PMI ACP Quiz 09

When managing projects using the agile method, the needs of the customers are met and the business is able to serve the market even if its circumstances are changing. The agile method is very adaptable and project management involves self-organizing teams.

When agile methodologies are in place, it is the voice of the customer that is often heard when assessing work outcomes. The feedback of the customer is a very important part of the process which determines whether best value was provided.

Agile methods originated in Japan during the 1980s in the product development industry, followed by the US in the software industry. It was developed to solve issues with products often not meeting expectations or project cycles taking longer than business cycles.

According to the Agile Manifesto, a plan-driven method is reactive, dynamic, and responds to change more than it follows a project plan. It is flexible and may very well change depending on the evolving circumstances of the business.

When using agile methods, contract negotiations with clients do not necessarily require the presence of legal counsel. Some of the cautions are oversimplification that could damage the cohesion of the product, unfavorable consequences brought about by last-minute changes, and the need to set up systems to anticipate unforeseen events.

According to Agile Principles, the best processes and outcomes come out from self-organizing teams. There is always collaboration between business people and developers. Changes are allowed at any stage of development the highest priority is customer satisfaction.

Waterfall is the shorthand reference for the organizing principle behind most project development lifecycles, also referred to as the traditional method. It is an organizing principle the creation and delivery of specified outcomes based on a master plan.

Plan-driven lifecyles start with the presence of business opportunities. Sponsors may decide to start a project that will harness the potential of a new business opportunity if the said opportunity fits the business strategy.

A sequential plan-driven PDLC is an intuitively natural way of thinking how to do something. It is very simple in that it begins with a vision of what is wanted and then thinks of what is needed for it to be done, the step-by-step process, and all the activities that will comprise a plan.

Documentation is a vital element for communication in methodologies with high ceremony. It serves as a record of processes, approvals, and shows history of everything that occurred in every stage of the project.

A plan-driven methodology has the advantage of being not strongly reliant on exceptionally talented workforce. It involves a large number of people from practitioners to contractors and consulting companies. The method can be applied to large projects at a fixed price and it is an effective method to address repeatable and predictable results.

One of the disadvantages of a plan-driven methodology is that late changes are expensive and often end up costing more than the upgrade itself. Because it strictly follows a plan, any deviation from fixed processes would inevitably pose challenges.

The distinct qualities of Ag-PDLC are that it is emergent, iterative, evolutionary, and incremental. The methods emerge from the team’s assessment of the requirements tasks. The design evolves from iterations to iterations resulting in outcomes that serve as updates to the product base.

An agile manager focuses on the results in measuring the value of a product, and not particularly on the process and activity. The value of the product is given more importance and even serves as a basis on whether adjustments should be made to the process and activity.

Some of the methodologies that adhere to the Agile Manifesto and the Agile Principles are Scrum, Crystal, XP, and Kanban. Waterfall is not a particular methodology. It is a shorthand reference for the organizing principle carried out by most project development lifecycles.

Royce’s project methodology which involves problem analysis and solution implementation is a low ceremony approach but is one of high trust and high value. High value means that every step in the project adds value to the end product. High trust means that not much documentation is done and there is very little command and control in terms of project management.

In a traditional PD-PDLC, there is a risk of benefits coming in late or not materializing at all due to market movement. Regardless of project outcomes, if the project is left behind by the changing circumstances around it, then all benefits may be lost.

To mitigate the risks associated with the use of traditional PD-PDLC, it is important to involve the clients early in the process, and often. This will allow for any issues to be dealt with early on as well as improvisations before the final product is completed.

It is the business that hosts a project, not the customer. The customer may be a person or group that are the principal beneficiaries of the project. They are the end-users of the product with a significant knowledge of how the project should function. They may be external or internal to the organization.

The business case is a framework to hold dynamic ideas that can adapt to different situations. It starts with a high-level idea that has a vision of the intended outcomes, unique features, and the necessary functions.

In agile projects, the funds provided are limited to the goal of the investment. Funding cannot go beyond this goal. Any upgrade should’ve been anticipated and made part of the goal, in which case funds would have been allocated for it.

A best-value outcome may not always be the most scope-deliverable. This is because in agile methods, one always needs to consider whether the outcome is economically feasible by envisioning the scope of the project.

One of the responsibilities of an agile project is to be responsive to the judgments of the business related to value. It should provide a best-value solution. Note that a best-value solution need not always be the most affordable solution. If the value of a high-cost solution far outweighs the value of another one with a lower cost, then an agile project has the responsibility to select the one with the best value.

The Balanced Scorecard business value model scores four areas for business value. In order to drive performance in a business, one must consider (1)financial performance, (2)customer perspective, (3)internal business perspective, and (4)innovation and learning perspective.

With agile projects, adhering to a planned budget does not always come first. The scope may be adjusted and much of it may be delivered as long as the available investment makes it possible.

Funding requirements in agile projects are evaluated based on the affordability and likely payback. Affordability refers to the capability and desire of the business to fund the project. The likely payback refers to the benefits that may be achieved by the business once the product is released in the market. This involves risk analysis, the capacity of the business to pay and to tolerate uncertainties.

Agile teams do not utilize the kind of formal documentations with fixed sets of standards on how to execute processes. They are instead dynamic and are highly adaptable to various and evolving situations.

The customer relationship in an agile project is made part of the team. The customer enumerates the priorities, interprets the requirements, does product testing, and evaluates the product after, providing feedback on whether the requirements have been met.

The Treacy-Wiersema business model has three focus areas that are relevant to the agile way of thinking. They are (1)customer intimacy which promotes insight and understanding, (2)product leadership which promotes excellence and innovation, and (3) operational excellence which promotes effective processes and deliver that deliver outcomes at the least possible cost.

In customer-driven value, the values may differ among customers and may reflect that of the majority. This means that the voices outside of the majority are vulnerable particularly if they are not vocal or urgent.