The Agile Approach is followed widely in the software development industry. This is happening for more than 2 decades now. The reason is that most software development organizations have understood that Agile methodology is far better as compared to the traditional Waterfall Approach. The Agile methodology offers a wide range of benefits to software development companies. Examples include iterative development, speed and flexibility. 

When they follow Agile Methodology, software development companies can adapt to changes as and when required. Also, this methodology helps them achieve continuous product delivery to clients. Above all, they can do this during testing times.

Because of the benefits of this approach, many organizations functioning in other domains also show interest in using it. The reason is that it lets them deliver value at a faster pace. Also, it helps to enable collaboration among teams and stakeholders. Further, it creates cohesion as well. 

Agile methodology is geared toward ongoing improvement. So, it can help a lot with improving the chances of success of your project. You can learn more about Agile Project Management here:

Agile Project Management – A Basic Understanding

You are here to learn about the best practices of Agile Project Management. Before that, you should gain a basic understanding of Agile Project Management.

Agile Project Management is widely used by companies in the software development domain. The reason is that it favors them with collaboration and flexibility. It encompasses customer feedback all through the project development life cycle. This method of project development takes an iterative approach to development. The good thing about this approach is that it allows breaking down the product development cycle into manageable and small cycles. These are referred to as sprints. The purpose is to pay attention to ongoing improvement in the development of a service or product.

In iterative development in Agile Project development, the outcome of each sprint is a probably shippable increment. This methodology encompasses cross-functional teams. The teams work in conjunction with stakeholders in a process that permits adjustments. These adjustments should happen when the requirements evolve. At the end of each sprint, the approach formalizes feedback loops.

Best Practices for Agile Project Management

Following the Agile project management best practices will help your organization get the best results. Here are a few best project management practices in Agile:

1. It is best to Have Self-Managing Teams

Self-managing groups can decide themselves on how to execute the work. Also, they will have a clear idea of who will do what. These groups will split their work into smaller increments. These are completed in an iteration. In Scrum, which is an Agile methodology, these iterations are known as Sprints.

In Agile methods like Scrum, the management does not constantly have an eye on employees. The management does not track whether the person has completed their work. The management believes that the employees will complete the task within the given time. One of the most crucial qualities of a great Agile leader is to believe in their fellow employees and team members. Product owners, Scrum Masters or any other managers should always rely on their team members for any tasks. They should not engage in micromanagement. 

For this kind of arrangement to work, every member should be provided confidence and trust in their work by Agile leaders like product owners and Scrum Masters. The team as a whole should carry out their responsibilities. They should be accountable for task completion and impediments that any fellow team members face. If a team cannot complete an outcome, the team should learn from the mistakes that they made in the previous iterations. They should make sure that the mistakes are not done again.

Here, the management does not redirect or do second-guessing. However, the management still believes that the team has learned via experience. This kind of team can be shaped only when the members of the team have prior project working experience. New Agile teams need a mentor. This mentor can teach and guide them about self-management, planning and execution of Agile Software Development project.

2. Creation of an Ideal Agile Workspace

One of the best practices for Agile Project Management is to create an ideal Agile workspace. An ideal Agile workspace should include the following elements:

• An intimate and calm setting for private calls, working alone and relaxing
• Massive whiteboards in which developers can share issues and seek solutions
• The chance to keep an eye on each team member. 
• Everyone should be visible in the workspace of the team
• Readable and large charts. It will provide a visual reminder of the present project status.

3. Build Projects Around Motivated Individuals

To push through an intense development cycle, motivation is important. Only with motivation, the work can be done right. Agile teams are highly passionate about their work. They pay attention to the team goal. They stand by each other. When peers value and believe each other. Agile teams will be in a position to establish a regularity to their work that is not only predictable and fast-paced. It is not easy to create an atmosphere, where this can take place. 

The most efficient teams work from the same office space. The person with the solution is just a few steps away. In an Agile floor plan, team members are geographically distributed. In group development, teams pass through four stages. They are forming, storming, norming and performing. The teams will do this even before they are completely able to plan work, get out of hindrances and deliver the expected outcomes. When the team marches forward, members who are used to working alone become more adaptable. They will be ready to:

• Work dependably without management control
• Take on what the team believes to be the most well-organized procedures
• Create shared relationships
• Accept the needed roles

Agile teams that bring value when speeding up belong to one another. Redistribution or reassignment of members can demolish motivation. Teams learn and grow when they stay along with each other from one iteration to the following. This is one of the Agile program management best practices that will keep teams together. This will happen for a rare rotation of jobs that presents fresh skills. When the team composition changes, the process of getting up the acceleration begins again from the first point.

4. Usage of Professional Tools

Your team can use project management tools for implementing Agile methodology. This project management practice aids the team in structuring their workflows in a better way. They can, in turn, improve team collaboration. For proper meeting management and proper documentation, a professional project management tool will reduce the effort greatly. Otherwise, great effort will be required for task management.

5. Collaboration with Customers

In the Agile approach, customer satisfaction is one of the key practices. It will be possible to achieve customer satisfaction by collaborating with them. When your business collaborates with customers, it will be possible to gain a deep understanding. 

When you take the case of traditional project management techniques, customers get involved only in two instances. One is at the beginning to gather the requirements and the other is after the product release. But, in the Agile approach of project management, the customer is involved all through the process. In turn, it will be possible for your project management team to clarify their expectations. Also, it will be possible to get the right communication that was not previously considered. With this Agile project management approach, it will be possible to achieve creativity and better customer satisfaction.

6. Set Communication Guidelines

Most Agile teams work from remote locations. So, communication can be hard for people working from remote locations. With many members, the chances of conflict between them are also higher. During Agile development, communication with remote teams turns out to be a challenge. The reason is that there can be variation in time zones. Even if team members meet every day at an agreed-upon time, there are chances of missing out on details on Slack or Skype.

So, one of the best Agile project management practices is to make appropriate communication guidelines. These guidelines should be easy for each member could follow. In turn, no one can miss out on any information at the time of the conference call. Agile project management insists that the document of guidelines should be distributed to all team members. They should be provided with the time to join the meeting. The team members should be aware of the network connectivity before they become part of the meeting. They should be asked to keep their mics off when a person is explaining something. 

Other Agile Project Management Best Practices

Here are other Agile program management best practices apart from those discussed above:

• To improve efficiency by fine-tuning behaviors, Agile project management teams need regular intervals
• Simplicity is a key element
• Agility is improved through an ongoing focus on proper design and technical excellence
• Sustainable development with constant communication between the project development team and stakeholders.
• Team members and stakeholders stay motivated for the utmost project outcomes
• Teams should get all the required support and tools
• Teams get the best support to accomplish project goals
• A service or product is delivered with high frequency
• Changing environments are incorporated at any stage of the project management process. In turn, customers get a competitive advantage
• With the motto of customer satisfaction, there should be faster and ongoing delivery.