Adaptive Project Framework

Adaptive Project Framework

Author: Robert K. Wysocki Ph.D.

Publisher: Addison-Wesley Professional

Published: 2010-01-25

Total Pages: 570

ISBN-13: 0321700619

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A Breakthrough Framework for Adaptive Project Management from Project Management Guru Robert K. Wysocki For an increasing number of critical projects, traditional project management models simply are not appropriate. In many cases, complete requirements and objectives cannot be specified up front, and significant changes cannot be avoided. What’s needed is an entirely new framework for project management: one that combines agile methods with the profession’s most enduring best practices. In this book, Robert K. Wysocki provides that framework—the Adaptive Project Framework (APF)—and shows how to apply it in any domain. Wysocki, one of the world’s leading project management consultants, has spent decades helping large organizations succeed with complex projects. Drawing on everything he’s learned, he explains why a fundamentally new framework is needed and introduces all five phases of that framework. He covers artifacts, processes, and deliverables, and shows how to utilize each phase most effectively in your environment. Through four detailed case studies, you’ll discover how APF can help you adapt to unexpected events, encouraging creative responses based on open partnerships between clients and project teams. Coverage includes Bringing greater flexibility and speed to any project, regardless of its goals or context Moving forward successfully with projects that have vague requirements Discovering what clients really want, not just what they say they want Managing ongoing scope changes throughout a project Customizing APF to your own environment Integrating APF with existing agile software development methods Using APF to overcome the obstacles to success Preparing for the future of project management This book is written for every project participant—project and program managers, software and product developers, process designers, and business analysts—who needs to deliver results in a world that won’t stand still.


Effective Software Project Management

Effective Software Project Management

Author: Robert K. Wysocki

Publisher: Wiley + ORM

Published: 2010-09-29

Total Pages: 547

ISBN-13: 0470446536

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Why another book on software project management? For some time, the fields of project management, computer science, and software development have been growing rapidly and concurrently. Effective support for the enterprise demands the merging of these efforts into a coordinated discipline, one that incorporates best practices from both systems development and project management life cycles. Robert K. Wysocki creates that discipline in this book--a ready reference for professionals and consultants as well as a textbook for students of computer information systems and project management. By their very nature, software projects defy a "one size fits all" approach. In these pages you will learn to apply best-practice principles while maintaining the flexibility that's essential for successful software development. Learn how to make the planning process fit the need * Understand how and why software development must be planned on a certainty-to-uncertainty continuum * Categorize your projects on a four-quadrant model * Learn when to use each of the five SDPM strategies--Linear, Incremental, Iterative, Adaptive, and Extreme * Explore the benefits of each strategic model and what types of projects it supports best * Recognize the activities that go into the Scoping, Planning, Launching, Monitoring/Controlling, and Closing phases of each strategy * Apply this knowledge to the specific projects you manage * Get a clear picture of where you are and how to get where you want to go


Decision Making under Deep Uncertainty

Decision Making under Deep Uncertainty

Author: Vincent A. W. J. Marchau

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2019-04-04

Total Pages: 408

ISBN-13: 3030052524

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This open access book focuses on both the theory and practice associated with the tools and approaches for decisionmaking in the face of deep uncertainty. It explores approaches and tools supporting the design of strategic plans under deep uncertainty, and their testing in the real world, including barriers and enablers for their use in practice. The book broadens traditional approaches and tools to include the analysis of actors and networks related to the problem at hand. It also shows how lessons learned in the application process can be used to improve the approaches and tools used in the design process. The book offers guidance in identifying and applying appropriate approaches and tools to design plans, as well as advice on implementing these plans in the real world. For decisionmakers and practitioners, the book includes realistic examples and practical guidelines that should help them understand what decisionmaking under deep uncertainty is and how it may be of assistance to them. Decision Making under Deep Uncertainty: From Theory to Practice is divided into four parts. Part I presents five approaches for designing strategic plans under deep uncertainty: Robust Decision Making, Dynamic Adaptive Planning, Dynamic Adaptive Policy Pathways, Info-Gap Decision Theory, and Engineering Options Analysis. Each approach is worked out in terms of its theoretical foundations, methodological steps to follow when using the approach, latest methodological insights, and challenges for improvement. In Part II, applications of each of these approaches are presented. Based on recent case studies, the practical implications of applying each approach are discussed in depth. Part III focuses on using the approaches and tools in real-world contexts, based on insights from real-world cases. Part IV contains conclusions and a synthesis of the lessons that can be drawn for designing, applying, and implementing strategic plans under deep uncertainty, as well as recommendations for future work. The publication of this book has been funded by the Radboud University, the RAND Corporation, Delft University of Technology, and Deltares.


