«Agile Project Management Explained» by Can Akdeniz, Introbooks Team

Agile Project Management takes the ideas from Agile software development and applies them to a more general idea of project management. Agile methods generally aim to promote a project management process that encourages stakeholder involvement, feedback, objective metrics and effective controls. With research proving that almost half of all improvement initiatives fail due to lack of effective leadership, then as business owners the time has never been more prudent to consider how we are managing our businesses and what kind of leadership strategies we have in place. Given that so many industries are littered with failed start-ups and businesses these days, it is clear that more work and investment is needed to develop future leaders. But even with the right leadership in place, which business model does one choose to follow? There are numerous schools of thought and endless business theories on this topic, but one I believe can revolutionize the way in which all of our businesses operate is that of “Agile Project Management”. It’s a relatively new concept – especially in businesses operating outside of the IT and technology sectors – but one that I believe could really improve how many companies perform in projects where high quality deliverables are require. But what is exactly is ‘Agile Project Management’? And what is an ‘Agile team’? What makes an ‘Agile Project Manager’ different from a ‘traditional’ project manager? These are just some of the questions we’ll be answering within this book. We also want you to: - Understand the variables and factors that have an impact on the overall implication and sustainability of your movement towards an Agile Project Management style - Identify the main differences between management and leadership styles and behaviours and why going Agile could change your business for the better