Peter MorrisPM Consultant, Author| INDUS TechnologySan Antonio Texas, United States
“Agile methods derive much of their agility by relying on the tacit knowledge embodied in the team, rather than writing the knowledge down in plans.”
Barry Boehm
“Strange women lyin' in ponds distributin' swords is no basis for a system of government. Supreme executive power derives from a mandate from the masses, not from some farcical aquatic ceremony.”
Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Agile development is characterized by frequent rapid delivery of useable software by self-organizing teams with regular adaptation to change* . Working software is the principal measure of progress; and increased throughput (velocity), by reduction of bottlenecks, is the primary measure of efficiency. Such methods are not very conducive to authoritarian control by the standard PMO model.
In Agile, just as in chess and in the PMO, there are multiple decisions and compromises to be made. By the second chess move there are 72,084 possible games; by the 3rd move, 9 million, and by the 4th move, 318 billion. There are more possible games of chess than there are atoms in the universe**. Similarly, the imposition of standard processes by a strategic PMO on Agile projects can lead to multiple responses and disastrous effects. Typically when a PMO attempts to develop and implement a standard methodology, force common documentation archives or standardize post project reviews on an Agile project, the response is something like “Thank you very much, but we already got one, and it’s very nice”.
In a recent unscientific blog that I posted (there is very little research in this area), I received 72 comments on this subject from both Agile PMs and Agile Practitioners. Most PMs thought that a PMO could, if managed properly, benefit Agile teams. However, most Agile Practitioners not only viewed the PMO as the Evil Empire, but considered not only the PMO but all project managers to be waste, bottlenecks and a hindrance to velocity. Many questioned whether either should be allowed to breathe oxygen in an Agile environment.
Currently many PMOs believe that Agile is a blip on the process radar that will someday go away. Agile isn’t going anywhere, mainly because customers love frequent deliveries (call it the Amazon conundrum). PMOs need to understand the Agile methods being used in their company, and manage strategic processes and decisions accordingly. Somebody’s got to be the hero; it won’t be the Agile Practitioner who has a manifesto and usually productivity metrics to back up their increase in productivity and client satisfaction. The successful PMO will be the one that understands the difference between a project schedule and an Agile roadmap, osmotic communication and talking, and minimal documentation vs. maximum invisible documentation. Remember that while there are more possible chess games, or decisions to be made in a technical environment, than there are atoms in the universe, if you make a mistake there is nearly an infinite amount of ways to fix it.
* “Principles Behind the Agile Manifesto”, Agile Alliance, Beck, Kent, et al (2001).
* Victor Allis, Searching for Solutions in Games and Artificial Intelligence, Thesis, University of Limburg, Maastricht, The Netherland, ISBN 90-900748-8-0. Saving Changes...
Agile and PMO are not comparable as they are not the two sides of a coin. Agile can be compared with Waterfall and you can say most of the PMOs YOU have come across are normally managed in a non-agile manner. But you cannot preclude the possibility of having an Agile PMO. Though this idea may seem far-fetched or even impossible to you, but we have observed Agile PMOs in II and software development industry, working exactly in alignment with Agile Manifesto. We do have a concept of SCRUM OF SCRUMS and Agile projects can be modularly shaped into complex projects or programs, which are managed, controlled and counselled by a PMO, which has to be Agile as all its constituent projects and programs are being Agile. Saving Changes...
Peter MorrisPM Consultant, Author| INDUS TechnologySan Antonio Texas, United States
Suhail,
I agree that a PMO can benefit agile projects. Unfortunately most agile practitioners are biased against project managers in general, and more biased against an institution that supports them. Saving Changes...