The Project Manager's Guide to Mastering Agile

The Project Manager's Guide to Mastering Agile

Author: Charles G. Cobb

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2015-01-05

Total Pages: 432

ISBN-13: 1118991761

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Streamline project workflow with expert agile implementation The Project Management Profession is beginning to go through rapid and profound transformation due to the widespread adoption of agile methodologies. Those changes are likely to dramatically change the role of project managers in many environments as we have known them and raise the bar for the entire project management profession; however, we are in the early stages of that transformation and there is a lot of confusion about the impact it has on project managers: There are many stereotypes and misconceptions that exist about both Agile and traditional plan-driven project management, Agile and traditional project management principles and practices are treated as separate and independent domains of knowledge with little or no integration between the two and sometimes seen as in conflict with each other Agile and "Waterfall" are thought of as two binary, mutually-exclusive choices and companies sometimes try to force-fit their business and projects to one of those extremes when the right solution is to fit the approach to the project It’s no wonder that many Project Managers might be confused by all of this! This book will help project managers unravel a lot of the confusion that exists; develop a totally new perspective to see Agile and traditional plan-driven project management principles and practices in a new light as complementary to each other rather than competitive; and learn to develop an adaptive approach to blend those principles and practices together in the right proportions to fit any situation. There are many books on Agile and many books on traditional project management but what’s very unique about this book is that it takes an objective approach to help you understand the strengths and weaknesses of both of those areas to see how they can work synergistically to improve project outcomes in any project. The book includes discussion topics, real world case studies, and sample enterprise-level agile frameworks that facilitate hands-on learning as well as an in-depth discussion of the principles behind both Agile and traditional plan-driven project management practices to provide a more thorough level of understanding.


Adaptive Business Continuity: A New Approach

Adaptive Business Continuity: A New Approach

Author: David Lindstedt Ph.D., PMP, CBCP

Publisher: Rothstein Publishing

Published: 2017-06-05

Total Pages: 222

ISBN-13: 1944480404

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Have you begun to question traditional best practices in business continuity (BC)? Do you seem to be concentrating on documentation rather than preparedness? Compliance rather than recoverability? Do your efforts provide true business value? If you have these concerns, David Lindstedt and Mark Armour offer a solution in Adaptive Business Continuity: A New Approach. This ground-breaking new book provides a streamlined, realistic methodology to change BC dramatically. After years of working with the traditional practices of business continuity (BC) – in project management, higher education, contingency planning, and disaster recovery – David Lindstedt and Mark Armour identified unworkable areas in many core practices of traditional BC. To address these issues, they created nine Adaptive BC principles, the foundation of this book: Deliver continuous value. Document only for mnemonics. Engage at many levels within the organization. Exercise for improvement, not for testing. Learn the business. Measure and benchmark. Obtain incremental direction from leadership. Omit the risk assessment and business impact analysis. Prepare for effects, not causes. Adaptive Business Continuity: A New Approach uses the analogy of rebuilding a house. After the initial design, the first step is to identify and remove all the things not needed in the new house. Thus, the first chapter is “Demolition” – not to get rid of the entire BC enterprise, but to remove certain BC activities and products to provide the space to install something new. The stages continue through foundation, framework, and finishing. Finally, the last chapter is “Dwelling,” permitting you a glimpse of what it might be like to live in this new home that has been created. Through a wealth of examples, diagrams, and real-world case studies, Lindstedt and Armour show you how you can execute the Adaptive BC framework in your own organization. You will: Recognize specific practices in traditional BC that may be problematic, outdated, or ineffective. Identify specific activities that you may wish to eliminate from your practice. Learn the capability and constraint model of recoverability. Understand how Adaptive BC can be effective in organizations with vastly different cultures and program maturity levels. See how to take the steps to implement Adaptive BC in your own organization. Think through some typical challenges and opportunities that may arise as you implement an Adaptive BC approach.


