Properly-run, efficient projects can work wonders in helping your business to grow and to deal with the challenges that come your way. On the other hand, a poorly executed project can lead to chaos, missed opportunities and serious problems further down the line.
This is why it makes sense to find a way of running and controlling your projects that works for your business. Many companies have now made the switch to Agile projects, so it is worth looking at the possible benefits this could bring you.
Work More Efficiently
This is an extremely efficient way of running projects. For a start, you don’t need to spend endless hours agonising over the fine details in your plan. Of course, when you invest so much time in planning then it becomes time wasted if things work out differently, as they often do.
The Agile method is to get started with a small part of the work that needs done. Once the team sees how this goes they can start to work out the exact way forward. Anyone who is used to working with a highly detailed plan may find this slightly off-putting at first, but it is a tried and tested approach that is well worth switching over to.
Deliver the Right Results
Even more important than the efficiency of the project are the end results. It isn’t a case of waiting until the very end of the work to see whether everything has worked out perfectly or not. Rather, you get to see the progress accurately as you go along.
Regular reviews and constant testing mean that there are no nasty surprises lurking under the surface, as well as giving a lower risk of the objectives not being met. With an Agile project, you look to let everyone to know exactly what is going and where it is heading at all times.
Keep Your Project Team Satisfied
One of the big challenges in any business these days is that of trying to keep staff happy. To do this, you need to keep your eye on a wide range of the different factors that affect their levels of job satisfaction.
By putting your project team members on Agile training you will show a commitment to their ongoing development. They will then discover that it is both fun and satisfying to work on this sort of project. Agile skills are in demand pretty much all over the world too, so they will feel as though they are making a solid career move by doing this.
Stakeholders That Feel Involved and Can Contribute
One of the biggest issues in many traditional projects is around how the team interacts with the stakeholders. This crucial relationship can run into trouble if the stakeholders feel that they are being left out of the project or if the team think that the stakeholders are stepping on their toes.
The idea with Agile is that everyone works together for better results. Regular review meetings give everyone a chance to see what is happening and to add their own thoughts. Ideally, the stakeholders will feel more engaged, while the team doesn’t feel threatened.
Problems Don’t Go Unchecked
The dynamic nature of these projects means that they can move swiftly through to the conclusion. It also means that any problems are typically found and dealt with more quickly.
The uses of rapid cycles with regular reviews gives an Agile project a higher level of control than is the case with traditional project methodology. This means that there is far less risk of it wandering off-track, or of problems going un-noticed for a long time.
Overall, starting to use Agile methodology on your projects can work out to be a great move for all of these reasons. It is definitely worth giving a try if you want to work smarter from now on.