Project Manager in Software Development Company

Hi Brendon,

here some ideas, even they more part of PMI or Project Management than Scrum. If find the PMI-PMP and the PMI-ACP useful to understand organisations and tools and techniques for scrum.

An agile project manager should support the scrum team to remove organisational impediments and promoting agile software development in the organisation. The agile project manager should support the PO and the Team to deal with the "organisational overhead" the organisational process assets, so the team and the project can build trust and the agile teams will have a better standing in the company. 

Some organisations driven by project management methods see agile team only as delivery units for software, doing something like water scrum fall, not really care about stakeholder feedback, not really updating the product backlog. As PM your job would it to help the organisation to get more agile and support the PO. Change the view from top-down to bottom up.

1 a) An agile project charter could be a short document (reducing waste ;) which gives the product owner the power to decide about what to build and the development team how to build software The organisation could additionally support the product owner with information about important stakeholder and provide an initial product vision.

b) Check Mike Cohns talk about "Advanced Topics in Agile Planning" ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2r2KryYAaY ). Was really helpful for me.

2) The PMI defines the PM as the same Person as the SM. I would say it depends ;) Every scenario has some weak points. Maybe the it's more important to find somebody as PM how will life agile values as PM and then inspect and adapt.

3) I see advantages if the PO is not external from the company, but it depends if the company has somebody with the skills and mindset.

4) Train the PO and the SM should support and coach him? 

I hope my ideas help. 

Nils

Hi Brendon,

Here is an excellente short video from Dave West, the PO of Scrum.org on the PM & PO roles :

https://www.scrum.org/resources/product-owner-vs-product-manager

hope it helps

Olivier

Hi Brendon Koh,

Congratulations on your new role as a Project Manager in a software development company! Transitioning from a traditional waterfall approach to agile project management can be both exciting and challenging. It's great to see your enthusiasm for learning and diving deep into agile methodologies like Scrum.

Let me address your questions:

1. Creating an 'agile' project charter: a. Yes, you're on the right track. An agile project charter should encapsulate key information like the business case, project objectives, major deliverables, roles and responsibilities of the team, stakeholder listing, and assumptions. However, keep in mind that in agile, documentation tends to be more lightweight and adaptable compared to traditional approaches.

   b. Estimating the overall timeline in Scrum can be approached by breaking down the project into smaller, manageable pieces (user stories or features), estimating their complexity (using story points), and then forecasting how many of these can be completed within each sprint. Over time, you'll gain a better understanding of the team's velocity, which will help in predicting the project completion timeline.

2. Your role in the Scrum framework: Based on the Scrum roles of Scrum Master (SM), Product Owner (PO), and Scrum Team, as a Project Manager, you might find yourself in a hybrid role depending on the needs of the project and organization: a. Hybrid PM (Product Owner + Project Manager): You could take on responsibilities of both the Product Owner and Project Manager, ensuring alignment between the product vision and project execution. b. PM sitting above SM, PO & Scrum Team: This scenario might involve overseeing the Scrum Master, Product Owner, and Scrum Team while providing support and facilitating collaboration. c. Hybrid PM (Scrum Master + Project Manager): Here, you could combine the roles of Scrum Master and Project Manager, focusing on facilitating the Scrum process while managing project aspects like timelines, budgets, and resources.
3. Assuming the client is an external organization: It's important to collaborate closely with the client to understand their needs and expectations. The Product Owner role typically represents the client's interests within the development team. You, as a Project Manager, would work closely with the Product Owner to ensure alignment between the client's requirements and project execution.
4. Liaison point-of-contact personnel as Product Owner: If the client provides a liaison point-of-contact who effectively communicates the client's needs and priorities, they could act as the de facto Product Owner. However, if they lack familiarity with Scrum, it's essential to provide support and education to ensure effective collaboration and communication within the Scrum framework.

I hope this helps clarify some of your questions. Feel free to explore additional resources and reach out if you need further assistance. Wishing you all the best in your agile project management journey!

To promote agile software development within the organization and assist the scrum team in removing organizational obstacles, an agile project manager should be present. In order to establish trust between the team and the project and boost the agile teams' reputation within the firm, it is important for the agile project manager to assist the PO and the team in handling the "organizational overhead" associated with the organizational process assets.