This assignment is to respond to two different student’s discussion question posts with substantial replies, there is no minimum word count, but it needs to be enough to properly engage and response to the author at a high level

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This assignment is to respond to two different student’s discussion question posts with substantial replies, there is no minimum word count, but it needs to be enough to properly engage and response to the author at a high level. Please include at least 2 sources. APA format is required. I am going to include the original discussion question asked by the professor, then I will post the 2 students’ responses that we need to reply to. Discussion question from professor: Focus Question What are the key factors driving organizations to move to Agile project management? Provide examples from your readings and professional experience. Support your response with references to the course content, media, and readings. Instructions In one original post, please answer the focus question providing supporting evidence from your module readings and multimedia. Then reply to at least two of your classmates' posts in a substantive manner by asking questions or making comments that will further the discussion. Student response #1 by Isabella The key factors driving organizations to move to Agile project management are the following: • Customers request greater involvement with the project team throughout development to produce the desired deliverable. Customers want the freedom to change their minds as development is ongoing (IT Pro Team. 2019). In my professional experience, when working with a customer that is unsure of the requirements or vision for the desired project deliverable an agile approach provides room for iteration and exploration. Using an agile method to create an MVP and prototype can help both the project team and the customer better understand the project solution they are looking for. • • High degrees of uncertainty exist on projects making it difficult to establish requirements at the outset of a project (high-uncertainty work). This could include exploratory new design, problem-solving, and not-done-before work (PMI. 2017. P. 7). The organization wants to prevent “pretend certainty” from introducing risk to projects (Moreira. 2017). Requirements are dynamic. Rework has been common and wasted time and resources are occurring on the organization’s predictive projects – the cost of this approach is too high and not producing the desired solutions. The organization wants to move toward a model of delayed decision-making to reduce risk of rework and activities that don’t contribute value. In PMJT 510, Schedule Management, much focus was given to the HealthCare.gov case study. The project illustrated the negative impacts that assumptions and pretend certainty (ex. the assumption fewer states would enroll in the federal marketplace) can have on a project. When requirements cannot be established it is best to adopt a project management approach that is suited to a change-driven environment. • • • The organization would like to remove any organization processes or activities that do not relate to customer value to improve efficiency and optimize project management methods (Moreira. 2017). The Agile approach allows for less time planning and documenting at the beginning of a project. The organization wants to become a customer-value-driven enterprise that understands the importance of discovery, continuous improvement, customer feedback, and increase understanding of what is valuable to the customer (Moreira. 2017). The organization is looking to move toward a workforce of smaller teams with more highly skilled team members that are intensely focused on the activity. They intend for these teams to be self-organizing (White. 2008) When stakeholder buy-in is present across multiple levels of leadership in the organization and there is a willingness for change, the adoption of Agile can provide new ways of working that emphasize accountability and teamwork - "Individuals and interactions over processes and tools" (Beck et al., 2001) while keeping the customer-value at the center. • Performance measurements indicate that improved market position or improved resource utilization could be gained through agile project management, making the adopting of agile a strategic decision across the enterprise (White. 2008). Delivering product out on market quickly will allow the organization to compete in a rapid business environment, keep up with the speed of economic dynamics, drive transformation, and provide a competitive advantage The technology industry was the first to embrace agile, which is reflective of the fast-paced nature of tech and product development. I work in the event production industry which historically puts emphasis on long-term planning and the waterfall approach. As greater uncertainty and competition increase in the event production field, the incorporation of agile methods can lead producers to become more efficient in the use of resources and time and responsive to change. There is increasing reliance on technology in order to accomplish event projects – from safety clearance apps to production software. Event production projects are fueled by technology and will benefit from becoming agile in project approaches. Resources White, K. R. J. (2008). Agile project management: A mandate for the changing business environment.) Project Management Institute. http://www.pmi.org/learning/library/agile-projectmanagement-mandate-changing- requirements-7043 (Links to an external site.) IT Pro Team. (2019, August 21). Agile vs waterfall (Links to an external site.). IT Pro. http://www.itpro.co.uk/strategy/28191/agile-vs-waterfall Beck, K., Beedle, M., van Bennekum, A., Cockburn, A., Cunningham, W., Fowler, M., Grenning, J., Highsmith, J., Hunt, A., Jeffries, R. Kern, J., Marick, B., Martin, R. C., Mellor, S., Schwaber, K., Sutherland, J., & Thomas, D. (2001). Manifesto for Agile software development (Links to an external site.). Agile Manifesto. http://agilemanifesto.org (Links to an external site.) Moreira, M. (2017). The Agile Enterprise Building and Running Agile Organizations (1st ed. 2017.). Apress. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4842-2391-8 (Links to an external site.) Project Management Institute. (2017). Agile practice guide. pmi.org. Project Management Institute. https://www.pmi.org/pmbok-guide-standards/practice-guides/agile (Links to an external site.). Student response #1 by Jeffrey What are the key factors driving organizations to move to Agile project management? Provide examples from your readings and professional experience. There are several key factors driving organizations to move to Agile project management. Waterfall or traditional project management “has been proven successful in projects whose solutions can be relatively defined, scoped, and estimated (both time and cost), such as most construction projects” (White, 2008). However, in today’s business and project environment, scope changes much more rapidly due to technology. Projects that take months or years to complete can be obsolete at closing. This has driven a need for a more agile process that can change just as rapidly. Agile provides that capability. Agile also allows organizations to meet the demand of customer satisfaction. According to the Agile Practice Guide, “the first principle of agile places customer satisfaction as the highest priority” (PMI, 2017, p. 2). Taking this into consideration, organizations are putting the customer first, above processes, quality, and profit. In the iron triangle scope, schedule, and cost are taking a back seat to the customer. This is another factor for the Agile movement. However, the Agile Manifesto has given us the four core, key factors driving organizations to move to Agile: - Individuals and interactions over processes and tools - Working software over comprehensive documentation - Customer collaboration over contract negotiation - Responding to change over following a plan (Beck et al., 2001). These four values equate to what is known as Agile project management. They shape the mindset, and lead to the twelve principles that drive organizations to adopt this approach, enabling them to stay competitive in an ever changing and dynamic environment. In my organization change is not embraced. We focus on contractual agreements and meet requirements based upon pre-determined criteria. This has created a resistance to any change and often stifles innovation. Our customer does not expect or embrace change either. However, my organization is often forced to change during a project and alter schedule and cost. These changes, although not welcome, are almost always met and force meetings, brainstorming, and collaboration to meet deadlines and deliverables. So, although my organization does not embrace the Agile methodology, they do change as required using some of the principles identified in the Agile Manifesto without even knowing it. My organization also recognizes the importance of change and meeting the dynamic demand of several customers, which may lead to a more Agile focused methodology in the future. References: White, K. R. J. (2008). Agile project management: a mandate for the changing business environment. Paper presented at PMI® Global Congress 2008—North America, Denver, CO. Newtown Square, PA: Project Management Institute. Project Management Institute [PMI]. (2017). Agile practice guide. Project Management Institute. Beck, K., Beedle, M., van Bennekum, A., Cockburn, A., Cunningham, W., Fowler, M., Grenning, J., Highsmith, J., Hunt, A., Jeffries, R. Kern, J., Marick, B., Martin, R. C., Mellor, S., Schwaber, K., Sutherland, J., & Thomas, D. (2001). Manifesto for Agile software development. Agile Manifesto. http://agilemanifesto.org