Applying Agile Project Management

Applying Agile Project Management

Developing and integrating a new software application can be a daunting task because of the obstacles involved. Studies show that numerous challenges usually arise during the software development process. Top on the list is integration issues, mismanaged timelines, communication breakdown, underestimation of the role of quality and assurance, unrealistic schedules, and poor requirements. Process improvement is necessary to monitor the project under development per the plan to overcome these challenges. In a similar fashion, an effective project management methodology is necessary for the successful development of a mobile software application. Such an approach defines basic processes, techniques, tools, methods, procedures, and resources necessary for the successful management of the project. The development of software applications entails a range of activities from analysis and design to coding and testing. An agile approach prescribes processes essential for managing the process while overcoming common most common challenges. The report outlines a project management methodology and all its related processes suited for the implementation of an application on iPad and Android tablets. Hire our assignment writing services if your assignment is devastating you.

Agile Project Management Framework

SCRUM is the most appropriate project management framework that suits the implementation of an application on iPad and Android tablets. The choice of SCRUM is based on its ability to create workflow tasks that can solve challenges associated with information and communication in the project team. According to Michele (2011), SCRUM is guided by three pillars, namely: inspection, transparency, and adaptation. In effect, these pillars support respect, courage, commitment, focus, and openness. These values are essential in diagnosing challenges, such as conflict, that manifest in the case under study. The technique’s principles will go a long way in unifying the team and removing unnecessary complexities that would otherwise distract the team from achieving its objectives. Furthermore, SCRUM facilitates better communication and information flow through its daily retrospective meetings that rack the progress and set project goals (Corral et al., 2013). In this way, the SCRUM master will set the project processes, introduce, react to the deviations, and implement how the project implementation works to avoid further conflicts among team members. Therefore, the SCRUM framework will facilitate faster project development, courtesy of its ability to foster transparency, better communication, and collaboration.

Accordingly, SCRUM suits the case study because of its ability to control time and cost. SCRUM methodology relies heavily on collaboration and frequent feedback cycles that curb potential interruptions, enabling team the project team to focus on meeting spring goals (Tavares et al., 2017). As Rasnacis and Berzisa (2015) espouse, final meetings often validate the responsibility assignment matrix (RAM) that describes the seamless participation of each team member in various projects and processes. Notably, the iterative aspect of the SCRUM framework will provide continuous feedback to offshore developers in India, QA testers in San Francisco, and the rest of the members in Herdon. At the same time, the framework will facilitate proper re-planning based on the current understanding of the software requirements; traceability of the code requirements; mapping of the safety and functional requirements; and work coordination (Tavares et al., 2017). These activities give a clear roadmap that controls the entire project and fosters on-time delivery of the product within the budget. As such, this software development paradigm will address the time and cost constrain bedeviling the project through its process enablers.

Project Plan

(Refer to Excel Sheet)

Techniques for Managing the Project

Each stage of the software product cycle needs quick and responsive changes from the project team members. The iterative approach to project execution needs agile techniques and tools to guarantee fast and continuous feedback to be implemented. Several agile project management techniques and tools can be useful in such an undertaking.

Kanban technique

The Kanban technique will help visualize the project to acquire a better understanding of the workflow. Kanban thinking has three guiding principles that underlie its ease of implementation, efficient management of work in progress, visual controls, and dedication of process improvement (Ikonen et al., 2011). The first principle is concerned with starting the project from what is known (Ikonen et al., 2011). The goal of this principle is to make all project team members understand current processes, respect the existing roles of each member, and understand their responsibilities and job titles. The second principles involve agreeing to pursue improvement throughout the project. On the other hand, the third principle focuses on encouraging acts of leadership at all levels. With these principles, the Kanban technique will help in seeing how the everyday execution of the milestone affects the project in real time. Furthermore, team members will be informed about the order of project activities to make informed decisions regarding which iteration to focus on.

