PLEASE NOTE: This stream of notes does not reflect everything said in this session which was very discussion-heavy.
50k+ registered agilists – what about the unregistered?
Project Managers are the largest segment (18%) of agilists
CSM is a distinguishing designation for PMPs
How to mature the certifications – team members, etc.
Everyone wants it
PMI is responding to this because it has to. Richmond chapter signed a collaborative agreement with the APLN, this is happening in other places as well.
People asking lots of questions.
IT Telecomm PMI Chapter playing a large role in building bridges.
PMI Global Congress in 2008 had 5 agile presentations that were all very popular.
PMI Agile group.
What gaps are there?
Shu-Ha-Ri progression:
Study under a master the “one true way”. Then try many variations. Then understand the principles and “the Way”.
Tension for agilists – transition.
Project/Product/Program manager vs. ScrumMaster and Product Owner – no set definitions.
Worried about hiding behind process…
Project Management is a scapegoat
Agile is a scapegoat
Both are because of human dysfunction
Mac vs. PC = Agile vs. PMI – camps based on labels
Moves us away from pragmatism to fundamentalism
Certifications:
CSM -> Scrum -> Agile Thinking
The CSM is the gateway to agile thinking
PMP -> Project Management -> Tools
How do we move people between PM and Agile?
Fundamentalism in Scrum – wrongness of not doing agile.
Not adapting Scrum to reality.
Agile is about truth-telling – different flavors of agile do this a little differently.
The Project manager often has multiple roles – this hides the truth.
The truth is necessary to successful projects.
Scrum focuses around an objective – e.g. making money.
Would it help if the PMBoK had explicity added an agile component?
PMI like IBM – when the IBM launched a PC, then it was okay for the corporate environment to use PCs.
Differences b/w PMBoK and Scrum are more about who, how and why, but not so much about what.
In most organizations, there is a customized “one way” and it is this that is difficult to change, not so much the PMBoK.
Some fundamentalism in Scrum: if you aren’t doing it right, then you are hiding dysfunction – not because Scrum is the one true way to do delivery, but because it is a way to do learning.
Keep my job!
Get agreement around values and principles. – do no harm –
How do we save the world? Top down? Grassroots? Viral? Not forced! Building on success!
Attraction vs. promotion.
Not enough of us! Lots of cultural inertia, crossing the chasm.
Not transforming people despite themselves. You can’t transform someone else!
False dichotomy b/w execution and transformation.
Learning vs. dysfunction. Example of Toyota making 1000s of improvements every day.
PMI is about advancing the profession of the project managers. Therefore it is incumbent on the PMI to bring Scrum in because it works!!!
It needs to get it into the PMBoK
Affiliated Promotions:
Please share!
This was a very interesting set of notes to read through! Thanks to whoever took the time to capture them and post them here!
I recently gave a 2-hr presentation to our local PMI chapter, which I titled “My Life As A PM Is Over: The Company Just Went Agile!” I figured that a provocative title would get people to come out, and I was right: it was one of the best-attended monthly meetings for that group (I was told).
From what I can tell, there is a whole lot of work left to do in figuring out how to best integrate Project Managers into the various Agile methodologies. Those who think that it’s a simple problem – “just make them all ScrumMasters/Coaches!” – are underestimating or simply not grasping the depth of the challenge. Not every PM is well-suited for that sort of role (nor are they necessarily interested in it), and many organizations have responsibilities that PMs carry out in a Waterfall environment that can’t easily be either abandoned or handled by a SM/Coach when they “go Agile.” It’s a complex problem the parameters of which tend to vary, from place to place.
The group of 30 or so PMs that I spoke to were very interested in hearing about Agile, but some were also skeptical, cynical and maybe even a bit fearful of it. I think the best thing the Agile community can do on this front is to talk about the PM role in Agile more, and resist any temptation to treat it as unimportant.