By adopting Agile practices, organizations can navigate the complexities of demand and capacity planning with finesse and swiftly adapt to the ever-changing landscape of today\u2019s business environment.<\/strong> In this blog post, I will dive deeper into the trade-offs, benefits, and methods of Agile to help improve project resource management.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s first look at how Agile approaches the structure and interactions of teams and some of the key differences it has from a more traditional methodology (e.g., \u201cwaterfall\u201d). Agile focuses on collaboration and adaptability<\/a>, while a conventional approach emphasizes structure and predictability.<\/strong> Both have their merits and selecting the right one involves considering the organization\u2019s existing structure for delivering projects and the specific context of each project.<\/p>\n Agile offers several benefits for planning and managing project resources<\/a>. It provides flexibility, adaptability, and a focus on continuous improvement. It promotes a dynamic work environment where teams can pivot, experiment, and deliver value efficiently. Let\u2019s look at some of these benefits in more detail.<\/strong><\/p>\n Many organizations that use Agile teams keep the team members together for extended periods of time, working on multiple projects together. Establishing long-standing teams offers a few advantages. Over time, team members become familiar with each other\u2019s strengths, weaknesses, and working styles. They can also refer to historical context, recalling past decisions, failures, and successes, preventing repeated mistakes.<\/p>\n The stable nature of these teams contributes to a steady pace of work, avoiding disruptions to workflows and project timelines, ultimately increasing productivity.<\/strong> This stability also encourages experimentation and allows deeper exploration and innovation.<\/p>\n Teams also often become more adept at estimating work. This improved estimation capability contributes to greater predictability in project timelines and outcomes, enhancing overall project management.<\/p>\n An organization I worked with adhered to traditional, matrixed project team structures for many years. This approach introduced complexities that affected both team dynamics and project outcomes.<\/p>\n Project team members found themselves juggling multiple responsibilities.<\/strong> Not only did they handle project-specific tasks, but they were also responsible for ongoing activities like maintenance and operations. This dual role often led to conflicts in prioritization<\/a>.<\/p>\n Functional managers and project managers occasionally clashed due to shared team members. Both roles had crucial tasks that relied on the same individuals. As a result, team members were caught in the middle, trying to navigate conflicting priorities.<\/p>\n Team members often faced the daunting task of deciding their priorities. The pressure to balance ongoing work with project-related tasks created stress and uncertainty.<\/p>\n Sometimes, ongoing work took precedence over project tasks, diverting resources away from critical projects. This resource allocation<\/a> predicament resulted in delays and hindered project progress.<\/strong><\/p>\n In urgent situations, team members had to put in extra hours. They grappled with simultaneous demands from ongoing work and time-sensitive project deliverables.<\/p>\n To tackle these challenges, the organization adopted Agile team structures<\/a>. They established dedicated, cross-functional Scrum teams \u2014 teams with the essential skills required to deliver software-related projects. These Scrum teams operated without the distraction of dual responsibilities and had a long-standing presence.<\/p>\n For skills occasionally needed but not present within these teams — like software integration — the organization formed single-function teams. These specialized teams could provide the necessary skills to the Scrum teams when required. To manage their work, they employed Kanban methods<\/a>, allowing them to maintain a backlog that combined Scrum team support activities with their own project, enhancement, and maintenance tasks.<\/strong><\/p>\n This well-organized structure enabled the organization to initiate projects promptly, minimized resource conflicts, improved project delivery efficiency, and enhanced satisfaction among project stakeholders and employees.<\/p>\n Agile methodologies emphasize collaboration, adaptability and continuous improvement, creating a dynamic work environment that can swiftly respond to changing demands.<\/p>\nThe Differences Between Agile Resource Management and Traditional<\/h2>\n
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<\/a><\/p>\nHow Agile Practices Improve Project Resource Management<\/h2>\n
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A Real World Example of Adopting Agile<\/h2>\n
Dual Responsibilities<\/h3>\n
Tension Between Managers<\/h3>\n
Stressful Decision-Making<\/h3>\n
Resource Allocation Challenges<\/h3>\n
Long Hours and Urgency<\/h3>\n
Move Forward with Agile Best Practices for Project Resource Management<\/h2>\n