What is Agile Program Management?

If you are a business owner, you know that staying ahead of the competition is crucial to your success. To do this, you need to be on the lookout for ways to improve your productivity and make your workflow more efficient. You also need to be constantly evolving and adapting to changes in the market.

One way to do this is by using Agile Program Management (APM).

But what is Agile Program Management, and what do you need to know about it? This blog post discusses what Agile Program Management is and how it can help your business stay ahead of the curve!

 

What is Agile Program Management?

 

 

Agile Program Management is a phrase that refers to the Agile approach of planning, launching, and executing projects in a complex, iterative environment. It’s an essential component for scaling Agile successfully.

To understand this better, it is vital to know what Agile is, What Program Management is, and how they relate.

 

What is Agile?

 

 

Agile itself is a principle for managing projects that emphasises flexibility and collaboration. It’s based on the idea that projects should be broken down into small, manageable tasks that can be completed quickly and efficiently while delivering value. This allows teams to react quickly to changes and unexpected challenges.

 

What is Program Management?

 

 

On the other hand, program management is a phrase commonly used to refer to the coordination of several interrelated projects with overlapping goals, criteria, and expected results.

The Project Management Office (PMO) is often in charge of project management, including financials, risk and security management, and ensuring projects are completed on time and within budget.

In many organisations, the PMO is often only charged with ensuring that plans are carried out as expected by all parties.

The major drawback of this approach to project management is that it promotes teams to focus on the execution rather than what truly matters: generating value.

 

So What is Agile Program Management?

 

 

Agile Program Management is a method of managing, planning, and orchestrating interrelated work to prioritise value delivery to teams, stakeholders, and organisations.

 

What are The Roles in Agile Program Management?

 

 

The project manager is typically the sole person responsible for all activities within typical project management. They can be in charge of balancing cost, scope, quality, workforce, risk, reporting and adjusting to changes as needed.

Agile project management is a collaborative approach that splits project responsibilities among three roles: the scrum master, the product owner, and the development team.

• Product Owner – The project manager is in charge of establishing project goals, monitoring the project’s scope, reacting to changes in project requirements, and prioritising product features.

• Scrum Master – They are in charge of directing the team, prioritising project activities, and eliminating roadblocks.

• Team Member – Team members are accountable for executing most of the team’s activities, daily detail management, quality control, and reporting on the team’s overall performance.

 

What are The Core Values of Agile Program Management?

 

 

There are essential principles that APM is built on. These are:

 

Be Value-Oriented

 

 

Agile Program Management raises the bar on how performance, or value, is determined.

In traditional project management, an organisation measures value in efficiency and dependability, such as quickly and reliably delivering on the result they promised they would.

Value, in APM, is defined as being able to deliver the things the stakeholders want and need when they want and need them.

It’s critical to provide value effectively and dependably, but it isn’t nearly as crucial as providing the correct value. In other words, Agile enterprises strive to enhance their responsiveness to become more efficient and reliable for their clients.

 

Expect Change

 

 

Teams work one step at a time toward a single, large “launch,” in traditional program management. If the project is delayed in one phase, it will result in additional delays later on.

If the project gets held up because of changing requirements, progress comes to a halt until an answer is found. Change is seen as an inherently negative force because it is not planned for.

In APM, the objective is to deliver something the customer wants, not simply meet a deadline. Teams use an iterative method of development with frequent feedback intervals, welcoming any improvements that improve the value they provide.

Iterating and evolving in small groups allows teams to quickly change their methods, keep things moving forward as events occur, and incorporate Stakeholder comments in real-time as requirements vary.

 

Do Not Neglect Collaborations

 

 

When the emphasis is on finishing tasks and moving projects forward rather than delivering value to customers, teams don’t feel compelled to work together.

Teams in APM may benefit from interacting with one another since they are both required to achieve the same goal: to maximise customer value.

Agile teams work as a dynamic, evolving system where all stakeholders are equally involved in development and delivery.

 

Benefits of Using Agile Program Management

 

 

 

Some of the things organisations stand to gain from adopting APM are as follows:

 

Increased Flexibility

 

 

Agile enables project teams with unrivalled flexibility when it is genuinely implemented. Groups operate in shorter cycles, with the product owner’s constant feedback and involvement as a supplement.

Changes in other project management systems are frequently time-consuming and costly. On the other hand, Agile breaks down a project into small increments that are manageable and adaptable.

 

Continuous Improvement

 

 

The Agile Program Management’s fundamental principles include self-reflection and continuous improvement. The technique works in cycles, with each sprint improving on the last one and previous errors not being repeated.

 

 

Insight Into Relevant Metrics

 

 

The metrics utilised by Agile teams to assess time and cost and project performance are more accurate and relevant than those used in traditional methodologies.

Agile places a premium on producing results and optimising performance, whereas the metrics in a Waterfall methodology evaluate how closely the project matches anticipated expenditures and completion time.

Agile management offers essential metrics such as lead time, cycle time, and production rate that can be used to measure team effectiveness and identify bottlenecks.

An Agile framework is helpful for managers, team members, and clients. The advantages of Agile are numerous, including improving product quality and assisting in the professional development of team members. It aids teams in overcoming hazards such as runaway costs.

 

Conclusion

 

 

The Agile Methodology is a way for project teams to be more effective when it comes to changes in requirements from clients. Using an iterative development method with frequent feedback intervals allows teams to quickly change their strategies and keep things moving forward as events occur.

Uppwise can help you at every step towards helping your business adopt an agile program management method to be more flexible and responsive. With Uppwise, businesses can view more essential metrics to provide better insight into their performance and value delivery.