Stelian ROMANProject Manager| MicroSafetyCarlingford, New South Wales, Australia
In a traditional project management methodology the Project Manager is the ultimate responsible for the delivery of the project scope.
What is your experience with Agile projects? Who takes the responsibility if there is a failure? Saving Changes...
Stelian ROMANProject Manager| MicroSafetyCarlingford, New South Wales, Australia
@Thomas. Yes, in a mature Agile environment the PO/Business is fully responsible for the 'project'. Too often the real PO send a 'proxy' that doesn't have the authority to set priorities and take on the spot decisions. Saving Changes...
Stelian ROMANProject Manager| MicroSafetyCarlingford, New South Wales, Australia
@Rami, and what would you expect in case of failure?
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1 reply by Rami Kaibni
Oct 11, 2018 12:55 PM
Rami Kaibni
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It is team work, they all fail as a team or succeed as a team. There is no blame game for one person ! That's how we do things, at least in my work environment !
Senior Projects Manager | Field & Marten AssociatesNew Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
Oct 10, 2018 8:47 PM
Replying to Stelian ROMAN
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@Rami, and what would you expect in case of failure?
It is team work, they all fail as a team or succeed as a team. There is no blame game for one person ! That's how we do things, at least in my work environment ! Saving Changes...
Stelian ROMANProject Manager| MicroSafetyCarlingford, New South Wales, Australia
@Rami, and in case of failure the whole teams resigns or is fired?
In my experience as a contract PM the PM is always the scapegoat for failure. contractors are paid better than permanent staff because they get the problems that couldn't be solved on the assumption, most of the tome valid, that they have more experience and knowledge, and because we are 'expendable'.
In Agile, again based on my experience, the failure is covered by reverting to very formal practices or allocating more resources/time on a sort of "beating the dead horse" approach. The SM is either fired, demoted or if it's along term 'nice' employee promoted. There is usually no change in the dev team and no impact on the PO. I haven't seen yet a Scrum Team that resigned in block after a failure. Maybe it is possible in Japan :).
The Australian Census failure is a good case study. It was run as an "Agile" project... Saving Changes...
Agile or not, it is always the Scrum Master or Project Manager who will be responsible in real world.
Yes, Project Manager will be held responsible for both the success or failure of the project. Saving Changes...
Stelian ROMANProject Manager| MicroSafetyCarlingford, New South Wales, Australia
@gurudeva, for the failure it's sure the PM but for the success the credit goes most of the time to the Sponsor, some time to the team and in very rare cases to the PM. That's in traditional, but I'm not sure about Agile (hence the question).
I always start the PIR with a quote from a very smart but anonymous person: "When congratulating for a success stat with the one that wil be blamed in case of failure". Needless to describe the reaction :) Saving Changes...
Eric IsomOwner| learn.pmguaranteed.comUt, United States
In discussions like this, it is helpful to distinguish between Accountability and Responsibility - as used in a RACI chart. Every task on a project has one or more people who will do that work, and they are all considered Responsible. However, for each task there can be only one person Accountable. That one person is the one who is held to account for the success or failure of the work.
Regardless of what the standards say, human nature is still human nature, and the PM will be held accountable and blamed if the project does not go well. This is not entirely unreasonable. We WANT the PM to be considered the expert on project management, and to be capable of marshaling the support and resources necessary for project success. If the PM is put into an impossible situation, then it's up to the PM to say so, to let the project sponsor know that the project is not structured or supported for success.
If you find yourself in an impossible situation, then the PMI Code of Conduct provides the answer. Either it's impossible because you are not a good fit for the project, or the environment is not conducive to successful projects no matter how good the project manager. Either way, the guidance is to not accept such roles. Hold your ground, and find other employment if necessary, or else your reputation and that of the project management discipline are at risk.
If I sound like I'm coming on strong about this, it's only because in hindsight, there have been times that I wish I had taken a stronger stance rather than hope that it will turn out, and I have learned from such experiences.
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1 reply by Rami Kaibni
Oct 12, 2018 2:34 PM
Rami Kaibni
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I do agree with you Eric. Very well said !
Saving Changes...
Stelian ROMANProject Manager| MicroSafetyCarlingford, New South Wales, Australia
@Eric, with all due respect I totally disagree with the concept of RACI in Agile. In Agile there is no concept of individual responsibility, the book stipulate that the Team has the responsibility to deliver, as few people already mentioned here.
