Eric Thompson - Agile Project Management: The Step by Step Guide that You Must Have to Learn Project Management Correctly from the Beginning to the End

In the management field, everyone manages projects. Whether one is a certified manager or not, at one point, they had to manage their projects to ensure that the end product delivered meets the customer requirements. Unfortunately, most managers manage their projects by winging it. Often, this results in struggles to effectively manage multiple projects at once or to beat deadlines and also to adapt to the ever-changing project requirements. In a bid to solve the project management challenges faced by most people, companies utilize varying standard project management methodologies.

With regards to the above, the best way of mitigating challenges associated with project management is to adopt a project management technique that works. However, with the numerous methods out there, it becomes a daunting task to choose one. Most individuals would have a difficult time determining the best method that works for them. Fortunately, this book will guide you through agile project management methodology as one of the best strategies you can use to manage your projects.

So, what is agile? Agile refers to project management techniques which use short development cycles referred to as sprints to put a major focus on continuous enhancement during the development of a product or service. Essentially, agile is a method used to manage projects. This method of project management can be utilized for any project management process. However, it was basically founded to help in software development.

Back in the day, industries used conventional approaches to manage their projects. During this period, companies used methods such as the earned value management or the PERT method to coordinate project tasks. As global economies changed, there was a shift in the focus of what should be delivered to the end customer. Earlier on, the importance of quality and doing it right was a major emphasis. With the changing times, new management techniques evolved. Doing things right was no longer good enough. Companies must now learn to get things done on time.

Without a doubt, the customers desire to get their products or services on time has changed the way companies do business. Unfortunately, if one company fails to meet the timely demands of their customers, then their rivals in the market will meet the need. Having mentioned this, project managers in companies need to wake up and appreciate the changes going on around them. In other words, they need to be more agile.

The advent of the internet also came with changes, more so in the way in which businesses handle project management activities. Today, companies need to embrace the importance of using project management methods such as agile. The term agile is defined as able to move quickly and easily. From this definition, project managers are expected to adjust quickly to their changing environments. In this case, they should rapidly adjust to the changing needs of customers.

The introduction of the internet has led to numerous uncertainties when dealing with projects. Most project managers will attest that it is nearly impossible to keep up with all the changes in any project management process. It is after a project starts that a customer realizes that they did not want exactly what they had initially requested. Unfortunately, the costs to any business for such rapid changes are immense. This mostly applies when projects are not completed in time or rather when the end product or service does not meet the requirements of consumers. An approach that strives to deal with such unpredictabilities while acknowledging the importance of learning in the project life cycle should, therefore, be utilized in any organization. This approach is what is termed agile project management.