Do you wonder how one app developer can release a new version of their app every three weeks while the other can't? The former may use Agile Project Management (APM).

The Association for Project Management defines APM as 'an iterative approach to delivering a project throughout its life cycle.' 

In a nutshell, it is a type of project management wherein completing a project takes incremental steps. Doing so speeds up the development of a product, for instance, or allows for adaptability. This explains why APM is common in software development projects.

If you feel like APM can help you with your workflow, here are five steps to carry it out: 

Step 1: Get the Right People on Board 

Agile Project Management is all about teamwork and collaboration. Hence, you will need the right people to be on board if you want to make it a part of your workflow.

And by 'right people,' we mean your team and key stakeholders such as your investor. You can do this by explaining the benefits of APM to them. Here are some examples:

• High-quality product
• Improved customer satisfaction
• Faster return on investment
• Reduced risk

It will also help if you know a lot about Agile. That's because your team and the stakeholders are more likely unaware of it. Hence, they will have plenty of questions that you will need to answer. Otherwise, you cannot put it into effect. 

Step 2: Stick to a Framework 

You can make significant changes to the way your team does things when you practice Agile Project Management. But for everyone to adopt this project management methodology, it is crucial to choose and stick to a framework.

Depending on your project's nature, here are some of the APM methodologies that you can use:

• Agile Scrum: It is ideal for managing iterative and incremental projects, such as producing a working software system.
• Lean Software Development: It is a flexible framework that focuses on providing value to customers.
• Kanban: It is a visual workflow that focuses on continual product delivery.
• Extreme Programming (XP): It brings an emphasis on speed and continuous product improvement. It also enables responsiveness to change customer requirements.
• Crystal: It is a lightweight and adaptable project management approach that allows tailored policies and practices.

Step 3: Focus on One Project

Agile Project Management brings emphasis to be iterative and incremental progress. Hence, it is advisable to focus on one project when implementing APM.

It would be best to start and then get feedback from your team, stakeholders, and customers. Learn from it, improve upon your workflow, and apply it to other projects.

The next thing you know, everyone in your company is practicing Agile.

When doing a project, it’s important to pay close attention to the progress, risks, and quality standards. Hence, it’s crucial to employ quality management techniques and tools for successful outcomes. Learn more about the best features and benefits of a quality management system at 

Step 4: Motivate Your Team

Teamwork is essential in implementing an agile project. But for you to attain this goal, you need to motivate your team to perform at their best.
 

As mentioned earlier, Agile Project Management is all about teamwork and collaboration. That's why it is imperative to communicate with and motivate your team.

If your team is not collaborating and unmotivated, you are less likely to solve a problem. Not to mention that you will be ineffective in practicing APM.

Keep in mind that one of The principles of Agile is to create products around motivated people. And what are the best ways to motivate your team?

1. Give them the support and tools they need.
2. Trust them that they will finish their tasks.
3. Obtain their feedback and suggestions.
4. Reward your team members for their excellent work.
5. Brainstorm and coach your team members to identify their strengths and opportunities.

Step 5: Make Room for Improvements

When you are new to Agile Project Management, you must stick to a single framework. After all, it can disrupt your entire team when you change rules or use hybrid workflows in the middle of a project.

Nonetheless, APM's beauty is that you can reflect on what is working and what is not. Thus, allowing you to make room for improvements.

That said, it is vital to bring your team together after each project. Discuss what path you should take moving forward. It can be as simple as tweaking your current methodology or using a new framework on your next project altogether.

APM Best Practices 

Of course, it is not enough to know how to put in place Agile Project Management. That said, we have listed down x best practices that can help you make lasting adoption:

Task Planning

This is where you and your team will break down a project into features and break it further into tasks. Doing so allows for successful completion and reduces uncertainty on when a project will be complete.

Estimating 

This is where you determine how long it will take to complete a project. The key here is relying on past data and making estimates based on small work units. You need to ensure that the sources of data are accurate for a more precise estimate. Eliminate duplicate data and store relevant data in one place for greater accessibility, security, and monitoring.

User Story Development 

What are user stories? In software development, user stories are the smallest units of work are found in an agile framework, which is a goal and not a feature. User stories are informal software explanations expressed from the perspective of the user.

In agile methodology, the product owner or manager writes and submits the story for review. The team decides the stories to tackle during a planning meeting. Teams can discuss the functionality and requirements for each user story.

What makes Agile Project Management successful is the collaboration you make with your customers.
 

When you communicate with them, you get to learn what they need from your product. And this can help your team determine your project goal.

What happens is that you get to pinpoint your priorities, which can guide you in choosing which features to deliver first.

Backlog Management

When practicing Agile Project Management, there are two types of backlogs that you should consider:

1. Product Backlog: A laundry list of things or features that a product should have.
2. Iteration Backlog: A list of priority items that a current product iteration should include.

To manage your backlogs, it is imperative to ask for customer feedback. That way, you will know which feature you should focus on at the moment. But remember to check in with your customers from time to time, as priorities can change after a while.

Scheduling 

When managing a project schedule using Agile, here are some things you should keep in mind:

• Schedule for immediate iterations only. Being too advanced can hinder adaptability and responsiveness to changing requirements.
• Make your team involved. That's because project completion relies on the estimates made by your team.
• Include design, testing, and demo when you manage your project schedule.

Agile Means Slow but Steady Progress

Agile Project Management is meant to be iterative. Meaning, it should help you make slow but steady progress.

The same thing goes with implementing it. Instead of letting everyone in your company practice APM, try it with one small project. Please review and adjust before you practice it on your other project.

But do not forget that Agile is all about teamwork and collaboration.