Created solely to deliver one or more business products
According to an agreed business case.
Has a defined start and end.
Has a team created for the duration of the project.
Includes work that is often difficult.
Requires engaging with many stakeholders.
Involves a significant amount of uncertainty.
Involved work unlikely to be similar to any completed before.
Needs to be managed by a project manager.
Summary: The PRINCE2 Agile Practitioner materials explain how to combine PRINCE2 with agile methods like Scrum, Kanban, and Lean Startup. They provide training resources, key concepts, and practice questions to help learners understand this framework. Understanding these agile approaches is essential for effective project management in an agile environment.
To effectively tailor PRINCE2 for an agile environment, you can utilize five key focus areas along with their associated techniques (View Highlight)
Note: The five key focus area to tailor PRINCE2 effectively are:
Agilometer
Requirements
Rich communications
Frequent releases
Contracts
Continued Business Justification: In PRINCE2 Agile, this principle is maintained by frequently validating the ongoing viability of the project through mechanisms like short feedback loops and early delivery of value. (View Highlight)
Agilometer is a tool designed to assess the level of risk associated with combining PRINCE2 and agile within a specific project environment (View Highlight)
The business case should define the “minimum viability” for benefits, with zero tolerance for that level (View Highlight)
Note: This suggests that there’s no business justification if the minimum viable benefits, defined in the business case, are not achieved.
Learn from Experience: Agile’s emphasis on retrospectives and frequent feedback loops directly supports this principle (View Highlight)
in short iterations to produce high-quality, value-driven results (View Highlight)
Note: Sounds like a point of differentiation for scrum is short sprints.
Scrum is considered a lightweight agile approach (View Highlight)
a higher risk score might necessitate more formal controls or more frequent reviews (View Highlight)
Lessons should be sought, recorded, and acted upon throughout the project (View Highlight)
making work visible so teams can see progress and identify problems (View Highlight)
Agilometer should also evolve to suit the specific needs of your organization (View Highlight)
Defined Roles and Responsibilities: While agile emphasizes self-organizing teams5 …, PRINCE2 Agile ensures clarity of accountability and responsibilities across the project. (View Highlight)
managing work by using a queue instead of partitioning work into timeboxes (View Highlight)
Note: Interesting. So, unlike Scrum, Kanban involves managing work in a queue rather than defining time-boxed work. What’s the difference though?
Scrumban is the application of Kanban in the context of an existing Scrum implementation (View Highlight)
managing requirements effectively involves embracing change and delivering value iteratively (View Highlight)
Prioritization: Using methods like MoSCoW (Must have, Should have, Could have, Won’t have) to prioritize requirements and quality criteria helps in flexing what is delivered while protecting time and quality (View Highlight)
now applied to any business to deliver products quickly to customers (View Highlight)
Manage by Stages: PRINCE2’s stage-by-stage control is adapted in agile by integrating with concepts like releases and sprints (View Highlight)
product innovation in uncertain markets (View Highlight)
Decomposition: Breaking down high-level requirements into smaller, manageable pieces (like user stories) allows for better understanding and incremental delivery19 … Product descriptions, quality criteria, and quality tolerances can be prioritized and decomposed to make flexing what is delivered possible (View Highlight)
core concepts of Lean Startup that apply to PRINCE2 are build, measure, learn; creating a minimum viable product (MVP); fail fast (coupled with ‘learn fast’ in PRINCE2); and validated learning (View Highlight)
Note: You basically create an MVP quickly, put it in front of a market for feedback, learn from mistakes (what doesn’t work), and iterate.