In the same vein, the Kanban approach will lower the threat of risk factors resulting from the development of the software application on iPad and Android tablets. Some of the major risk factors identified in the case study include communication and coordination breakdown, unrealistic budgets and schedules, and continuous requirement changes. In this regard, Kanban will play a central role in determining the realistic duration of the project and thereafter facilitate the cooperation between developers and customers (Ahmad et al., 2013). Furthermore, the short feedback loops, along with the smooth task flow, will ensure that the project’s budget is estimated based on facts rather than guesswork. Kanban’s requirement of continuous changes will ensure that the software application project is implemented per customer requirements. Therefore, managing the project using the Kanban technique will help to visualize the workflow while allowing team members to collaboratively identify and implement changes.

Lean management technique

Lean management will also be useful in improving the quality of application project software. Kasims (2018) posits that lean software development principles entail waste elimination, knowledge creation, fast delivery of the project, respect among team members, optimization of the project activities, and building integrity and quality (Kasims, 2018). The management approach identifies factors that impact the project and how it interacts with the environment. These principles will help in tailoring team members’ attributes and their virtual collaboration. Lean management will help in the project definition stage where it will serve as a crucial factor for integrating stakeholder purpose, customer requirements and values, design concepts, and design criteria of the software application. Additionally, the technique’s different commitment strategy for avoiding premature decisions will benefit the project by reducing negative iteration that causes design redundancy, eventually generating greater customer value. In this regard, the lean project management tool will play an important role in the high-quality design and on-time delivery of the project because of its core principles.

Dynamic systems development method (DSDM)

DSDM will effectively manage the project by providing a framework for building and maintaining the software application. The technique utilizes an iterative process within which each phase follows the rule that sufficient work is needed for each increment to facilitate progress to the subsequent stage (GeeksforGeeks, 2019). This concept will foster faster development of the software application while addressing organizational constraints. Moreover, the technique will also encourage interaction among project team members, thereby solving the existing communication and coordination breakdown that characterize the team members. (GeeksforGeeks, 2019) argues that the DSDM strategy’s competence is derived from its customer involvement during project implementation. Worth noting is that customers’ knowledge and awareness of the product are likely to increase throughout the development stage (GeeksforGeeks, 2019). This situation can further influence customers to change their minds. Nevertheless, with DSDM, the project will pay much attention to understanding customer requirements and seeking their feedback in solution development. In this way, the technique will curb potential risks from unwanted features. As such, the DSDM method will have a positive impact on the development and implementation of the software application by reinforcing customer value.

Adaptive software development (ASD)

The ASD technique will also suit the management of the software application project. The central tenet of ASD is that the most appropriate way to achieve success in complex software projects is by embracing continuous learning through the product’s life cycle while adjusting the project’s plan accordingly (Qureshi & Hussain, 2008). As with other agile methodologies, ASD’s iterative cycles of three overlapping stages will enhance the development of the application software per customer requirements. As Qureshi and Hussain (2008) observe, ASD comprises three primary phases, speculation, collaboration, and learning, which are central to its effectiveness of project management. The first phase will allow for proper planning of the project, with the second stage bolstering collaboration among team members to verify the design and requirements of the application. In the same vein, the last phase will ensure that everyone is involved in the project, including customers and the management. In this sense, the ASD approach will support agile software development by eliminating limitations resulting from team members, software components, and quality requirements.

Extreme programming (XP) 

Extreme Programming (XP) will also be an effective project management tool for the project at hand. The model aims to improve the software’s quality and responsiveness to the changing needs of customers. The objective of the frequent releases in short development cycles is to reinforce effective guidelines and capture appropriate practices of software engineering practices (Rasnacis & Berzisa, 2015). The technique’s simplicity focuses on doing a simple activity today and performing a little more tomorrow to make the necessary changes will be instrumental in minimizing potential risks from the project’s fixed time. Rasnacis and Berzisa (2015) observe that XP emphasizes effective communication and a smooth flow of information to facilitate necessary changes in the design of the software. In addition to this, the feedback aspect of the method will influence the production of high-quality software for iPad and Android tablets. For these reasons, XP can be used to manage the project and achieve high-quality software, courtesy of the coding standards and unit testing of each functional unit.

Strategies for Conducting Requirements Sessions and Managing Multiple Tasks

User observation

User observation is a direct approach for conducting requirements sessions using interviews and questionnaires. The strategy provides valuable user feedback per the asked questions. (Eid, 2015). The argument is that developers may find it hard to explain the exact requirements of the project, validating the user observation approach. One advantage of using this strategy in conducting requirements sessions is that the feedback helps in curbing unexpected events, such as abrupt change of a software requirement. As such, user observation will help in capturing key requirements for the product.

