I am often asked “How do I help my project teams select which planning and delivery method to use for each project Doc?”.

 

And I answer with the six simple questions that take about 10 or 15 minutes to answer.

 

And they are all about “capability”…

 

First, what is the project manager capable of?  Do they know how to speak and do both plan-driven “predictive” projects and customer-focused “adaptive” or “agile” projects?  Do we write and edit the plan up front, or plan a little bit, do a little bit, get some feedback, and then plan a little more.

 

Second, what is the project management team capable of?  Do they know how to speak both “predictive” and “agile” projects? They have to know the terms, concepts, tools, and techniques, and processes of both project planning and delivery methods to be able to do them.

 

Third, what is the project sponsor capable of?  Does he or she speak both “predictive” and “agile”?

 

Fourth, what is the project management team’s organization capable of?  Do they know how to understand and support them in both “predictive” and “agile” projects?  If the team needs a 3-day training class to learn to do something new and it takes the decision makers, accounting, and procurement apparatus 3 months to fund it…well…does that sound “agile”, i.e., responsive to customers?

 

Fifth, what is the organization receiving the project capable of?  Do they know how to speak both “predictive” and “agile” projects?

 

And sixth, is the project high risk or high visibility?  If so, you may not want to try that new Scrum planning and delivery method out…