releases can be planned to integrate with and fit into the PRINCE2 management stages (View Highlight)
Customer Involvement: Engaging the customer subject matter expert (SME) within the delivery team ensures the product is understood and correct at a detailed level (View Highlight)
greater emphasis on allowing tolerance on what is being delivered (scope) and restricting the tolerance on time and cost in an agile contex (View Highlight)
Gathering feedback quickly from the end customer is crucial for ensuring that the project delivers what is truly needed (View Highlight)
stronger in structure compared to Scrum (View Highlight)
Decision-making may be based more on information pulled from the project (e.g., burn charts) rather than just formal reports18 … (View Highlight)
Rich Communication: Effective communication is paramount in agile and PRINCE2 Agile emphasizes interacting in the most appropriate way, at the most appropriate time, and using the most appropriate method32 . (View Highlight)
addressing the concept of a “project” with a beginning, middle, and end, which is less defined in lightweight approaches like Scrum (View Highlight)
effective management by exception remains vital for the entire project management team (View Highlight)
Both PRINCE2 and agile are product-focused (View Highlight)
PRINCE2 emphasizes the definition and delivery of products with clear scope and quality requirements (View Highlight)
Scrum and Kanban are commonly used agile approaches, they are not suitable for managing a project in isolation. (View Highlight)
Ensuring open and honest communication about progress, issues, and risks (View Highlight)
Favoring face-to-face communication where possible, and using tools like webcams and collaboration platforms when co-location isn’t feasible (View Highlight)
PRINCE2 Agile aims to blend and weave PRINCE2 with agile at all levels of a project (View Highlight)
Information Radiators: Making project information visible to all stakeholders (e.g., through burn charts, Kanban boards) (View Highlight)
project direction, project management, and product delivery (View Highlight)
Note: These are the three levels of a project in PRINCE2:
Project direction
Project management
Product delivery
Active Listening and Feedback Loops: Establishing mechanisms for continuous feedback and incorporating it into the projec (View Highlight)
Delivering frequently in smaller increments is a core agile principle that aligns well with PRINCE2’s staged approach (View Highlight)
The Agilometer is a tool specifically designed to assess the level of risk associated with using agile with PRINCE2, enabling tailored mitigation strategies (View Highlight)
Timeboxing: Working in short, fixed-length iterations (timeboxes or sprints) to deliver working products regularly (View Highlight)
In PRINCE2 Agile, a release is typically a container for more than one low-level timebox (View Highlight)
agile methodologies can be applied to both projects and routine ongoing work, also known as Business as Usual (BAU), PRINCE2 Agile is exclusive to the project environment (View Highlight)
PRINCE2 Agile blends the governance and control of PRINCE2 with the flexibility and responsiveness of agile (View Highlight)
Minimum Viable Product (MVP): Focusing on delivering a basic version of the product with core functionality early on to gather feedback and validate assumptions (View Highlight)
Created solely to deliver one or more business products
According to an agreed business case.
Has a defined start and end.
Has a team created for the duration of the project.
Includes work that is often difficult.
Requires engaging with many stakeholders.
Involves a significant amount of uncertainty.
Involved work unlikely to be similar to any completed before.
Needs to be managed by a project manager.
Contracts: When working with agile delivery within a PRINCE2 framework, traditional contracts may need to be adapted to accommodate the iterative and flexible nature of agile (View Highlight)
Structuring contracts to incentivize the delivery of business value rather than just adhering to a fixed scope (View Highlight)
Can be carried out by people with the appropriate technical skills without needing to be managed by a project manager
The list of work in BAU is typically prioritized in some form and may be batched into timeboxes, with the existing product evolving over time as work is completed (View Highlight)
Note: This is interesting because I doubt that many people in BAU roles think in terms of products or time boxes or consider applying any specific agile frameworks to their work but I can see how that would be really valuable.
PRINCE2 Agile is designed to provide a framework for managing the unique characteristics of projects, such as their temporary nature, uncertainty, and the need for structured management and governance (View Highlight)
Its purpose is to assess the risk associated with combining agile and PRINCE2, allowing for mitigation through tailoring (View Highlight)
There are five PRINCE2 Agile behaviours that the project manager and project board will need to monitor (View Highlight)
The effectiveness of the Agilometer lies in its ability to highlight areas of potential friction. For instance, a low setting on the ‘Flexibility on what is being delivered’ slider might necessitate actions to increase it, such as de-scoping or prioritizing as a team exercise driven by the customer7 … Conversely, incorrectly assessing the environment, such as setting the ‘advantageous environmental conditions’ slider too high, can lead to inaccurate expectations (View Highlight)
Examples of PRINCE2 Agile behaviours include1 …:
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Transparency.
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Collaboration (being collaborative)21 …
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Rich communication.
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Self-organization (self-organizing, empowered)21 … The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams26 .
