Small businesses are increasingly employing Agile tools and processes these days. However, as more small and midsize businesses (SMBs) adopt Agile for project managers, questions about how to do Agile correctly will inevitably arise.
One of the most frequently asked questions is whether traditional roles, such as project managers, are required in Agile Project Management Software frameworks. After all, isn't the Scrum master in charge of project management? Moreover, is it essential to have a project manager when Agile already has product owners and product managers?
This blog will look at some of the issues surrounding Agile project management's changing role. But, first, we'll go over the key responsibilities of an Agile project manager and why your small business might or might not need one.
What is an Agile Project Manager?
Using the Agile framework or methodology, an Agile project manager assists with project planning, including budget, timeline, and scope. For example, a Scrum team may include an Agile project manager.
The "business" side of things, such as resource procurement, contracts, budget reporting, and so on, will be handled by an Agile project manager, leaving the Scrum team to focus solely on iterative development.
Although long-term planning isn't typically part of an Agile or Scrum team, it's impossible to avoid planning altogether—but you must be careful not to over plan. As a result, the Agile project manager's role is contentious. So, let's take a closer look.
PM Role in Agile
A common point of debate is whether Agile teams require project managers.
Two opposing points of view
1. Are so-called "agile" project managers merely a myth?
According to one school of thought, Agile project managers are a myth. After all, project managers aren't mentioned in classic works like the Agile Manifesto or the Scrum Guide.
The argument is that the traditional project manager role of tracking team performance, efficiently allocating resources, and charting detailed project plans is incompatible with self-organizing teams that plan, manage, and follow their work.
While the logic behind Agile project management is that it eliminates the need for long-term planning—one year or more before projects begin—this does not mean that Agile projects can stop planning.
Read More: 3 Must have Scrum Tools for Agile Teams
If you're a small business working with external clients, planning the project budget, task timelines, and promising key deliverables with Agile contracts is required. You'll need project managers who can create the project plans that you'll present to clients when they sign the contract in this case.
2. Do Agile project managers serve a practical purpose?
On the other hand, businesses still require project managers to manage budgets, allocate resources, and identify project risks, according to the opposing viewpoint.
They say that the assumption that Agile team members will take on those responsibilities automatically is flawed. In the "real world," where projects must meet specific goals and businesses must work within tight deadlines, project managers are critical to ensuring that everything runs smoothly.
Overplanning is one thing that will sabotage an Agile team's momentum. Scrum software teams, for example, hold sprint planning meetings to commit to tasks that the development team will complete in a time-limited event (one week to one month). However, when teams spend too much time in these meetings, it is one of the main reasons for sprint planning failures.
Traditional project managers, who emphasize the importance of planning, can waste hours debating the finer points and plotting out how to build them.
Conclusion
While both of the above points of view have merits, we've seen how these arguments fall short in certain situations. The key to determining whether or not your company requires project managers is to determine how extensive your project planning requirements are.
