Fostering Agile Excellence: The Vital Role of Respect in Project Management

 

PMI currently upholds a Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct grounded in four core values expected from every project professional and aspiring project professional. Over recent years, there has been a notable transition from the waterfall approach to Agile in project delivery.

This article is the first of series of articles that will explore how embracing PMI values can enhance project managers “Power Skills”, ultimately boosting the certainty of project delivery in an agile environment.

As a reference the PMI Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct values are Respect, Responsibility, Fairness and Honesty. In this article we will focus on the value of Respect.

“Respect is our duty to show a high regard for ourselves, others, and the resources entrusted to us. Resources entrusted to us may include people, money, reputation, the safety of others, and natural or environmental resources. An environment of respect engenders trust, confidence, and performance excellence by fostering cooperation—an environment where diverse perspectives and views are encouraged and valued.” https://www.pmi.org/-/media/pmi/documents/public/pdf/ethics/code-values-card.pdf?rev=44578e34774241568ce0034489794fe4&sc_lang_temp=en

PMI defines Power Skills as Human Skills such as “Communication, leadership, collaboration, empathy… these are some of the power skills that help to build strong teams and successful businesses” https://www.pmi.org/learning/publications/pm-network/digital-exclusives/power-skills-are-human-skills . Delving deeper into acquiring and mastering these skills reveals the importance of embracing the value of Respect.

How does Respect relate to Agile? Let's examine the Agile Manifesto's values and principles.

Values

• Individuals and Interactions over process and Tools
• Customer collaboration over contract negotiation

Principles

• Business people and developers must work together daily throughout the project
• Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need and trust them to get the job done.
• The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a development team is face-to-face conversation.
• Agile processes promote sustainable development. The sponsors, developers, and users should be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely.
• The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams.
• At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behaviour accordingly.

What we observe is that only half of the values and principles are listed, and this half pertains to interactions and relationships among humans, including team members and stakeholders. Respect serves as the foundational ingredient necessary for effectively adhering to these principles and values.  Without mutual respect, meaningful interactions and collaborations cannot occur. If individuals do not treat each other with respect, interactions and relationships will suffer. This lack of respect will weaken the relationship between the business and developers, hindering their ability to work and collaborate effectively.

In Agile, constant information sharing is crucial for successful delivery. Respect ensures the effectiveness of ceremonies such as daily sprints and retrospectives. For instance, if respect is absent during retrospectives, the team's ability to reflect and improve on practices diminishes, leading to poor outcomes.

We've all observed daily sprint meetings exceeding the prescribed 15 minutes due to team members discussing unrelated matters. Respecting team members' work-life balance is an example of fostering sustainable development pace. Respecting everyone's time during daily sprint meetings and adhering to prescribed guidelines fosters an environment conducive to sustainable development. Failure to do so disrupts team dynamics and impedes progress.

These examples underscore the importance of Respect as a core value for Project Professionals. It is a fundamental ingredient in acquiring and mastering Power Skills, particularly relevant in Agile environments where effective collaboration is paramount.

I invite further discussion on this topic within the forum and encourage you to stay tuned for my next article.