The project manager is dead, long live project management: Project management in the time of Agile – Wyatt

9:15 am -9:50 am

Thursday, May 7, 2020

Breakout Room 3

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Abstract: A recent review of 200 IT personnel who had a title in the project management career path showed that only 15% were actually functioning as project managers. Did this mean that 85% of project managers were idle? Had a recent transition to Agile development meant that the skill of the project manager was no longer needed? Our research showed that 50% of project managers had transitioned to Agile specific roles, their project management skill set now synthesized into various new Agile roles. Of the remaining 35%, release management in the continuous delivery pipeline consumed 10%, 8% were assigned to specific roles in data analytics with the remainder adopting other specialist management roles. Interestingly only a few of the remaining program managers continued to function in that role with responsibility for major strategic programs that crossed the enterprise. The remainder took on roles managing the frictions at the boundary of the Agile IT organization and the rest of the enterprise.
This paper explores the nature of a pivot from project management to product management on those charged with ensuring delivery. It also looks at the need to manage the interface and friction between the fast moving agile IT delivery and the enterprise control functions who still seek certainty in the period ahead.

The conclusion to the analysis is that it is only the construct of batching discrete units of work in a traditional waterfall project that is disappearing. In the new digital economy, the skills honed in traditional project management are still in high demand they are just dispersed and synthesized with other emerging techniques.

Key takeaways:
Project management is morphing but remains a critical function.
The transformation into an Agile organizations generates friction at the boundaries with slower moving enterprise governance that needs the project manager skill set.
Cross enterprise initiatives still needs the skills of a smaller cadre of experienced program managers.

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