PMcrunch

Project cutbacks are a common theme. In many cases, teams are simply reduced in size. In addition, project scopes are decreased while agile methods are a key way organizations develop software more efficiently. The term agility goes far beyond that.

The word agile to me has a connotation similar to the word versatile. The two words, as it seems to me, go together. Most of the projects I have worked on have been on the smaller side. They have required agility and versatility on the part of team members in every phase and every activity. This agility and versatility has always been the key to the end.

The larger projects that I have experienced have been much more difficult for anyone to really get their hands around. Often, they are segments of a much larger project and, almost always, they have been part of a very large organization. The problem I find with these projects is that the people up and down the organization do not have a small project mentality. You can easily tell someone who has worked on smaller projects when they arrive on the large project team. They tend to take on more responsibility. They are willing to do less familiar tasks. They are results oriented and want to be measured, whether by personality or experience. Many of these concepts are outside the realm of many who have already worked in the large project world.

To build lean practices into large project teams, learn from small project teams. Work to get everyone to adopt a small project mentality. Build deliverables and urgency into the project culture. Define interim deliverables with an aggressive schedule. Require team members to multi-task and to work in unfamiliar areas as needed. I think this is one prescription for success in todays budget conscious world.

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John Reiling, PMP
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