Prototyping

Prototyping is another strategy that will be useful in conducting requirement sessions. The method involves an iterative process that emphasizes user involvement (Eid, 2015). Typically, prototyping allows the user to provide requirements to which developers plug indirectly into the project lifecycle, eventually showing the user the final outcome. The method is best suited when complemented with an interview or any appropriate requirements-gathering strategy. The advantage of the approach is that it will continuously involve the user to provide specified requirements until the working version of the software meets these preferences. The last bit of the prototype will have all the required details and will be used to build the actual software application.

One-on-one interviews

The one-on-one interview method is also effective in gathering requirements during meeting sessions. The interview questions are well thought out in line with the functional requirements of software applications. Eid (2015) advises that the questions are typically open-ended and open-ended, involving user interaction with the current or new system. The goal is to allow the developers to further probe in-depth details that would improve the current software application. The specific answers from the interview will provide a series of details for developers to improve the technical and operational aspects of the product.

Prioritizing urgent tasks

Prioritizing urgent tasks is an appropriate strategy that will be used to manage multiple tasks daily. The technique involves creating a list of important activities for the project as the foundation of successful management (Nadeau, 2012). The different priorities of the tasks will determine the time plan that takes into account the most critical tasks for the project. Eventually, the method will ensure seamless execution of the project tasks for on-time completion.

Reserve analysis

Reserve analysis essentially defines the scope of work and manages the workflow. The strategy is implemented by the project team leaders to help members in managing multiple tasks available at a specific time. Particularly, the approach utilizes analytical concepts to determine the scope of tasks and how they interrelate (Nadeau, 2012). The idea behind implementing this strategy is to determine an estimated reserve time to be used for creating the schedule duration of the multiple tasks, their budget, and approximate costs. Reserve analysis will help in managing multiple tasks daily to ensure within-budget and timely completion of the project.

Rolling wave planning

The rolling wave planning technique will also help in managing the project. According to Nadeau (2012), the rolling wave planning strategy is premised on planning for different task activities in waves as the project unfolds and becomes clearer. Initially, the method outlines the project’s key milestones while acknowledging that immediate tasks are clearer than the latter tasks (Nadeau, 2012). In this regard, the technique will plan the successful execution of tasks that occur at ago daily. Rolling wave planning will achieve the effective management of such tasks by creating a well-defined work breakdown structure and the project’s key milestones.

Conflict Management Techniques

Creating a virtual site

Creating a virtual site as the primary interaction point for geographically dispersed team members is one of the effective techniques that will manage conflict. The ability of the team to perform effectively may be endangered because of the members’ geographical distribution, decreasing work satisfaction, and job commitment. However, creating a common center for the team’s activities will encourage active participation and commitment to the project’s objectives. The virtual site will utilize an intranet Web incorporated with information updates, discussion threads, shared files, and information about each team member. The approach will encourage a shared social identity and foster interactions to build rapport. Thus, the virtual workspace will serve as a shared work environment for discussing important project-related issues.

Protecting the team’s privacy

Protecting the team’s privacy is another strategy that will go a long way in managing conflict. Ensuring members’ privacy can take many forms. One of these is limiting the team members from accessing their colleagues’ information (Ferrazzi, 2012). Alternatively, private folders will be created to facilitate the discussion of problems until the issues are addressed (Ferrazzi, 2012). These procedures will ensure that task-related conflicts are addressed amicably before presenting them to others. Ferrazzi (2012) contends that a moderator should be selected to serve as the mediator of any arising conflict in such a scenario. This individual will be responsible for tracking the discussion thread, summarizing arguments, and soliciting everyone else’s viewpoint on how to address the issue. The privacy-based approach will ensure collaborative conflict management and ultimately professional relationships among team members and high performance.

Employing an effective leadership style will also help in managing conflict among project team members. The leadership style will emphasize the importance of building relationships and enhancing socio-emotional connections among members. An overwhelming number of studies show that a relationship-oriented leader facilitates member interaction and promotes team building essential for the effectiveness of virtual teams (Liao, 2017). These behaviors will form the foundation of shared norms that usually define the organizational culture. The socio-emotional relationship will enhance members’ well-being. Relatedly, the leadership style will focus on structuring tasks by specifying the roles and responsibilities for the leader and each member (Liao, 2017). Each task’s goal will be clarified to guide members on how to accomplish the project while monitoring their work processes. As such, effective leadership will serve as the panacea to potential conflict among members.

