MIS608 Agile Project Management Report 3 Sample
Task Summary
“Everything that becomes true starts with a manifesto” - Courtney Love
Manifestos communicate beliefs, aims, intentions and views - they are a philosophy rather than a method. The Agile Manifesto is the philosophy from which Agile methods and frameworks have emerged.
This assessment is about ensuring that we understand the thinking or the ‘what’ of Agile in preparation for learning the methods, practices, tools, and techniques associated with the ‘how’ of Agile. You will be required to prepare a report covering the following concepts and areas of knowledge:
1. VUCA
2. The Agile Manifesto
3. The Case for Agile
4. Agile vs. Waterfall
5. A Comparison of Scrum and Kanban
6. The influence of Lean on the Agile philosophy and practices
Task Instructions:
Your report will require 5 boxes, each one devoted to covering a specific knowledge area. There is no requirement for an introduction of conclusion using this method – your word count can be better used in the boxes:
1. Box 1 - VUCA.
To answer this question, you will need to read this article which is available in the Torren online library: Bennett, N., & Lemoine, G. J. (2014). What a difference a word makes: understanding threats to performance in a vuca world. Business Horizons, 57(3), 311–311. Social media companies are digital businesses, that have access to large amounts of customer information and are well known for their agility though agile operating models for delivering new applications or in app functionality.
a. Which dimension of VUCA are they responding to, with reference the article to explain your position. Describe how having Agile ways of working effectively addresses this VUCA dimension.
b. What do you think is the source of frequent change to which they are responding? Explain what you think the root cause events are that bring about the need for frequent change? These can be large events like changes in privacy regulations, or what seem to be small changes in user tastes, or responses to social change by ‘keyboard warriors’. Select an example and explain why Agile ways of working allow for a nimble response.
2. Box 2 - The Agile Manifesto.
The Agile Manifesto is not a rule book – but rather a philosophy or set of patterns that are meant to be useful for achieving good results. In the world of Agile the term ‘anti-pattern’ is used to describe practices that are not considered helpful – below is a list of anti-patterns which contradict the values of the Agile Manifesto. Looking at each statement, identify which value it is contradicting and explain why you say this by sharing your reasoning:
a. ‘It is the tool that makes us Agile’
b. ‘Hierarchies where you do what your boss tells you to do are the best way of ‘working’
c. ‘We are too busy working to talk – we know what we are doing’
d. ‘You must document everything to make sure that you are ‘covered’ in case something goes wrong’
e. ‘I am a developer, I don’t need to know what customers want, I just need the Business Analyst to give me documented requirements’
3. Box 3 - Agile vs Waterfall and the Case for Agile
Senthilvel, G., Khan, O. M. A., & Qureshi, H. A. (2017). Enterprise application architecture with .net core : an architectural journey into microsoft .net open source platform. Packt Publishing. Using the above graphic which compares the Waterfall and Agile delivery life cycles, and the No Sneezium Case Study discuss the benefit that an Agile delivery method has on the following areas and how an iterative approach enables this:
a. Scope
b. Cost
c. Time
d. Quality
It is vital that you refer to the facts and figures as discussed in the case study and relate them to the iterative cycles of the case study.
4. Box 4 - Kanban.
To answer this question, you will need to read pages 148 - 152 which is available in the Torren online library: Measey, P. (2015). Agile foundations: Principles, practices and frameworks. UK: BCS Learning& Development Ltd. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral-proquest- com.ezproxy.laureate.net.au/lib/think/reader.action?docID=1759633&ppg=168
And watch this video - Rose, D. (2018, April 12). Kanban [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.linkedin.com/learning/agile-foundations/kanban?u=56744473 Imagine that you live in a share house with 4 other students, and your landlord is coming this Friday to do an inspection. Use the basic Kanban that Doug Rose describes in the video to come up with 5 User Stories of a cleaning task that will need to be done. Using the six core principles of Kanban practice explain how you will use this Kanban with your housemates as a team to get the work done in time to satisfy your landlord. Use practical day-to-day examples to illustrate your understanding of each core practice. You may us first person language in this section i.e. I, we, me however you must still reference the six core practices.
5. Box 5 - The Influence of Lean on Agile philosophy and practice.
Steady, incremental improvement - Kaizen – change for the better/ Good change. This Lean Principle is considered one of the primary and most powerful principles of Lean. Review these webpages from the Kaizen Institute with speaks to the definition of Kaizen and its core:
https://www.kaizen.com/what-is-kaizen#definition_kaizen
https://www.kaizen.com/what-is-kaizen#core_kaizen
a. Compare the 5 core principles of Kaizen with the values and principles of Agile according to the Agile Manifesto. Create a two-column table where you list the 5 core principles of Kaizen in the column on the left, and the values and principles of Agile on the right. Study these for a while and then draw lines to match Agile Values and Principles to core principles of Kaizen where you believe they can be conceptually related.
b. Select one relationship for each Kaizen core principle to discuss why you believe the Agile Value or Principle relates to the Kaizen core principle. A short 3 sentence paragraph justifying why you believe this to be the case is sufficient for each.
c. Select one Kaizen core principle and use an example to explain how you can apply Kaizen to an activity in your personal life.
