PMI Funded Research_Extending Agile Project Management Beyond Software Industry

Dear Mr. Conte,

Most of the scientific literature, available today, refers to APM exclusively in software development and, even though, scholars and practitioners have provided some valuable and essential knowledge on APM effectiveness in the software industry the project management community still knows little about APM applicability beyond software domain. According to Griffiths [31], the popularity of agile methodologies in other industries started around 2002 and therefore the methodologies are still evolving.
With an increased use of the APM concept in the last decade, it is of utmost importance to clarify if and how this concept translates in into other domains outside of the software industry and whether it co-exists or replaces traditional project management. Researchers were inspired and motivated to conduct this research, due to a lack of a coherent and consolidated knowledge on this topic.
PMI highlighted this as a "topic of interest", and Project Management Journal had a special call, in 2017., dedicated to APM with the sub-topic whether APM co-exists or replaces traditional project management, and how, in which kind of environment, conditions, or which type of project. I,as a scientist and a research in this field, am trying to see if there is something here worth of exploring:)

But, for example, in my dissertation title I don't use APM as rather agile approach. So maybe to clarify my research I will try to translate the title:
Investigating the effects of the agile approach in project management beyond software industry.

Best regards,
Danijela

Sorry Danijela, but it is not right. I was part of the USA DoD/NSF Agility Forum in 1990 created inside the Leihigh Unversity to find an alternative to Lean and was where Agile was born. But you can find Agile practices in Ford Motors in 1937 just the difference is Toyota took it in 1934 and create TPS that was time before Lean (while TPS, Lean and Agile are not the same). What Griffiths stated is totally wrong. I earn my Ph.D in Software Engineering from Cargnegie Mellon Unversity and my tesis was a method named FUSION that was used time ago. Agile methods for software were created from object orientation and I have the possibility to work with the methos creators at OOSPLA and then being part of the group of authors of DSDM. So, if you like to make a doctoral thesis my humble opion is take a close look because it will determine your success. Obviously it will depend on your thesis committee.

This is my own opinion, I certainly respect your opinion on this issue and am not wishing to start any sort of fight, but perhaps a healthy discussion on the issue.

In IT and Software, we sometimes use words that others understand to help them grasp the basics. We may use the terms loosely, but we attempt to relate it to things they may already know. Working in IT I kind of hate it, but I get why we do it. I know it isn't accurate, but it generally is close.

People know what a project manager is. We can explain that Agile has some differences. I am constantly explaining that Agile goes beyond software, software is just a good use for it. So how do we explain to them roles within Agile without going into an hours-long lesson on it? They probably don't care that much to hear a whole lesson, and we probably don't have the time to give them extremely detailed definition differences. Using the blanket phrase "Agile Project Manager" I think helps generally give them an idea, as long as you also make sure they understand the differences.

DSDM certification is the AgilePM - (Agile Project Management). This I know because I have that certification. https://www.agilebusiness.org/learning-and...l-certification

If we want a "better world" (working environment i mean) we need to make it better. To contribute to the general confusion will not help to that. I am DSDM AP&C certified so I understand you (beyond I was one of the authors when it was for free). But here comes the point: Some organizations that took DSDM (or other methods) have made a business on that so they have to sustain the business. There is not point or mention isnide the PMI that make a reference to Agile Project Manager. And that is the right thing except when the PMI tried to sell something because the actual marketing strategy is not working. That is happend beyond Agile. Just my last comment: you will remember me when I said that the PMI will lost in this case. I am PMI-ACP. Why the PMI named the certification ACP (Agile Certified Practitioner) instead of Agile Project Manager? I can say why because I was part of the creation (one more inside the group): because Agile Project Manager or Agile Project Management does not exists.

I understand that, and I get why PMI named the ACP exam the way they did. Agile aims to decentralize the authority and decision making, letting the team make decisions. In that sort of pure Agile scenario, a manager may not really be needed. At least in the more traditional definition of the word.

Agile methodologies tend to recognize the need for someone to be responsible for some duties that would belong to a manager. As an example, Scrum Master and Product Owner seem to split the duties of a traditional project manager while shedding or deferring to the dev. team some of the traditional manager decision tasks. So who in that would be called the "Agile Project Manager"?(Answer is no one and everyone) I think what you are saying is that we need to NOT think like that anymore when it comes to Agile. I have to agree, there isn't any role that would take all of the PM duties, so why call any of them an Agile PM.

The "Agile Project Manager" I think was born more out of a sense to understand it in terms they already know. I hope that Agile will come to a general understanding in its own right and people will begin to grasp that no project manager is really needed. What I think will happen is that a hybrid predictive-Kanban approach will dominate. That is where your Agile Project Manager will sit.

But I also think that there is a need for a coordinator in scaled-up teams. I don't generally care what we call that coordinator, I think the term just needs to exist, and I think it needs to be clear that it is for Agile.

The critical point to understand is: Agile is not a method or methodology. Agile can be used with any type of life cycle model/process including it waterfall. About the term, the point is the role definition not the term. When you use the PMI way to perform as project manager you can do that in multiple environments using multiple approaches at the same time (like in my actual work place) and that is possible when you understand that you are a project manager, not a something project manager. But Ok, its good enough for me. Thank you for your time. Your comments helped me a lot to learn and improve myself.

The critical point to understand is: Agile is not a method or methodology. Agile can be used with any type of life cycle model/process including it waterfall. About the term, the point is the role definition not the term. When you use the PMI way to perform as project manager you can do that in multiple environments using multiple approaches at the same time (like in my actual work place) and that is possible when you understand that you are a project manager, not a something project manager. But Ok, its good enough for me. Thank you for your time. Your comments helped me a lot to learn and improve myself.