The Benefits of an Agile Approach to Project Management

The Benefits of an Agile Approach to Project ManagementThe Benefits of an Agile Approach to Project ManagementThe mora traditional Waterfall approach to project management, which all the major project frameworks such as PRINCE2, APM BoK and PMBoK came from, works well in more stable contexts. There is a clear case that the world we operate in since PRINCE2 welches launched in 1996 is now far more volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous (which youll landsee abbreviated as VUCA. Waterfall approaches that encourage thorough big design at the beginning are still relevant where we can be confident of requirements before work begins that these will not need to change significantly during the life of the project. However, such are the volatility of operational drivers that bear upon businesses that often the customer simply must adapt. The urgency of these drivers will not allow them to wait until the end of the project. So this might require frequent changes throughout a project. With a waterfall process, this probably means expensive re-working of the plan and wasted effort. This leads to our belief that taking the Agile approach of frequent small deliveries coupled with a more continuous conversation with the customer allows much greater flexibility and delivers results, and therefore benefits, much more quickly. The beauty of Agile is that customers can decide what they want to achieve as they see what the suppliers can achieve. Its approach is one of learning by doing, allowing teams to reflect on their experiences as they go along and adapt accordingly. The success of Agile comes down to a number of key elements. The 3 main factors in the success of Agile are set out below. Success Factor 1 A Self-Organizing Team To start with, you need a self-organizing team. By moving away from silo working, team members are encouraged to use their overlapping skills and work together, which in turn gives them much greater empowerment and satisfaction. Success Factor 2 Time-Boxing and Requirements Management Then theres timeboxing, where the emphasis is on fixing the time and cost elements of a project but also allowing the plan to evolve so requirements can be prioritized, with crucial input from a customer representative, as work progresses. The Agile contract between customer and supplier is radically different to the expectations of Waterfall requirements are flexible, within agreed parameters, but time and cost are not. Its always tempting to put too many priorities into the must haves section of the requirements. Agile practice will usually keep these to around 40% of the total effort. Scope creep is one of the seven things that can derail your project, so this must be managed effectively. Similarly, Agile teams will also ensure there is only a finite number of tasks in the doing category work currently being carried out right now to help reduce the complexity of projects at any one time. Success Factor 3 People Engagement People e ngagement is a critical part of Agile working and is successful because all the different stakeholders within a teamwork closer together and are empowered to have more say in both what they do and the order of the work. This is recognized as being much more motivational than the classic command and control approaches which tend to be common among management. Agile Is Not What You Think Of course, not everyone is ready to embrace Agile and one of the common misconceptions is that there is some sort of overall unifying Agile methodology. That rather misses the point. There is no one right way of organizing and managing an Agile project, and thats what makes it so attractive to some, and threatening to others. Some try to adopt Agile techniques while at the same time continuing with a waterfall perspective, but as you might expect, this is unlikely to deliver success it is the Agile way of working that makes the techniques work, rather than the other way round. Lastly, there are t hose who think Agile is only relevant to software development, but thats simply not true it can equally be used on a variety of non-software examples, such as renovating a large building, improving business processes or improving job aids for customer-facing personnel. Common Barriers to Agile Working One of the main reasons why Agile wont work is if an organization operates a culture of micromanagement and entrenched silos of working that wont allow collaborative behaviors. Other issues are likely to include weak team leadership or trying to implement it in organizations where the nature of the work is such that working releases is inconceivable in small iterations. Why Agile Is Here to Stay Agile has made such significant inroads that it cannot be dismissed as a fad and should be understood by all managers who are involved in innovation and development. To ignore it now is to miss an opportunity that can deliver quick results and achieve cost savings. Apple, Amazon, GE He althcare and Salesforce.com are among those organizations that are already using Agile, having recognized that it is better suited to the complexities of 21st Century organizations. And above all, Agile knows how to get the best out of knowledge workers and ensure they stay motivated. Learn five ways to motivate your team whether you work in an Agile environment or not. Faced with those conclusions why wouldnt you want to be more Agile?

