Agile has become a big buzzword in the project management space in recent years. While the Agile methodology has been around for a while in the software space, it’s becoming the go-to framework for companies looking to be on the cutting edge. Agile allows teams to streamline their project completion processes and gives them the flexibility to adapt to any sudden shifts in the project.
After over 15 years in the project management space, I can tell you without a doubt that Agile is one of the biggest disruptors. This framework is really about determining which tasks are relevant to overall project goals and trusting the team to execute these tasks without a rigid structure.
The flexibility of the Agile approach is its greatest strength, but it can also contribute to some of the weaknesses in the framework as well. In this article, I’m covering some of the most common pitfalls teams encounter when applying Agile to their project management systems and how you can avoid them. This methodology can be transformational for your team, but if it’s not implemented correctly, it can cause delays and possibly derail your projects.
What is Agile Methodology?
Before we dive into Agile’s common pitfalls, I’d like to start by breaking down what the Agile framework looks like.
Agile is an approach that software developers use to break down their projects into smaller tasks done in short timeframes known as ‘sprints’ allowing them to adapt to any project changes and deliver the product to their users quickly. This is in direct contrast to the more traditional ‘waterfall’ approach, where each subsequent task is dependent on the former and there’s no flexibility as new information comes to play.
While Agile allows teams to move quickly, it also has some significant potential downsides, meaning that both methods have pros and cons depending on how they’re used.
Adopting Agile for project management
There are a number of strategies and frameworks you could put in place to streamline your project management. As we close in on the 1-year mark of deploying Agile for client projects, we’ve sorted through the machinations of this transition from waterfall to Agile. Agile’s crowning glory is the lack of restraints, which as previously mentioned can work for and against it.
Before we dive into pitfalls, let me explain further: Agile’s lack of budget constraints for specific phases means we can’t always forecast the outcome of a project will look like. On the flip side, traditional projects may require a $10k budget allocation for client discovery for a specific project, while using Agile may not give us a discovery figure right away. We may not know exactly what the result will be using Agile, but we know it will check off all the boxes.
Agile’s very strength—its lack of restraints—means that it’s critical to follow the rules to avoid derailing your project by going down unproductive rabbit holes. Here are some of the most common pitfalls our team has encountered in using Agile for project management.
Pitfall #1: Adopting Agile because it’s trendy
Since the implementation of Agile is becoming popular in the project management space, it can be easy to want to adopt it because everyone else is doing it. I’ve seen this happen when companies jump aboard the Agile train without explaining it to project stakeholders who usually have varying expectations about project process and flow. This lack of communication upfront can lead to some significant challenges when it comes to project delivery.
What to do instead: Before adopting Agile as your company’s project management approach, take some time to understand how it works and how you’ll need to shift your team to make it work well. To that end, make sure to evaluate why it’s the best option moving forward so you can get your team and any stakeholders on board. If you determine Agile is the direction your company needs to go in, draft a proposal to present to your stakeholders.
Pitfall #2: Getting ahead of yourself
The Agile approach allows your team to complete their projects faster, but when is fast too fast? Another pitfall we’ve commonly seen is teams getting ahead of themselves to complete the project in a shorter amount of time. Typically, the team begins with an MVP, or Minimum Viable Product, a bare-bones but usable version of the final product with minimal features that will improve with future iterations based on user feedback. The team works in sprints, which often average 2 weeks, to add new features to make the solution more robust. but in rushing to move to the next sprint, the project’s quality may be compromised. As an example, I worked on a financial management system several years back, and the MVP missed several of the features and functionality to manage the company finances efficiently – resulting in errors, delays, lost revenue – and critically lost morale among the project team, that bore the brunt of the customer frustration
What to do instead: To avoid this pitfall is by doing some quality control and reviewing the project before it makes its way to the next sprint. If it isn’t up to the right standards, make the appropriate adjustments and begin a new sprin t. In cases where there are systems and processes that are critical to the operation of a business, its better to take a more measured, deliberate approach to the MVP, including more extensive testing and user feedback, and had this happened in the example above, a motivated project team would still be operating at peak morale.
Pitfall #3: Getting sidetracked without clearly-defined bookends
Teams who are tired of being micromanaged on their projects welcome the lack of structure that an Agile approach brings, but it can result in your team getting sidetracked. On a development project early in my career, I recall an agile team that became enamored with prioritizing features based on the customer needs and adding immediate value. However, without knowing the exact end result of the project, it’s easy to fall victim to scope creep, which can come from the client or internally based on rabbit holes. These late-in-the-game suggestions can delay project completion. In this example, the fast paced delivery introduced a situation where the team discovered new dependencies very late in the release cycle, which further introduced scope creep.
What to do instead: The solution lies in bringing back some loose structure or guidelines to ensure the project doesn’t get derailed. These guidelines can be some KPIs, limits on outside suggestions, firm boundaries, and careful analysis of which adjustments are relevant to the project. These steps allow your team the flexibility of Agile, while giving them some light constraints to keep everything on track. It’s critical to an Agile projects success to establish clear goal and priorities, define a product roadmap, and regularly review and adjust the plan based on team and customer feedback and changing circumstances.
Pitfall #4: Lack of clear goals
This relates to Pitfall #3, and is pertinent enough to warrant its own section. No matter which project management approach you use, setting clear goals is non-negotiable, and that is still true for Agile. Although you don’t have a rigid structure in place, setting clear goals ensures your team knows what they’re working towards completing.
I recently led a team was working on a project to develop a new e-commerce website. The team had been working in an Agile framework and had been making good progress, delivering working features in each sprint. As the project progressed, the team began to notice that the client’s requirements were changing frequently, and they were struggling to keep up. I came to the realization that the problem was that the delivery team had not established clear goals and priorities with the client at the outset of the project. The client had a vague idea of what they wanted the website to do, but they hadn’t provided specific goals and metrics for success.
What to do instead: If you aren’t sure if your goals are specific enough, try using the SMART model. Goals compliant with the SMART framework are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. Take some time to audit your current goals and make adjustments where needed. In addition to ensuring your team understands top priorities, SMART goals provide everyone with a lens they can use to make decisions about next steps. If an idea doesn’t serve your SMART goals or overall project goals, it should go into the sandbox for future improvements or iterations.
Can the Agile approach work for your project management needs?
One thing is clear: Agile is not a one-size-fits-all approach and it may not work for everyone. However, it could work for you. Make sure you understand the approach your company is using at the moment and if it’s not working, how Agile can improve that. As you implement Agile, keep these pitfalls in mind so your processes run smoother than ever and provide a faster completion time without sacrificing quality. If your company needs assistance with project management, explore the options BDO Digital has to offer here.
Ryan Boone is a Manager of Project Management and certified Project Management Professional (PMP) supporting BDO Digital’s Demand Generation Group. He received his Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Colorado State University and a Master of Business Administration with a focus on Project Management from Louisiana State University. Since starting his career in Project Management at IBM, Ryan has overseen a wide variety of projects, including large-scale implementations, and prides himself on developing and sustaining cooperative and healthy working relationships.
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