Managing large projects that have multiple stakeholders can be extremely challenging. Even the most meticulously planned projects can face missed deadlines, changes in client requirements, and any number of other problems. Unlike unbeatable Spectrum bundle prices, losing high-value projects is something most businesses can’t afford. Agile Scrum is a project management solution in use in some of the biggest firms in the world such as IBM, Amazon, and several others. But what exactly is it? Can it actually benefit your business? This blog explores all that and more.
Where conventional project management techniques often face bottlenecks and delays, Agile offers the 21st Century alternative. By using Agile project management, your business becomes much more responsive to any unexpected and sudden changes in projects or in your business. It allows businesses to react much faster to any issues that may crop up. Scrum is a module or subset of the larger Agile project management system. It is also the most used process that Agile offers.
But why should businesses use it? The answer lies in the many benefits Agile Scrum brings to a business. From streamlining workflows, increasing accountability, and boosting teamwork, the system has a lot to offer. It creates a framework where everyone from individual team members to the project manager or lead is involved in the entire process. Still not convinced? Here are a few reasons that could help you change your mind:
Let’s take a closer look at these below.
Using Agile Scrum for project management has one distinctly important advantage. It allows your business to become more responsive to changes. That means fewer delays to the project based on relatively minor and easily fixable problems. This is possible because the system allows you to frequently review progress on the project and adapt workflows to changing needs. Even if your overall project strategy remains constant, the means of getting there may change as a result of arising circumstances. If you’re about to take your business through a massive transformation or restructuring, Scrum can be a very useful tool indeed.
One of the biggest hurdles in conventional project management is the challenges faced in the planning phase. At the same time, it can be very difficult to track progress against these plans. Scrum offers a workable solution by dividing important tasks and workflows into what they call Sprints. A business can, for example, break down a larger transformation plan into smaller sprints for better tracking and management. Not only can you track progress on each of these sprints, but you can also ensure the others proceed on schedule if one or more sprints hit problems. Having chunks of tasks to accomplish before you can move onto the next phase would hold up progress until all tasks are completed. The sprints strategy makes for easier planning and improved accuracy.
The way Scrum works, sprints prioritize individual team members and their interactions. Smaller organizations often have daily or weekly Scrum meetings. This is also known as a standup meeting where everyone gets time on the whiteboard to explain what they accomplished, and what they aim to accomplish ahead. Larger organizations also make use of Scrum meetings, especially when a single project manager is responsible for ensuring geographically separated teams are on the same page.
Scrum isn’t just about preparing you to meet challenges as they arise. It is also built on the expectation and assumption that challenges and changes will arise. That means the project management system is designed based on the fact that projects will deviate from the original plan. So when you inevitably have factors outside your control causing delays in specific projects, you have a methodology to handle them. Scrum allows you to allocate time and resources from other sprints to delayed ones and ensure that the project rolls out on time.
Scrum has greatly increased internal controls and individual accountability within a project. The purpose behind this is to ensure individuals understand their roles and limitations, as well as what is expected of them during the course of a project. This is especially useful when different departments are working on a project together, such as your marketing team working closely with the development team to execute a software or CRM rollout. The controls result in giving the project a cohesive appearance, and the communication channels included ensure you have constant information as well as feedback with regards to problems with any sprints.
Projects, whether big or small, are built on key milestones, timelines, and cost estimates. Any small delay can translate into money lost as well as creating bottlenecks. Even something as simple as a bug in your router can hold things up – unless you do what I do which is calling the helpful folk on the Spectrum Erie PA phone number for assistance. But for most other cases, the delays can mean disruptions in your timelines, and may even cause missed deadlines. Among the available alternatives, Agile Scrum is one of the best project management solutions available. Will it bring benefit to your business? Most certainly, but it all depends on how effectively you use it.