What to Do if You Keep Hearing No from Companies

What to Do if You Keep Hearing No from CompaniesWhat to Do if You Keep Hearing No from Companies When youre on the job hunt and you get hit with Well give you a call, but the call never comes, it can become quite frustrating. Not getting any answer is sometimes more discouraging than getting a rejection. But in the job-seeking world, you will often find yourself receiving more negative answers, rather than positive ones. The real reason behind it may be related more to the technology that supports the recruiting system, rather than to your overall job skills. The recruiting process has suffered many changes throughout the years, in the hopes of successfully implementing new tools that can help the HR department and streamline the entire process. And while some of these technologies have turned out to be quite helpful , such as job platforms that connect employers and job seekers, others are a constant pain for both recruiters and applicants. erreichbar job applicati on questionnaires are often stiff and redundant and do bedrngnis help any of the parties involved. For example, there is no real need to elaborate on your tasks and duties at your previous job, if you have already mentioned you have worked as a school teacher. Any recruiter should be able to tell what your tasks were if you taught English for high school students, but despite that, most applicant tracking systems (ATS) require an answer that is already obvious. Instead, they should be focusing more on your accomplishments and skills, in order to successfully determine the real difference between qualified and underqualified applicants. The recruiting process has been dehumanized and automated in a way that has become inefficient. We focus more on intimidating and discouraging candidates by using inefficient technologies and making them go through pages of questions that are leid always relevant in the hiring process, says Angela Ross, HR Manager at Flash Essay . What most ATS d o is they screen resumes based on certain keywords that match the job description. If your resume does not include those exact same keywords, your application will most definitely not reach the hands of a recruiter . Fortunately, technology can also be used in your advantage this time, as there are multiple websites that specialize in writing resumes or intent letters, to fit the criteria of an ATS. Those tools are specially designed with recruiting technology in mind to help employees get their resumes through the screening process and on the interviewers desk. Applicant tracking systems follow a strict pattern and some resumes, although filled with relevant information, do not pass the system, says Amy Jones, Employment Specialist at WriteLoad . Keep your resume as simple and concise as possible and include information from the job description. Avoid unnecessary information that may not be ATS-friendly.Spelling mistakes can be the end of your resume, as the system cant go pas t them and will not understand that you meant to write time-management instead of time-management. So, make sure you perform multiple spell-checks before submitting your application. If you want to be 100% sure you dont have any mistakes , run your resume through a spell checker after you have finished it, to avoid all possible mistakes. Sometimes, the fear of getting rejected can make you lose focus before even getting to the interview. While sending resumes out to every single job offer you may have heard of is not the best way to approach the situation, neither is giving up and laying in bed all day, hoping to hear from that company you sent your resume to three months ago. You have to make sure you keep your focus and only apply to positions that are suited for you. Otherwise, you might find yourself getting a job that does not bring you any kind of fulfillment. Make a primary goal of your job-hunting process to only apply to positions that truly interest you and fit your s kills. Another mistake that most candidates make after a few rejections is to start overanalyzing the entire process. While recognizing your mistakes and correcting them is part of growing up, constantly going over certain situations and focusing on what went wrong can only work in your detriment. Remind yourself that this is part of the process, learn from it and move on to the next one. Try reaching out to the hiring manager and ask how you can improve. You may get the exact answers you were looking for, said Daniel Bennet, Hiring Manager at EssaySupply . For example, if you applied for a sales position, you might be able to learn that, although your skills were perfect for the job, you might have come out as shy, which is not a good thing for a salesperson.While nobody says you should go looking for an accountant position if you have 7 years of experience as a VP of absatzwirtschaft, looking for other jobs in the same filed , such as Marketing Officer, or Marketing Manager. You might even want to consider going for a lower position at first and, with your skills, get promoted in no time. There is no point in narrowing your search , just because the job title does not include the word manager. Apply, go to the interview and discuss more with the recruiter when you get there. You have no reason to turn down a job that fits your salary expectations, is close to your home and offers an enjoyable working environment just because it does not have a certain title on the door. Landing a job is not always an easy task and the process can sometimes take out the worst of you. What is important is to analyze the situation, understand that is not always your fault for not getting that callback and focus on moving forward, rather than getting stuck on the brde negative response you got.

10 Appropriate Questions to Ask During an Interview

10 Appropriate Questions to Ask During an Interview10 Appropriate Questions to Ask During an InterviewOne of the fruchtwein awkward moments of a job interview is at the conclusion of an interview when the hiring manager asks, Do you have any questions for me? They have been asking you questions, and now you have to ask them?You really want to ask, When do I start?, especially if you REALLY want the position, but that cannotlage happen. So, if you are not sure how to end an interview, do not say, Thanks and walk out. Try these three appropriate questions to ask during an interview.1. What would your employees say is the best part about working here?This is an appropriate question to ask during an interview because it helps you see if the company listens to their employees. You also get to hear what the company perceives theiremployees value. Also, interview questions at the end are not made to put the hiring manager on the spot, but if you see the question is difficult to answer, it c ould be a sign of trouble.2. How will my performance be measured at this company?One of the worst things to happen is to accept a job where your performance is not measured. This leads to disagreements between employees and management over who is working harder to achieve success. Having performance measured also gives everyone in a company a sense of purpose and value to a company.3. Will I be hired to implement or follow strategies?This is an appropriate question to ask during an interview because anyone looking for a director, senior, VP, or CEO position is usually at a stage in their careers where they build. This interview question is designed to find out if they want to hire a leader or a follower.4. Who are your main competitors?Ask this appropriate question during an interview to see if the company is aware of their own market. You will also get a sense of how competitive the company is by their answer. Aside, you may also find out other companies you may wish to apply for i f this one does not work out.5. What is your favorite part about working here?At the conclusion of an interview, you should be able to say to yourself, The people in this company seem happy to work here. That is a good sign.6. How big is the team I will be working with?This is simply an appropriate question to ask during an interview because you may be a leader that prefers small teams. Not everyone is meant to manage large teams. You will also get a good idea of the workload ahead and if they are giving you sufficient resources to work with.7. What do you see as the most challenging task in my position?When they called you in for the interview, they had something in mind that led to start thinking, This is the person we need Ask this question and at the conclusion of an interview, you will know exactly what they see in you and the challenges you will face.8. How would you describe your own company culture?Over the last decade, company culture has become more and more important. By the conclusion of an interview, their answer will give you an idea if the companys morals and ethics are aligned with your own. If the companys answer disturbs you, its best to pass on the job.9. What have past employees done to succeed in this position?This is a simple and great question to ask at the conclusion of an interview. You are discovering what the company defines as achieving success.10. If you hired me today, what would you expect of me in my first week?What makes this an appropriate question to ask during an interview is the fact you are seeing if they already have plans for you, or you are seeing if this company needs you to come in and figure things out as you go.Some like to have a set path ahead of them and others like to pave their own roads. You are finding out what type of road this company will take you on.Be sure to reach out to Find My Profession for interview prep services to help you answer interview questions at the end with confidence.