As a personal view I agree that the PM is Accountable/Responsible for project delivery but I've seen many (Agile/Scrum) teams and organisations that don't recognise the PM role in the traditional sense. There is a confusion between SM and PM roles, The PM losing the authority to take decisions (expected to play the servant leader role) or the SM expected to be a sort of resources manager.
From the ethical point of view (if the role is stil present) a PM should at least raise concerns but who is responsible when there is no PM or the PM is a Servant Leader to the Team?
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1 reply by Eric Isom
Oct 12, 2018 6:52 AM
Eric Isom
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I don't see a conflict between Agile and Accountability. In fact, I think they complement each other quite well. When I use the term Agile, I mean anything that fits within the broad framework of the Agile Manifesto, which does not take away the concept of personal responsibility. Collaborative, self-organizing teams should still have a leader whose responsibility it is to create the environment and ground rules that make such teamwork possible. It is a mistake to think that leadership is not needed for a team of self-directed, self-organizing, motivated people. Look at any great sports team, or any great company, like Apple or Pixar. Great teams still have and need leadership, and that leader is the one who is Accountable. When organizations remove leadership from the equation, they struggle and fail. I think that this is precisely why so many so-called agile teams and organizations fail.
Saving Changes...
Eric IsomOwner| learn.pmguaranteed.comUt, United States
Oct 12, 2018 4:33 AM
Replying to Stelian ROMAN
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@Eric, with all due respect I totally disagree with the concept of RACI in Agile. In Agile there is no concept of individual responsibility, the book stipulate that the Team has the responsibility to deliver, as few people already mentioned here.
As a personal view I agree that the PM is Accountable/Responsible for project delivery but I've seen many (Agile/Scrum) teams and organisations that don't recognise the PM role in the traditional sense. There is a confusion between SM and PM roles, The PM losing the authority to take decisions (expected to play the servant leader role) or the SM expected to be a sort of resources manager.
From the ethical point of view (if the role is stil present) a PM should at least raise concerns but who is responsible when there is no PM or the PM is a Servant Leader to the Team?
I don't see a conflict between Agile and Accountability. In fact, I think they complement each other quite well. When I use the term Agile, I mean anything that fits within the broad framework of the Agile Manifesto, which does not take away the concept of personal responsibility. Collaborative, self-organizing teams should still have a leader whose responsibility it is to create the environment and ground rules that make such teamwork possible. It is a mistake to think that leadership is not needed for a team of self-directed, self-organizing, motivated people. Look at any great sports team, or any great company, like Apple or Pixar. Great teams still have and need leadership, and that leader is the one who is Accountable. When organizations remove leadership from the equation, they struggle and fail. I think that this is precisely why so many so-called agile teams and organizations fail.
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1 reply by Stelian ROMAN
Oct 12, 2018 7:16 AM
Stelian ROMAN
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@Eric,I personally agree with you but in Scrum, the most used Agile Framework, there are only 3 roles : Developer, SM and PO there is no Leader.
There is only a Servant Leader (the SM). Should a Servant Leader be Accountable/Responsible and sacrifice for the Team?
Saving Changes...
Stelian ROMANProject Manager| MicroSafetyCarlingford, New South Wales, Australia
Oct 12, 2018 6:52 AM
Replying to Eric Isom
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I don't see a conflict between Agile and Accountability. In fact, I think they complement each other quite well. When I use the term Agile, I mean anything that fits within the broad framework of the Agile Manifesto, which does not take away the concept of personal responsibility. Collaborative, self-organizing teams should still have a leader whose responsibility it is to create the environment and ground rules that make such teamwork possible. It is a mistake to think that leadership is not needed for a team of self-directed, self-organizing, motivated people. Look at any great sports team, or any great company, like Apple or Pixar. Great teams still have and need leadership, and that leader is the one who is Accountable. When organizations remove leadership from the equation, they struggle and fail. I think that this is precisely why so many so-called agile teams and organizations fail.
@Eric,I personally agree with you but in Scrum, the most used Agile Framework, there are only 3 roles : Developer, SM and PO there is no Leader.
There is only a Servant Leader (the SM). Should a Servant Leader be Accountable/Responsible and sacrifice for the Team? Saving Changes...
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