Techniques and Tools for Monitoring and Controlling the Project’s Progress

Monitoring and controlling the progress of the project will be important to compare the actual performance with the planned performance and take necessary corrective actions. Several techniques will come forth in undertaking this activity.

Daily SCRUM meeting 

Daily brief meetings will enhance the inspection of the progress toward the sprint goal to adapt the sprint backlog accordingly. The brief meetings will allow team members to get on the same page concerning the project’s agenda items (Corral et al., 20113). Particularly, scrum meetings will seek to determine risks at every priority level, tasks to be accomplished on a particular day, possible re-allocation of tasks, the status of tasks planned for the previous day, and any corrective action to be taken. The meeting will also be used to monitor risks, solve team conflicts, and disseminate activities planned for the following day.

Milestone review meeting

The project will also utilize a milestone review meeting to monitor and control the project’s progress. The idea will be to analyze planned and actual action and analyze issues relevant to the project (Corral et al., 20113). Concurrently, the review meeting will be used to evaluate important metrics to the project, and best practices and record lessons learned to adopt effective diagnoses.

Customer complaint resolution

The customer complaint resolution method will provide insights into user issues gathered from the requirement sessions. The method will use teleconferencing or any appropriate virtual meeting among team members to acknowledge or refute customer requirements, communicating the approved requirements to the developers (Corral et al., 20113). A root causes analysis of the complaints will be performed to identify additional risks and identify the best corrective and preventive mechanisms that suit the project.

Speculation

Managing the project using a traditional project management technique would clearly define the process beforehand, making it a formal process with limited customer involvement. Typically, traditional project management uses a linear approach, involving a preplanned set of stages while assuming that the stages are fixed (Ahmad et al., 2013). The manager would be in charge of all the activities, with little regard to customer requirements. Concurrently, the manager has the final say in case of any conflict between team members. While the development process of the project would be streamlined, using the traditional project management method would be similar to a bureaucratic management style in which employees’ input and customers’ choices and preferences are not integrated into the project’s implementation process. In the end, a lack of coordination and customer involvement would result in a software application with several defects that do not appeal to customers.

Methods for Controlling Project Work

The two most methods that would be useful for controlling work include the work breakdown structure (WBS) method and the Gantt chart approach. This method will organize work into smaller and more manageable parts (Qureshi & Hussain, 2008). WBS arranges work hierarchically for easy execution. Similarly, the Gantt chart will provide visual representations of the work for easier execution. Usually, this approach helps with scheduling and planning all activities in the entire project (Qureshi & Hussain, 2008). The two methods will ensure easier execution and on-time completion of work.

Project Closure

The last phase of the project will involve preparing the last report, closing the budget, and terminating all project-related tasks. All formal documentation related to customer acceptance will be executed, with the contract completed for any necessary last-minute change. All team members will be required to recognize the formal end of the project before dismissal.

 References

Ahmad, M., Markkula, J., & Oivo, M. (2013). Kanban in software development: A systematic literature review. 2013 39Th Euromicro Conference On Software Engineering and Advanced Applications. https://doi.org/10.1109/seaa.2013.28

Corral, L., Sillitti, A., & Succi, G. (2013). Agile software development processes for mobile systems: Accomplishment, evidence and evolution. Mobile Web Information Systems, 90-106. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-40276-0_8

Eid, M. (2015). Requirement Gathering Methods. Retrieved from https://www.umsl.edu/~sauterv/analysis/F2015/Requirement%20Gathering%20Methods.html.htm

Ferrazzi, K. (2012). How to manage conflict in virtual teams. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2012/11/how-to-manage-conflict-in-virt.

GeeksforGeeks. (2019). Dynamic systems development method (DSDM) – GeeksforGeeks. GeeksforGeeks. Retrieved from https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/dynamic-systems-development-method-dsdm/.

