from the Perspective of Project Team Values
SECOND EDITION
By Pawel Paterek
AGH University of Science and Technology
Krakow, Poland
Abstract
Software project enterprises deliver increasingly complex and custom-made software products and services. Agile methods were designed to address the challenges of dynamic and unpredictable software delivery environments to support the project team operating in these difficult work conditions. Agile Manifesto has presented four key values and twelve principles as mandatory rules. However, its implementation largely depends, in each case, on project teams and their organizational context. Implementation of the Agile method in everyday teamwork is strongly coupled with team values as well as with the whole organizational culture in a given team environment. The team values, in turn, depend on people in a team and their motivation led by autonomy, mastery and purpose.
The primary goal of this paper is to present the Agile transformation changes from the perspective of project team values.
Desk review and results of the multiple case study analysis in the companies undergoing an Agile transformation process are being presented as empirical research. The research results focus on the changes of the Agile transformation process from the perspective of project team values.
The results showed an Agile transformation impacted a project team approach to work organization and it can be assessed from different perspectives of a project team values such as, for example: courage, focus, commitment, respect, openness, feedback, simplicity, communication, visibility, honesty and even a sense of humour. Broad organizational changes are impacting not only project team values, but also agility of whole project organization and its organizational culture.
Key words: Agile transformation, organizational change, project team, Agile values.
JEL code: M15, O22, O32.
Introduction
Digital transformation of our life results in a rapidly growing number of IT/ICT programs and projects delivering advanced and innovative business services or products to customers and users. As the complexity, customization and rapid response expectations are constantly increasing, there is a need to search for more effective way of the project team and project organization management. The Agile project management is one of the possible responses addressing market demand and market competition, thus its popularity has arisen with a number of large-scale organizational changes through the process called Agile transformation (Gandomani, Nafchi, 2015; Dikert et al., 2016; Hoda, Noble, 2017; Denning, 2018a; 2018c).
The research results, conclusions and recommendation presented in this paper may be of value for both academics interested in Agile research studies, as well as for organization leaders who are planning or executing Agile transformation process and therefore seeking its optimization or efficiency improvements.
The primary goal of the empirical research in this paper is to respond to the research question about Agile transformation changes impacting the daily work and routines of a project team and project organization from the perspective of project team values. The empirical research results complement a review of literature on large software project organizations delivering innovative and advanced IT and ICT products and services with an Agile project management approach. The research results showed that communication and self-organization of multidisciplinary and autonomous project team are the key changes from the perspective of project team values while the most desirable team values include: feedback, commitment, respect and openness.
A literature review and an illustrative and explanatory multiple case study analysis was used as research methods. The main limitation is the web source of the majority of acquired multiple case studies, cluttered by much information deprived of any added value from the research study perspective. The second limitation comes with a number of successful cases of the Agile transformation process with very limited information about the obstacles and issues faced on the road. The future research directions can repeat the same or similar multiple case study analysis as well as quantify the measurement of capacity for agility for a non-biased Agile transformation process assessment.
The structure of the paper is as follows: the first part discusses research results and the second part contains conclusions, proposals and recommendations. The first main chapter is also divided into subchapters presenting: a review of the literature, the methodological approach, the empirical research results and the final subchapter discusses the research results.
More…
To read entire paper, click here
Editor’s note: Second Editions are previously published papers that have continued relevance in today’s project management world, or which were originally published in conference proceedings or in a language other than English. Original publication acknowledged; authors retain copyright. This paper was originally presented at the 8th Scientific Conference on Project Management in the Baltic States at the University of Latvia in April 2019. It is republished here with the permission of the author and conference organizers
How to cite this paper: Paterek, P. (2019); Agile Transformation Changes from the Perspective of Project Team Values; presented at the 8th Scientific Conference on Project Management in the Baltic States, University of Latvia, April 2019; republished in the PM World Journal, Vol. VIII, Issue IV, May. Available online at https://pmworldlibrary.net/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/pmwj81-May2019-Paterek-Agile-Transformation-Changes.pdf
About the Author
Pawel Paterek
Cracow, Poland
Pawel Paterek has been working in the telecommunications industry for over 14+ years. He holds master’s degree (M.Sc. Eng.) in telecommunications engineering. He has also completed postgraduate studies in: IT project management, human resources development and finally MBA program. He is currently a PhD student with a specialization in management sciences. The areas of his scientific interests are: IT project management, knowledge management and Agile methods. He has been working as a Project Manager for over 10+ years in the telecommunication software quality assurance projects, both with using waterfall and Agile methodologies. He is the author of several scientific publications.
Pawel can be contacted at pawel.paterek@gmail.com.
