If you look at the current project management landscape, you will realize that agile project management holds a lot of promise for the leaders. They are entirely different from the traditional approach that is still being used by many firms out there, and since they are highly flexible, they can be used in every type of project.
But just because you have read about the benefits of the agile approach and seen many firms taking its advantage doesn’t mean that you will be able to get everything right about this modern-day project management approach.
This is why, to keep you on the right track, we have come up with the top 10 mistakes that you will need to avoid while using an agile project management approach.
Trying to boil the ocean
If you try to transform everything into a micro iteration with the thought that just breaking every iteration will work like a magic wand for your company, you make one of the biggest mistakes. The primary motive behind agile is to motivate smaller groups to ideate.
Not being flexible to changes
The whole concept of agile project management is based on changes, and if you or your team will show resistance to changes, then there is no way you can become successful with the agile approach.
Lacking team planning
Suppose you keep on underestimating the high level of planning and effort required to implement and run an agile project successfully. In that case, you will never be able to stay practical with your approach. With nitty-gritty tactical planning, an agile approach will never work.
No flexibility
When a company has rigid procurement practices in place, there is no way an agile approach will flourish in such an organization. A team with an agile approach should always be able to adapt to the changes. Half Double, a new project management methodology, acknowledges the demanding nature of projects and suggests Reducing focus on optimisation of resources and enhancing focus on the project’s progression.
No support from top
If the top management will fail to understand the importance of constraints in the project, then using agile project management will be just a waste of time. The agile project will always need full support from the top management for its completion and success.
Incomplete user stories
There can be a situation where the teams will sit down to complete the forecast of the next iteration, but the user stories will remain incomplete. This is one of the most common mistakes firms make while using the agile approach.
Lots of testing
If you are dealing with a software development project, then proper testing will be the key to your project’s success. But this doesn’t mean that you should repeat your testing and keep dealing with the time of release.
Shortchanging security
It might become easy for you with no security plans in place, but when you move on to the middle stage of the project, where you have found gaps and improvements, then at that stage, you will have to deal with lots of friction.
Barriers between teams
In most cases, you will have to keep the team in the same room while using an agile project management approach, keeping them away from informal and formal communication.
Not knowing when you are done
If you are not sure when the iterations are completed, you might have to deal with degraded outcomes. An engineer will tell you whether there is still a scope of improvement or you should move to the next stage of the project or not. Knowing when you are done will save you time and effort.