Solution
Box1
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a. Social media companies are responding to the "Volatility" and "Uncertainty" dimensions of VUCA. According to the article, volatility refers to the speed and magnitude of change, while uncertainty refers to the lack of predictability and the difficulty in understanding the situation. University Assignment Help, Social media companies operate in a rapidly changing and unpredictable environment, with shifting user preferences, emerging technologies, and evolving regulatory requirements. Agile ways of working effectively address these VUCA dimensions by providing a flexible and iterative approach to software development and delivery. Agile methodologies, such as Scrum and Kanban, emphasize collaboration, rapid prototyping, and continuous feedback, allowing teams to quickly adapt to changing requirements and market conditions. By breaking down work into small, manageable chunks and delivering value incrementally, agile teams can reduce the risk of failure and increase the likelihood of success in a volatile and uncertain environment (Bennett & Lemoine, 2014, 311–311).
b. The source of frequent change to which social media companies are responding is multi-faceted and can come from various events. For example, changes in privacy regulations, emerging technologies, shifting user preferences, and social trends can all trigger the need for frequent change. One example of an event that can trigger frequent change is a crisis or negative publicity related to a social media company's operations or data privacy practices. Agile ways of working allow for a nimble response to such events by enabling teams to quickly pivot and adapt to changing circumstances. Agile teams can respond to crises by conducting quick assessments, identifying solutions, and implementing changes in a timely manner. By collaborating closely with stakeholders and rapidly prototyping solutions, agile teams can ensure that they are delivering value to their customers while minimizing the impact of external events on their operations. This approach allows social media companies to maintain their agility and responsiveness in the face of VUCA challenges (Bennett & Lemoine, 2014). |
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Box 2
Box 3
Box 4
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Here are 5 User Stories for cleaning tasks that need to be done before the landlord's inspection: • As a housemate, I want to clean the bathroom so that it is sparkling clean for the landlord's inspection. • As a housemate, I want to vacuum and mop the floors so that they are free from dirt and debris. • As a housemate, I want to clean the kitchen so that it is tidy and hygienic for the landlord's inspection. • As a housemate, I want to clear out all the rubbish and recycling bins so that the house looks clean and tidy. • As a housemate, I want to dust all the surfaces so that there is no visible dust on the furniture and shelves.
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To use Kanban with my housemates as a team, I will apply the six core principles of Kanban practice: • Visualize the Workflow: We will create a visual board with three columns - To Do, Doing, and Done. Each cleaning task will be written on a separate sticky note and placed in the To Do column. • Limit Work in Progress: We will set a limit of one task per housemate in the Doing column to avoid overwhelming ourselves and to ensure that each task is completed before moving on to the next one. • Manage Flow: We will prioritize the tasks based on their importance and the amount of time required to complete them. For example, cleaning the bathroom and kitchen will be given higher priority than dusting the surfaces. • Make Process Policies Explicit: We will establish a cleaning schedule that everyone agrees to, which specifies who will be responsible for each task and when it should be completed. We will also agree on the standards of cleanliness that need to be met for the landlord's inspection (Rosenberg, et.al., 2019). • Implement Feedback Loops: We will have regular check-ins throughout the week to assess our progress and adjust our cleaning plan accordingly. We will also give each other feedback on the quality of the completed tasks to ensure that we meet the agreed-upon standards. • Improve Collaboratively and Evolve Experimentally: We will reflect on our cleaning process and identify areas where we can improve our efficiency and effectiveness. For example, we may find that some tasks take longer than expected and adjust the schedule accordingly. We will experiment with new ways of working and adapt our cleaning plan as needed to meet our goals. |
Box 5
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References
Bennett, N., & Lemoine, G. J. (2014). What a difference a word makes: understanding threats to performance in a vuca world. Business Horizons, 57(3), 311–311.
Senthilvel, G., Khan, O. M. A., & Qureshi, H. A. (2017). Enterprise application architecture with .net core : an architectural journey into microsoft .net open source platform. Packt Publishing.
Measey, P. (2015). Agile foundations: Principles, practices and frameworks. UK: BCS Learning& Development Ltd. Retrieved from https://ebookcentral-proquestcom.ezproxy.laureate.net.au/lib/think/reader.action?docID=1759633&ppg=168
Rosenberg, D., Boehm, B. W., Wang, B., & Qi, K. (2019). The parallel agile process: applying parallel processing techniques to software engineering. Journal of Software: Evolution and Process, 31(6). https://doi.org/10.1002/smr.2144
Torrecilla-Salinas, C. J., De Troyer, O., Escalona, M. J., & Meji?as M. (2019). A delphi-based expert judgment method applied to the validation of a mature agile framework for web development projects. Information Technology and Management, 20(1), 9–40. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10799-018-0290-7
Winberg, C., & Nofemela, F. R. (2020). The relevance of kaizen-based work-readiness training for south african university of technology students. Td : The Journal for Transdisciplinary Research in Southern Africa, 16(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.4102/td.v16i1.729
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