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This page contains the most recent articles from the Agile Project Management Academy.

Product Development versus Project Development

Agile Project Management / By
Project Development and Project Development

Agile has been most widely used in “product” development environments and less widely used in “project” development environments.  The difference between product development versus project development is not widely-recognized.  Of course, this is not a totally universal, black-and-white distinction; but, in general, there are some key differences. Product Development versus Project Development General Characteristics AreaProduct […]

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Emotional Intelligence in Agile – Why Is Emotional Intelligence Important?

Agile Leadership, Agile Teams / By
Who Gets Blamed When an Agile Project Fails?

The role of emotional intelligence in Agile is important to understand. It is a skill that is very difficult to master for many people. What is Emotional Intelligence? HelpGuide.org defines “emotional intelligence as follows: “Emotional intelligence (EQ) is the ability to identify, use, understand, and manage emotions in positive ways to relieve stress, communicate effectively,

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Agile Project Manager Job Description

Agile Project Management / By
Agile Project Management Transformation

I was recently asked by a company I am working with to create an Agile Project Manager job description. Here’s what I came up with: Introduction The Agile Project Manager (APM) is responsible for planning, leading, organizing, and motivating Agile project teams. The goals are to: Achieve a high level of performance and quality, and

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What Is the Agile Scrum Master Role?

Understanding Agile / By
What Is the Scrum Master Role?

I was asked to put together a clear definition of an Agile Scrum Master role for a company I am working with that is new to Agile. I think the standard “textbook” definition of what a Scrum Master does is limited and needs some interpretation and elaboration. It also needs to be expanded with some

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Developing an Agile Company Culture

Agile Transformation / By
Agile Company Culture

Developing an Agile company culture can be a major obstacle to successfully implementing an Agile development approach; however, it doesn’t have to be that difficult. Some people make the mistake of thinking that you have to change the entire culture of a company in order to adopt an Agile development approach I don’t believe that

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Managed Agile Development Framework – A Hybrid Approach

Hybrid Agile Methodology / By
Managed Agile Development Process

I’ve seen many people ask a question like “should I use Agile or Waterfall for a project? That excludes the possibility that there is a hybrid approach that provides the benefits of both approaches. The Managed Agile Development Framework is an example of a hybrid approach that is very easy to implement Background Some years

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Agile Maturity and the Martial Arts – How Are They Similar?

Agile Project Mgt Training / By
Agile Maturity and the Martial Arts

There’s a definite relationship of Agile levels of maturity and the martial arts like Karate. What Is the Similarity of Agile and the Martial Arts? In theory, there should be a lot of similarity: Area Similarity Techniques There are a wide range of Martial Arts techniques that can be applied in different situations Finesse and

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Using an Adaptive Leadership Style in Agile

Agile Leadership / By
Adaptive Leadership

Adaptive Leadership in Agile What is the importance of adaptive leadership in Agile? I’ve been a Project Manager for many years and, over the years, I’ve gone through a lot of job interviews, particularly as a consultant where you might change roles every 3-6 months. One of the questions I’ve often been asked in interviews

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Agile Estimation Practices – What Is the Role of Estimation In Agile?

Agile Planning / By
Agile Estimation

I participated in a discussion recently on the subject of Agile estimation practices: The individual who started the discussion indicated that his team was not very good at estimating. He asked whether it was important for them to become more proficient in estimating the level of effort required Overview Estimation can be very important and

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Agile Product Backlog Grooming Iceberg

Agile Requirements / By
Agile Product Backlog Grooming Iceberg

An understanding of the Agile Product Backlog Grooming process is important. A metaphor of an “Iceberg” is often used to visualize how the process works. What Is Product Backlog Grooming? The “Product Backlog” in an Agile/Scrum environment is a prioritized queue of work to be done. It normally consists of user stories which are short

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