Agile Project Management

Agile Project Management

Author: Jim Highsmith

Publisher: Pearson Education

Published: 2009-07-10

Total Pages: 666

ISBN-13: 0321659171

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Best practices for managing projects in agile environments—now updated with new techniques for larger projects Today, the pace of project management moves faster. Project management needs to become more flexible and far more responsive to customers. Using Agile Project Management (APM), project managers can achieve all these goals without compromising value, quality, or business discipline. In Agile Project Management, Second Edition, renowned agile pioneer Jim Highsmith thoroughly updates his classic guide to APM, extending and refining it to support even the largest projects and organizations. Writing for project leaders, managers, and executives at all levels, Highsmith integrates the best project management, product management, and software development practices into an overall framework designed to support unprecedented speed and mobility. The many topics added in this new edition include incorporating agile values, scaling agile projects, release planning, portfolio governance, and enhancing organizational agility. Project and business leaders will especially appreciate Highsmith’s new coverage of promoting agility through performance measurements based on value, quality, and constraints. This edition’s coverage includes: Understanding the agile revolution’s impact on product development Recognizing when agile methods will work in project management, and when they won’t Setting realistic business objectives for Agile Project Management Promoting agile values and principles across the organization Utilizing a proven Agile Enterprise Framework that encompasses governance, project and iteration management, and technical practices Optimizing all five stages of the agile project: Envision, Speculate, Explore, Adapt, and Close Organizational and product-related processes for scaling agile to the largest projects and teams Agile project governance solutions for executives and management The “Agile Triangle”: measuring performance in ways that encourage agility instead of discouraging it The changing role of the agile project leader


HBR Guide to Project Management (HBR Guide Series)

HBR Guide to Project Management (HBR Guide Series)

Author: Harvard Business Review

Publisher: Harvard Business Press

Published: 2013-01-08

Total Pages: 194

ISBN-13: 1422187314

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MEET YOUR GOALS—ON TIME AND ON BUDGET. How do you rein in the scope of your project when you’ve got a group of demanding stakeholders breathing down your neck? And map out a schedule everyone can stick to? And motivate team members who have competing demands on their time and attention? Whether you’re managing your first project or just tired of improvising, this guide will give you the tools and confidence you need to define smart goals, meet them, and capture lessons learned so future projects go even more smoothly. The HBR Guide to Project Management will help you: Build a strong, focused team Break major objectives into manageable tasks Create a schedule that keeps all the moving parts under control Monitor progress toward your goals Manage stakeholders’ expectations Wrap up your project and gauge its success


Adaptive Software Development

Adaptive Software Development

Author: James A. Highsmith

Publisher: Dorset House Publishing Company, Incorporated

Published: 2000

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9780932633408

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- support an adaptive culture or mindset, in which change and uncertainty are assumed to be the natural state--not a false expectation of order- introduce frameworks to guide the iterative process of managing change- institute collaboration, the interaction of people on three levels: interpersonal, cultural, and structural- add rigor and discipline to the RAD approach, making it scalable to the uncertainty and complexity of real-life undertakings


Development Projects as Policy Experiments

Development Projects as Policy Experiments

Author: Dennis A. Rondinelli

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-05-13

Total Pages: 222

ISBN-13: 1134678584

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International assistance programmes for developing countries are in urgent need of revision. Continuous testing and verification is required if development activity is to cope effectively with the uncertainty and complexity of the development process. This examines the alternatives and offers an approach which focuses on strategic planning, administrative procedures that facilitate innovation, responsiveness and experimentation, and on decision-making processes that join learning with action. A useful text for academics and practitioners in development studies, geography and sociology.


Effective Project Management

Effective Project Management

Author: Robert K. Wysocki

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2011-02-25

Total Pages: 794

ISBN-13: 1118080653

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With 200 pages of new content, the fifth edition of this popular guide gives new or veteran project managers a comprehensive overview of all of the best-of-breed project management approaches and tools today, including Traditional (Linear and Incremental), Agile (Iterative and Adaptive), and Extreme. Step-by-step instruction and practical case studies show you how to use these tools effectively to achieve better outcomes of projects at hand. Plus, the book provides full coverage on managing continuous process improvement, procurement management, managing distressed projects, and managing multiple team projects. The companion Web site includes exercises and solutions that accompany the project management instruction in the book.