instance, if the customer requests a change in scope mid-project, work with the team to assess the impact and determine the best course of action. By discussing agile values such as embracing change and continuous improvement, you can help create a culture of adaptability and innovation within the team.
Emphasizing Core Agile Values
In order to develop a shared mindset across the team and between the customer and the team, it is important to also emphasize the core values of agile, which include focusing on delivering value, promoting collaboration, and maintaining transparency. By consistently discussing these values and how they align with the project goals, you can ensure that everyone is working towards a common vision.
Creating a Shared Mindset
Overall, as a PMI-ACP, advocating for agile principles by modeling those principles and discussing agile values is essential for fostering a culture of agility and driving project success. By embodying these principles in your own behavior and interactions, you can help create a shared mindset that prioritizes collaboration, adaptability, and delivering value.
Answer the Questions in Comment Section
True or False: Agile principles encourage a hierarchical and rigid approach to project management.
False.
Explanation: Agile principles encourage a flexible and collaborative approach to project management where changes are easily accommodated.
Agile principles advocate for:
- A. Ongoing client engagement
- B. Strict adherence to the original plan
- C. Limited interaction between the team members
- D. Documentation over solutions
Answer: A. Ongoing client engagement
Explanation: Agile principles promote regular and ongoing interaction with clients to ensure alignment with customer expectations and the potential to pivot as project needs change.
One of the key agile values is …
- A. Contract negotiation over customer collaboration
- B. Following a plan over responding to change
- C. Comprehensive documentation over working software
- D. Respect for people and culture
Answer: D. Respect for people and culture
Explanation: Agile practices emphasize the importance of individuals, interactions and mindset over processes and tools.
True or False: In Agile, customer collaboration is more important than contract negotiation.
True.
Explanation: Agile values customer collaboration as it enables change and continuous improvement. While contracts are important, they are secondary to delivering value to the customer.
Agile principles do NOT encourage…
- A. Regular reflection on how to work more effectively
- B. Frequent delivery of a working product
- C. Rigidity in decision-making
- D. Business and developers working together daily
Answer: C. Rigidity in decision-making
Explanation: Agile favors flexibility and responding to change over maintaining a fixed plan.
According to Agile values, a more valuable aspect is…
- A. Comprehensive documentation
- B. Following a plan
- C. Negotiating contracts
- D. Responding to change
Answer: D. Responding to change
Explanation: Agile values are all about adapting to and embracing change over following a fixed, rigorous plan.
True or False: A shared mindset across the team is not necessary in Agile.
False.
Explanation: Developing a shared mindset across the team is crucial for Agile projects. It helps teams to respond quickly to changes and work collaboratively.
In agile, the most efficient way of conveying information is through…
- A. Emails.
- B. Telephone calls.
- C. Face-to-face conversation.
- D. Extensive documentation.
Answer: C. Face-to-face conversation.
Explanation: According to Agile principles, the most effective and efficient method of conveying information to and within a development team is via face-to-face conversation.
Agile principles advocate for regular intervals in which to…
- A. Re-assign team members.
- B. Evaluate progress.
- C. Re-negotiate the contract.
- D. Adjust timelines.
Answer: B. Evaluate progress.
Explanation: Agile methods involve frequent inspection and adaptation, which includes regular review of project progress and readjustments as necessary.
True or False: Agile principles believe that the most important measure of progress is working software.
True.
Explanation: According to the agile definition, delivering working software is the primary measure of progress.
Great post on advocating agile principles! Totally agree with the idea of modeling those principles to foster a shared mindset.
Thank you for sharing this. It’s critical to align the team and the customer on agile values.
I’m curious, how do you handle resistance from team members who are used to traditional project management methods?
Excellent points. Our team really started to align once we held retrospectives regularly.
Appreciate the insights. We’ve been struggling with customer collaboration, so this is helpful.
This is just a theory. It doesn’t work in real-world scenarios where deadlines are tight.
Thanks for this article, I’ve learned valuable tips to apply in my project.
When it comes to developing a shared mindset, what are the top agile values you’d recommend emphasizing?