at the end of the project, the scores come back low because the team had to move uncomfortably fast. When the PMO weighs the opinion of the team members equally with Strategic Alignment, the entire report tilts off center.
Meantime, the hypothetical Operations Executive was motivated to move at maximum speed in this project because his promotion depends on a big visible project win, even though it means the added cost of ramping up more capability than really necessary.
The CEO accepts the win, even with the enormous cost and continuing overhead. His WIIFM includes a glowing report to the board. The strategic measures he shows them don’t expose the unnecessary cost.
The outcome: skewed results that veer from the fidelity in the true value potential.
Bias complicates measurement.
Some would go so far as to suggest removing the human element as much as possible and using technology instead. They claim their model doesn’t need people as project managers.
On December 15, 2015, Jim Johnson interviewed Ken Schwaber on CHAOS Tuesday podcast episode #103, “PM Agile Role.”41 Schwaber is the founder and president of Scrum.org and the co-author of Software in 30-Days: How Agile Managers Beat the Odds, Delight Their Customers, And Leave Competitors in the Dust. CHAOS Tuesday is a podcast production by the Standish Group.
During the podcast, Jim Johnson, chairman of the Standish Group, asked Schwaber the following question: “What role does the project manager play in an agile project?”
The following is an excerpt from that podcast:
Schwaber: Jim, I usually come at that backwards. I back into it. And I say, well, there is the product owner and they’re responsible for change management, and contingency planning, and making sure the product performs as it’s supposed to and managing the risk in all those things. And communicating that the value is there for what’s being built.
There’s the dev team and they’re responsible for understanding the requirements and turning them into things that meet the definition of done and needs of the organization.
There’s the scrum master which is responsible for the smooth interaction of the team with each other for the creativity, for the productivity, for the team being focused on the work.
So all the things relating to traditional software development like I just mentioned are covered by the three roles in scrum. Anything else, might be done by a project manager.
[Pause.] I’m not sure what that is, but I don’t think it justifies the average salary of $130,000 a year…
He’s not sure what else might be done by a project manager? Projects are bigger than the development effort. You have marketing, legal reviews, pilot efforts, cross-team communication, coordination, and the list goes on and on.
Back to the podcast:
Johnson: So, would the product owner who has project management skills be a good person to have?
Schwaber: Not necessarily. We think they deserve a fair shot at this, but usually they have habits of thinking their job is to tell the development team what to do rather than working with the development team to see what the best they can do is. So, I think they deserve a fair shot at that because they’re part of the transition, but about 40% of them are able to make that transition in thinking.”
Johnson: So, basically what you are telling me, if I hear you, and reflecting back, there is no role for traditional project management in agile projects.
Schwaber: That’s right.
Johnson: …PMI has created a whole agile section. They’re even certifying people with agile project management skills.
Schwaber: They’re trying to make it viable that you can say “I’m a project manager in an agile [environment], but that immediately has the project manager doing some of the product owner’s work… So, it’s talking out of both sides of your mouth.
Johnson: So, you would recommend anybody going to the agile community to take a hard look at the project manager community and the PMO and see if they’re really adding value?
Schwaber: Yeah. They come from the right spot. They come from the right position. They’re just used to executing it in a waterfall way. If you can help them get the insights, or they’ve just been waiting to execute the insights, they’re perfect. But I wouldn’t break your key on it.
Johnson: OK. I think you’ve disappointed a lot of project managers and PMO people.
Schwaber: “Well, they’re good people, but it’s time for change.
In software development, agile framework has taken the world by storm. Even the US Federal Government is adopting agile. There is good reason for it.
As Ken Schwaber clearly stated, there is no role for a project manager on an agile project. Everything is handled by the product owner, scrum master, and development team.
The product owner is an Operations Executive with product vision. They understand their business, are responsible for product features and capabilities, and work closely with scrum development teams to help with design decisions during each sprint. They are responsible for ROI, developing product roadmaps, and managing stakeholders. They create budget forecasts, track product performance, write user stories, attend scrum meetings, and are responsible for the execution of all tactical duties on the project.
This includes monitoring whether the project is going to roll out on time, on budget, and with the capabilities that were promised. Clearly, the creators of agile knew the Iron Triangle is a trap because they gave that responsibility to the product owner. If you’re the Operations Executive in charge, the job of project management just fell squarely into your lap—folded into all your other responsibilities.
Looking deeper, does the agile model eliminate the human element? Not at all. They simply shuffled the deck, painted new pictures on the back of the cards, and called it a new game.
The human element is still very much in play.
Strategic Alignment and Executive Alignment
Whether using agile methodology or the more traditional Systems Development Life Cycle [SDLC], the waterfall model, the role of the Operations Executive is to carry out the strategy of the board and agreed mission of the company, both in the short term and the long term. Once the executive leaves the board meeting, influencers can make their execution imprecise, perhaps even misdirected or misguided.
Culture, ego, and relationships are the obvious influencers, but we knew there were more. In our research, we came across an article on TheBalance.com by Dan McCarthy, the Director of the Executive Development Program at Paul College of Business and Economics entitled, “The Common Traits of Successful Senior Executives.”42
The Common Traits of Successful Senior Executives43
1 1.They are competitive.
2 2.They are dedicated to continuous improvement.
3 3.They work long hours but have come to terms with what “work-balance”
