What is agile project management?

Organizations constantly want to exploit new opportunities, respond to uncertainty and develop solutions in an increasingly complex playing field. What was a bright idea yesterday may be completely outdated or overtaken tomorrow. In this reality, more and more organizations are seeing that traditional project approaches with long lead times and complex project plans do not provide sufficient agility.

This is why teams are increasingly opting for agile projects combined with lean project management: an approach that focuses on speed, collaboration, flexibility and continuous value creation. No unexpected surprises at the end of the project, but early and frequent deliveries that are immediately tested by users. This is how learning, adjustment and continuous improvement take place. Valid supports organizations in this transformation: from classical thinking in predictable steps to iterative realization with grip and focus on results.

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Why does the traditional approach increasingly fail to work?

The traditional project approach assumes predictability. Everything is determined in advance: scope, schedule, budget, design and desired final solution. This way of working requires high certainty in advance, as few changes as possible during the project and stable conditions in both the client organization and the technology used.

But by now everyone knows that such circumstances rarely exist. When customer needs change or new insights arise, it quickly leads to:

  • Overrun budgets.
  • Shifting deadlines.
  • Disappointing results.
  • Frustration among users and project teams.

The work becomes visible late. By the time the end result is delivered, the context may have changed. The chances that the project will still fully fit the need by then are slim.ur, but also predictability and control.

From predictability to agility: projects that move with you

Agile projects, on the contrary, do not work toward a large final delivery. They deliver value on a regular basis, in iterations of one to several weeks. After each iteration, a tangible result takes center stage:

  • A new functionality.
  • An improved process step.
  • An initial prototype or test.

Stakeholders and users respond immediately: what works well, what needs to be improved, what is most important now? By continuously retrieving this feedback, the team stays attuned to what is really wanted.

An iterative approach offers a host of advantages:

Traditional A great project plan in advance
Traditional Focus on processes and documentation
Traditional Risks are discovered at the end
Traditional Little involvement during the project
Traditional Fixed deadlines
Iterative Directional planning on new insights
Iterative Focus on working results and added value
Iterative Risks are visible early and manageable
Iterative Users are regularly hooked up
Iterative Deadlines as direction, not hard limit

Thus, uncertainty does not become an obstacle, but a factor that is actively taken into account. Agility and grip go hand in hand.

A project plan that moves with you

A project plan remains important. It provides direction, clarity and a shared vision. But instead of a static document, it becomes a living document that evolves with the project. Characteristics of an agile project plan:

  • Includes a clear objective on value and impact.
  • Gives direction, but leaves room to adjust.
  • Identifies priorities and dependencies.
  • Assumes learning and improvement at every step.

Where necessary, choices are adjusted. Sometimes they are accelerated because opportunities arise, sometimes a component is dropped because it turns out to have little value. The result is a final solution that better matches the actual need, exactly what agile project management supports organizations in.

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Deadlines remain important, but we're getting smarter about it

There is sometimes a misconception that flexible working would mean that deadlines disappear. In practice, the opposite happens: deadlines are actually used more consciously. As realistic agreements based on new insights, as evaluation moments to test course and priorities and as opportunities to actively involve stakeholders.

In traditional projects, the deadline often only really plays a role at the end. In an agile approach, such as agile, a deadline actually helps throughout the project to keep the rhythm, maintain focus and continuously deliver value.

Lean project management as a reinforcement

The agile approach is combined with lean project management in many organizations. Where the iterative approach capitalizes on change, lean focuses on:

Examples of waste include:

By simplifying processes, the pace goes up and lead times are reduced. This allows teams to focus their energy on delivering value instead of unnecessary steps.

Agile working can be structured in different ways. Besides lean, Scrum and Kanban are common methodologies: where Scrum works with short sprints and clear roles, Kanban focuses on continuous flow and a visual overview of the work. Want to know which methodology suits your situation? Read more about agile methodologies here.

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Collaboration as a basis for success

An agile approach requires multidisciplinary teams, direct communication and trust and ownership. No long coordination lines, but short communication routes and quick decision-making. The client is actively involved. Users provide regular feedback. The team has clarity on what is most important now.

A visual board, digital or physical makes the work and progress visible to everyone. It shows at a glance what has been completed, what the team is working on, what still needs to be done and where any bottlenecks are. This increases transparency and strengthens the team spirit.

Steering without unnecessary rules

Agile working does not mean that project control disappears completely. On the contrary: grip on risks, budgets and quality remains necessary. But steering is done differently:

Management and steering committees are not becoming less, but rather better informed, more often, shorter, and more relevant.

A culture change: mindset over methodology

Tools and techniques help, but do not determine success. The biggest change comes from different behaviors and better collaboration. Teams learn to take more responsibility. They discover that trying and learning actually helps them move forward. They become more transparent in what they do and use feedback to get better. And they learn to trust each other more.

That doesn't always come naturally. Not everyone is immediately comfortable with more freedom and a faster pace. Therefore, guidance is important and there must be a safe environment in which people can learn and grow. Good change management is essential here.

When is an agile approach a good fit?

An iterative approach is appropriate in projects with:

  • Changing customer needs.
  • Innovation or renewal.
  • Uncertainty about the final solution.
  • Dependencies with technology and adoption.

What does it provide?

Organizations that embrace this way of working see, among other things:

Success is not that everything went according to the original plan. Success is that the result fits the needs of today and tomorrow.

How can Valid help with this?

Valid guides organizations that want to take this step. Our experienced Agilists provide practical implementation, focused on doing. We help with: 

Our approach never follows a standard textbook. We connect to the dynamics of your organization so that agility does not become an end in itself, but a way to achieve results faster.

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