Prince2 Agile Review

[Egisto Chancellor]

PRINCE2Agile describes how to configure and tune PRINCE2 so that the method can beused in the most effective way when combined with agile behaviours, concepts,frameworks, and techniques. PRINCE2 and PRINCE2 Agile are only suitable for use onprojects, whereas agile can be used for projects and routine ongoing work as well.

This is about best practice project management when the chosen delivery approach isagile. It is not about changing agile to fit in with PRINCE2. PRINCE2 and agile each havetheir own strengths. When combined they complement each other to create a holisticapproach to managing projects in an agile way. If we see this combination as a blend wecan unlock the potential of both. A real appreciation and understanding of agile thinkingdrives the tailoring of PRINCE2.

PRINCE2 is a project management method widely adopted around the world, used bypeople and organizations from many industries and sectors. It is a flexible method thatguides you through the essentials for managing projects successfully, regardless of type orscale.

Agile working introduces well known frameworks, together with behaviours, concepts andtechniques that have established themselves as significant and valuable.Together it provides governance that you can trust coupled with working practices thatdeliver business value early and often.

This is a PRINCE2 master class. PRINCE2 is a flexible method created from the outset tobe tailored in application. The highest standards of project practice tuned to your specificproject needs. All of this is done in a clear and concise way that you can implementstraight away.

PRINCE2 Agile reviews the two most common agile frameworks; Scrum and Kanban. TheScrum Guide and the Kanban Method puts the frameworks in context and PRINCE2 Agiledescribes how they can work in an integrated way.

A further integration of ideas comes from the inclusion of the Cynefin framework designedto help with understanding the level of complexity facing a project. Also included are ideasfrom The Lean Startup method that introduces core concepts like build, measure, learnand validated learning.

Perhaps the most valuable aspect of PRINCE2 Agile is the way that it discusses agilebehaviours, concepts and techniques and integrates them with the PRINCE2 method.PRINCE2 and agile are full of ideas that can add value in project delivery. The manuallinks these elements and shows how they can be blended together to create world classprojects.

Managed requirements are the fuel that drives effective agile working. Definingrequirements, user stories and product descriptions, fixing and flexing tolerances andunderstanding their relationships is key to success. Guidance helps agile teams prioritizetheir work and then manage the inevitable changes that follow.

In a similar way, rich communication and the significance of frequent releases are broughtinto the PRINCE2 Agile story. Finally, a thought provoking conversation aboutcustomer-supplier contracts considers what it takes to create an outcomes-based agilecontract.

Together, this is a solution that implements governance practices to ensure that projectsare well managed and aligned with corporate strategies and programmes; and at the sametime it provide an environment where self-managed approaches engage stakeholders andcapture the detail in a faithful way.

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Earlier this year, we revamped how we run the semiannual performance reviews for engineers at MindTouch. The first change was getting rid of the name! Let's face it: if you employ smart, passionate engineers, it's not a matter of performance, but aligning interests! The other bothersome term is review. It puts focus on the past instead of the future. So, we settled on the term career sprint. I don't know if this term will stick, but it's certainly better than its predecessor.

1) Retroperspective: The objective of the retroperspective is to have an open, candid, and emotional connection about past successes and failures. Any praise or grievances should be shared. I regularly get watery eyed during the retroperspective as I share how grateful and inspired I am by the team member. It's a great opportunity to create a true, personal connection. It is also an opportunity for me to learn where I can do better for the team in general. By the end of the retroperspective, the past should be settled, and all attention can now be directed towards the future.

2) Focus: I truly believe that everyone performs best when they can work on what they are most passionate about. This should be an obvious statement, but managers need to embrace it and make it part of their process. The career sprint acts as an opportunity to advance the team by giving members new challenges or moving them into new roles. An essential component to achieving a high performance team is to understand where everyone wants to be. While this might sound chaotic, in my experience, the desires of the individual are often inline with those of the manager. This may have to do with people tending to veer towards their strengths to begin with. When that is not the case, it's an opportunity for the manager to coach and recommend alternatives, to create a learning opportunity and explore an area the individual may not have realized they are strong at. By the end of the focus discussion, the manager should understand what challenges and opportunities, if any, the team member wants to be exposed to. No commitment can be done yet, but this information will be essential in planning the team's trajectory for the following six months.

3) Personal Goal: The work experience should transcend work. My personal wish is for everyone to experience professional and personal growth while they work at MindTouch. In addition to coaching team members how to succeed at work, managers must also make themselves available to help them achieve personal objectives outside of work. These can range from learning to sail, visiting historical sites, competing in a sports event, and so on. When needed, the manager makes time available during the week for the activity, so that the individual can accomplish their goal. I have no evidence that this is advantageous to the company, but I believe it to be the right thing to do. When you expect the best from your team, you should give them an opportunity to become their own best!

Shortly after completing of the career sprints, we conduct a team meeting to introduce the new roles of team members to the entire team. Good collaboration is only possible when everyone knows who is responsible for what. We also do individual follow-ups for those who get promotions or option grants. Finally, the manager sets up a regular 1-on-1 to help with the personal goal and mentor the team member on their work.

You may have noticed that there are no performance objectives defined during the career sprint (not counting the personal goal). In my opinion, they don't make sense for agile teams. Nobody can predict what will be valuable in six months, nor should one be beholden to a decision made six months ago. Agile teams operate in sprints and each sprint is about doing what is most important now. Believe in the process and always look out for distractions!

I think that every auditor, CAE, professional practice function and IIA representative should read this book. I read it from front to back, which I would recommend on first reading and then utilise it as a reference guide there after, going to the specific sections you need.

I think Clarissa Lucas's book, is an important step for the audit profession. It summarises and more importantly breaks down key concepts, thoughts and approaches that come under the agility banner and backs this up with case studies as evidence, something that auditors' craze!

However, the book, whilst an important step for the audit profession and moving it into the future, did leave me wanting just a little more. There are multiple occasions where it references outcomes or important/interesting ideas but then falls short of delivering on what that really means or looks like in practice.

The concepts are simple, well broken down and easy to follow. Most importantly they challenge the status quo that the audit profession has become. My favourite, greater "client" integration and collaboration. It showcases how the IIA standards can be met through agility and in many cases how as a profession by adopting some of the things in this book, we can actually achieve them better! It brings in agility, which is more than just agile. The sentiment that the auditing world has taken the 'agile in audit' concept and created yet another process/methodology is something I completely agree with. Auditors need to look beyond the word agile and think agility, that for me is how you fully unlock the benefits and get away from the restrictive process that many are bringing in.

For me personally, will it dramatically change the way I think about auditing or agility in audit, no. However, there are some great topics within it that will help a lot of organisations think differently about the way they work.

I'm lucky that at Shawbrook, our goal is to become a truly bespoke audit practice and we are already implementing almost everything in this book. Could we be better at it, yes, and this book was definitely a helpful reminder of some of the core concepts behind the thought process.

I'll be sharing more about how we are creating our bespoke audit function and how we begin to live and breathe agility. The next book i'll be diving into is "Only Audit What Matters" by Toby DeRoche, follow me to find out more and see my review on that book.

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