Ikonen, M., Pirinen, E., Fagerholm, F., Kettunen, P., & Abrahamsson, P. (2011). On the impact of Kanban on software project work: An empirical case study investigation. 2011 16Th IEEE International Conference on Engineering of Complex Computer Systems. https://doi.org/10.1109/iceccs.2011.37

Kasims, G. (2018). Applying lean to improve quality in software development projects. Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Business and Information Management. https://doi.org/10.1145/3278252.3278254

Liao, C. (2017). Leadership in virtual teams: A multilevel perspective. Human Resource Management Review, 27(4), 648-659. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2016.12.010

Michele, S. (2011). Agile project management with scrum. Project Management Institute. Retrieved from https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/agile-project-management-scrum-6269.

Nadeau, M. (2012). Advice for managing multiple projects. PM Network, 26(2), 26–27. Retrieved from https://www.pmi.org/learning/library/advice-managing-multiple-projects-2338.

Qureshi, R., & Hussain, S. (2008). An adaptive software development process model. Advances in Engineering Software, 39(8), 654-658. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.advengsoft.2007.08.001

Rasnacis, A., & Berzisa, S. (2015). Adaptation of agile project management methodology for project team. Information Technology and Management Science, 18(1). https://doi.org/10.1515/itms-2015-0019

Rizwan Jameel Qureshi, M., & Hussain, S. (2008). An adaptive software development process model. Advances in Engineering Software, 39(8), 654-658. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.advengsoft.2007.08.001

Tavares, B., da Silva, C., & de Souza, A. (2017). Risk management analysis in Scrum software projects. International Transactions in Operational Research, 26(5), 1884-1905. https://doi.org/10.1111/itor.12401

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Preparation

Imagine that you are the project manager of a critical project for an organization. The organization wants to implement an application on iPad and Android tablets that provides near real-time updates for marketing executives and managers on the effectiveness and success of their marketing campaigns. Since this project is so critical to the overall financial health of the company, you were asked to complete this project in 3 months. Your business sponsors are very interested in your approach to managing this project and they are also demanding to see what the project team can deliver on a weekly basis.

Due to the tight deadline, the project team was assembled quickly with 10 team members of various backgrounds. There are three offshore developers in India and two QA testers in San Francisco, CA. The rest of the project team and the product owner are in Herndon, VA. The team members were unfamiliar with each other. Additionally, there are ethical issues. For example, a developer has been consistently blaming an analyst for his accent which has little to do with project development. Another QA tester rarely spoke out in the meetings, but consistently went to her management to complain about a couple of project team members’ lack of documentation which delayed her QA plan and test cases. When you started to run the project, you were told that the project deadline was moved up 2 weeks from the original deadline. With such pressure on time, conflicts broke out and team morale was down. You have to help bring the project back on track by solving various conflicts and improving the collaborative work effort.

Note: You may create and/or make all necessary assumptions needed for the completion of this assignment.
Instructions

Write a 10–12 page paper in which you:

Suggest the Agile project management framework that is best suited for this project. Provide a rationale for your response.
Create a project plan for this project based on your proposed framework through the use of MS Project or Excel. Note: List all major milestones, resources, tasks, and dependencies. Include tools such as a risk log to enhance your project plan.
Propose at least five Agile techniques and tools that you will use to manage this project. Justify your response.
Propose the fundamental strategies you will use to conduct requirements sessions and manage the multiple tracks of work on a daily basis.
Determine the vital techniques you will use to manage conflicts and facilitate collaboration throughout the project. Provide at least two examples of these techniques to support your response.
Determine the key techniques and tools you will use to monitor and control the progress of the project. Provide a rationale for your response.
Speculate on the key differences and consequences if you were to manage the same project with a traditional project management approach instead of using Agile strategies. Justify your response.
Suggest at least two methods you will use to control the quality of work. Provide a rationale for your response.
Determine the prominent methods you would use to close the project. Provide a rationale for your response.
Use at least six quality resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and similar websites do not qualify as quality resources.

This course requires the use of Strayer Writing Standards. For assistance and information, please refer to the Strayer Writing Standards link in the left-hand menu of your course. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.

The specific course outcome associated with this assignment is:

Maintain an evolving plan, from initiation to closure, based on goals, values, risks, constraints, stakeholder feedback, and review findings.