Management and Control in Agile Programme Management

Agile’s influence on project, programme and change management continues to rise at pace. Agile PgM guidance, training and certification provides programme managers with a disciplined but flexible agile approach to the management of transformational organizational change, allowing for iterative and incremental delivery of outputs and benefits.

However, one question is always asked about the management and control within the Agile Programme Management framework. While these two words: management and control are considered to be negative words within wider Agile world and teams are considered to be self-organising, empowered and autonomous. Scrum enthusiasts go as far as stating that there is no need of project management now since Scrum team does all that is needed to deliver to evolving solution. 

Self-organising, empowered and autonomous teams are at the core of Agile and without these there can't be successful Agile implementation. Similarly, governance, management and control are always needed on programmes (& projects) to ensure that programmes (& projects) meed the business needs and these remain aligned to the business strategy at all times. 

Delivery teams are not expected to be the owners of budget and timelines for a programme (& project). This responsibility lies with the team that is free from delivery responsibilities, allowing the delivery teams to remain focused on the overall solution delivery in the light of evolving business needs. 

DSDM based Agile Programme Management (AgilePgM) and Agile Project Management (AgilePM) maintain a fine balance between the empowerment, self-governance and autonomous environments and management and control. 

There are defined governance review points in a neatly prescribed lifecycle of a programme by Agile Programme Management which help in meeting business needs, achieving programme vision and also ensuring capability delivery teams  given the environment within which they can deliver the best emergent solution. 

Visit Tecknologia to learn more about Agile Programme Management (AgilePgM) trainings & courses and how to achieve certification for Agile Programme Management (AgilePgM).

Credit: Agile Business Consortium and APMG International.