What Is Agile Project Management?

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Valpak Case Study Summary
Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Case Study Summary
General Motors UK Case Study Summary
Similarities and Differences in Summarized Case Studies
Differences
Conclusion
References

Introduction

Project management is one of the most challenging stages of any enterprise in any business area. It is safe to say that a significant part of the enterprises success depends on it. Effective project management requires managers and employees to have vast theoretical knowledge and well-developed professional skills. Researchers define it as the use of specific knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to deliver something of value to people (What is project management? 2021, para. 1). Project management is a business study discipline with a long history, and professionals in this field have developed a wide variety of methodologies. It includes the traditional method, also known as the waterfall one, the lean approach, and the Adaptive Project Framework.

Recently, agile frameworks and approaches have begun to gain popularity in project management, especially when it comes to software. Professionals note that agile methodology is frequently used in software development projects to promote velocity and adaptability since the benefit of iteration is that you can adjust as you go along rather than following a linear path (What is agile project management? 2021, para. 2). As one can see, understanding the agile approach and knowing how to apply it most effectively is crucial for any entrepreneur nowadays. Interested and aspiring entrepreneurs can develop these business skills by exploring and analyzing related case studies. This paper aims to summarize three case studies about agile project management and comment on them.

Valpak Case Study Summary

Valpak is a leading actor in the United States direct marketing industry. Valpak has both a traditional vast network of partners and a well-developed digital one. Cobb notes that the company has over 150 franchises in its network (Cobb, 2015). Firms large and small, as well as millions of customers, trust the company. It is safe to say that the IT department of the organization is in many ways the reason for its great success. Valpaks operational tools and efforts are divided into four broad categories, namely Valpak Franchises, Consumers, Merchants, and Corporate (Cobb, 2015). In 2011, the management of Valpak decided to introduce agile methodology into the project management of its IT segment.

Stephanie Stewart, Chris Cate, and Bob Damato led the transition; they applied the Scaled Agile Framework, a comprehensive three-layer approach, to engage all company ranks. The change was initiated from the bottom up with continued support and advice from management, allowing for a quick and efficient transition (Cobb, 2015). The successful implementation of the agile methodology has improved the strategic vision of the IT department, resource utilization, productivity, workplace relationships, and the quality of the final product.

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Case Study Summary

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care (HPHC) is one of the best reputable healthcare organizations in the United States. They have retained this status for more than 40 years (Cobb, 2015). HPHC is known for its high-quality services of all kinds and high skilled personnel. By 2008 the company faced several major challenges due to the constantly changing business environment. They lacked flexibility and capacity and had problems with data transparency, allocation, and implementation of resources (Cobb, 2015). So HPHC decided to reform their IT sector to meet the new social and market conditions.

As with Valpak, three people have led the adoption of the agile management methodology. They were Michael Hurst, Vijay Bhatt, and Deborah Norton (Cobb, 2015). They mainly utilized the Scrum methodology, sometimes combining it with the traditional one. Moreover, the project management office, project portfolio management, and project governance were introduced to make the transition faster and smoother (Cobb, 2015). It is also worth noting that HPHC enlisted the help of Dell Services and Oracle to facilitate their software and hardware upgrades (Cobb, 2015). As a result, a significant cultural shift took place, communication between management and employees improved, and the professional competence of workers increased. It can be said that HPHC has achieved the desired outcome.

General Motors UK Case Study Summary

General Dynamics UK is a company that focuses on the production and modernization of aeronautical and marine technologies, both civilian and military. It is worthy of mentioning that another area of their activity is information technologies and data systems (Cobb, 2015). The organization has long been the main partner of the British government in the field of military technology. General Dynamics UK decided to adopt an agile methodology to be able to deliver new technologies, strengthen the ties with the UK Department of Defense, and provide them and other partners with greater flexibility within the service provider and customer relationships.

Nigel Edwards, an experienced company manager, has led the implementation of the hybrid agile approach. The chosen methodology was the Dynamic Systems Development Method (Cobb, 2015). Each significant project element and managerial aspect was segmented into two to four categories, and each was carefully planned out. It allowed avoiding the unnecessary time, resource, and labor costs and provided sufficient flexibility for employees and customers. The implementation of DCDM has overcome many cultural, contractual, and technical challenges (Cobb, 2015). Moreover, the organization has improved project management, information transparency, and teamwork, while the number of conflicts has been reduced significantly.

Similarities and Differences in Summarized Case Studies

In each of the three cases, organizations have taken different methods of the same methodology, and one may notice several similarities. For example, both Valpak and HPHC decided to change their approach to project management due to external factors, namely the rapidly changing market environment. In addition, both of these organizations have resorted to Scrum and Kanban approaches during the adoption (Cobb, 2015). Continuous monitoring, coaching, and consulting of employees at all stages of implementation by the management is another similarity in all three cases. Both HPHC and General Dynamics UK, companies in constant contact with government agencies, have adopted hybrid agile methodologies.

Differences

Significant differences were also found in the stories of improvement in the project management of each of the three companies. General Dynamics UK is the only company that did not use Scrum and Kanban programs (Cobb, 2015). It is also worth noting that only Valpak switched to a fully agile project management model. HPHC and General Dynamics UK balanced tactical and strategic thinking, while Valpak shifted entirely to strategic planning (Cobb, 2015). Moreover, only Valpak workers experienced no problems with cultural change.

Conclusion

This paper summarizes and analyzes three case studies on agile modernization in project management. The similarities and differences found in them can be associated with external factors, such as location and market sector, and internal ones, namely, the relationship between staff and management and the companys size. Each of the companies applied the most convenient methodology that allowed them to strengthen their positions in their industries, to inspire employees, and, as a result, to earn more profits.

References

Cobb, C. G. (2015). The project managers guide to mastering agile: Principles and practices for an adaptive approach. Wiley.

What is agile project management? (2021). Association for Project Management. Web.

What is project management? (2021). Project Management Institute. Web.

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