Paper: Scrum, Kanban, Scrumban and Banjos

Abstract: While at one time the project manager had to choose between traditional and agile project approaches, that is no longer the case. Should a PM choose an agile project direction, they now have an additional choice to make; what kind of agile project approach should be taken?
This presentation will take a look at the roads the PM can take when deciding to manage a project using agile methods. While specifically looking at Scrum and Kanban approaches, the pros and cons of agile approaches within an organizational context will be explored.

Projects differ, and so do the organizations that sponsor them. To successfully set up, staff, and manage a project using agile methods (without sounding like you are simply playing a musical instrument in the corner for no apparent reason!) you need to understand a number of things about your project and your organization. These include:

the staff that can be made available for the project; especially their skills and breadth of knowledge;
the priority of the project being delivered using agile methods;
the breadth of organizational change the project will create;
the degree of “operational responsibilities” each of the key team members will retain, especially from those who report to the product owner;
the degree of portfolio management that exists in the organization and how portfolio conflicts are managed; and
the overall degree of agile acceptance from your management team, and the degree of agile experience present within your team

All of these factors will be discussed in this energetic and relevant presentation.

Biography: Mindavation, a consultancy organization, focuses on increasing business capabilities in the portfolio, program, and project management space by providing delivery consultants, workshops, and coaching.

Bob specializes in strategic program and portfolio management and has helped set up project management offices on three different continents. He has 25 years of IT, project management, and project analysis experience, 18 of those years with the IBM Corporation. His management experience includes technology outsourcing, IT delivery measurement and quality, business analysis, and general project management. Bob has worked internationally while playing a major role in the development of international trade applications in use in the United States and Europe, and recently worked in Australia on a consulting engagement with Medicare in Canberra. He has managed project teams as large as 460 individuals, once serving as the IT delivery manager for IBM, supporting American Express.

Bob is certified as a Project Management Professional by the Project Management Institute, an Executive Project Manager with IBM, and a Certified Project Management Coach for the Boeing Corporation. He also holds a practitioner certificate in the PRINCE2 project management methodology and has written papers and articles that have been published internationally.