◦
Exploration (customer-focused, trusting not blaming)21 … Lean Startup refers to shortening the feedback loop in keeping with this behaviour27 … (View Highlight)
A fundamental agile behaviour involves making as many things visible as possible to help the way people work (View Highlight)
displaying progress on a wall or the frequent delivery of products (View Highlight)
transparency also covers areas such as openness and honesty (View Highlight)
Effective communication in agile emphasizes interaction in the most appropriate way, at the most appropriate time, and using the most appropriate method [implied by agile behaviours] and should assess technology to make communication easier and more effective (View Highlight)
the PID (or parts of it) may exist on an information radiator in the form of ‘team rules’ to enable it to be constantly visible to the team (View Highlight)
agile plans at the delivery-team level are likely to have been created collaboratively by those who will carry out the planned work (View Highlight)
When improving agile behaviours, workshops can be used (View Highlight)
emailing the PID and asking for confirmation of compliance would not be an agile way of working, as it doesn’t promote collaboration (View Highlight)
Rich Communication: This refers to the need for frequent and effective communication (View Highlight)
A multi-faceted approach to communication is seen as making it easier and more effective in an agile environment (View Highlight)
Replacing formal Checkpoint Reports with daily stand-ups can be an example of aiming for richer communication, but it’s crucial to avoid these stand-ups becoming just a ‘reporting to’ mechanism (View Highlight)
Planning at the delivery level in agile often centres around the immediate future, such as a timebox of two to four weeks (View Highlight)
Frequent releases ensure that valuable requirements are delivered early [implied], and significant timeboxes like releases should be carefully planned to integrate with and fit into management stages52 … (View Highlight)
Applying the focus area of contracts in an agile context requires a shift from traditional fixed-scope contracts to those that embrace flexibility and collaboration. (View Highlight)
The project manager should focus on creating guiding boundaries that empower the teams rather than focusing on detailed progress information20 … (View Highlight)
Shortening the feedback loop to the customer is in keeping with this behaviour and supports the PRINCE2 principle of ‘learn from experience’ (View Highlight)
Techniques like the Lean Startup’s “build, measure, learn” cycle, creating a minimum viable product (MVP) for validated learning, and the concept of “fail fast” (coupled with “learn fast” in PRINCE2 Agile) exemplify exploration (View Highlight)
Gathering feedback as quickly as possible from the end customer is considered vital (View Highlight)
Using a spike, which is a temporary piece of work often in the form of a prototype or research, can be used to reduce uncertainty from a technical or customer viewpoint and ensure the team is delivering what the customer wants (View Highlight)
PRINCE2 offers less specific guidance in the field of product delivery2 … Conversely, agile has a very strong focus on product delivery with its emphasis on iterative development and responsiveness to change, but it typically provides less structure for overall project direction and management (View Highlight)
Note: This is the Agile Manifesto, writting in 2001 by 17 software practitioners, and includes the principles of agile.
In PRINCE2, tolerance is the permissible deviation above and below a plan’s target for six aspects of a project: time, cost, quality, scope, benefits, and risk (View Highlight)
‘blending and weaving’ ensures that the project benefits from both the strong governance and control offered by PRINCE2 and the flexibility and rapid delivery capabilities of agile (View Highlight)
Tolerance is applied at project, management stage, and team levels (View Highlight)
When a forecast indicates that a tolerance will be exceeded, an exception occurs, requiring escalation to the next level of management (View Highlight)
PRINCE2 Agile emphasizes a ‘fix and flex’ approach to these tolerances (View Highlight)
the project board embraces agile principles like frequent feedback and potentially more informal communication (View Highlight)
Note: This is what’s required to blend/weave PRINCE2 with Agile at the ‘project direction’ level of projects.
it provides guidance on which aspects should generally have tighter tolerances (fixed) and which can be more flexible (View Highlight)
This is directly influenced by the fundamental Agile behaviors, concepts, and techniques (View Highlight)
PRINCE2 processes and themes, but tailors them to incorporate agile practices (View Highlight)
Note: At the PM level, use PRINCE2 processes and themes, but in an agile way.
planning involves not only PRINCE2 plans but also agile plans that are likely to be created collaboratively by the delivery teams (View Highlight)
Time: PRINCE2 Agile typically advocates zero tolerance for extra time at all levels of a plan (View Highlight)
Progress is tracked using both PRINCE2 reports and agile tools like burn charts (View Highlight)
This aligns strongly with the target ‘be on time and hit deadlines’ (View Highlight)
monitor the agile behaviours from the delivery teams to ensure agile operates effectively (View Highlight)
If a timebox is at risk, the focus shifts to adjusting what can be delivered within that time. (View Highlight)
Setting zero time tolerance means that any potential delay must be addressed immediately, often by flexing scope or quality. This requires effective prioritization and communication to manage expectations. (View Highlight)
Product Delivery: This is where agile’s strengths are most prominent. Agile frameworks and techniques like Scrum and Kanban are used for the iterative development and delivery of products (View Highlight)
PRINCE2 Agile generally recommends zero tolerance for extra cost on all levels of a plan (View Highlight)
This also supports ‘be on time and hit deadlines’7 …, as uncontrolled cost increases can jeopardize project viability (View Highlight)
It also implicitly links to ‘keep teams stable’ (View Highlight)
The analogy of a fighter aircraft with an unstable airframe requiring control and governance to achieve agility effectively personifies PRINCE2 Agile (View Highlight)
adding resources mid-stream (a common reaction to falling behind in traditional projects) is often counterproductive in agile and increases cost (View Highlight)
Strict cost control necessitates careful resource management and a focus on delivering value efficiently (View Highlight)
If cost overruns are anticipated, it will likely trigger a need to flex scope or potentially re-evaluate the business case. (View Highlight)
The primary influence here is ‘protect the level of quality’ (View Highlight)
PRINCE2 Agile distinguishes between the quality level (customer expectations) and scope (View Highlight)
While scope can be reduced, the agreed-upon quality level should be maintained (View Highlight)
MoSCoW6 … can be used to prioritize quality criteria, allowing lower-priority criteria to be flexed if needed, but the ‘Must have’ quality criteria should be protected (View Highlight)
The evolution of the definition of done is also a key technique for managing quality in an agile context (View Highlight)
Setting quality tolerances allows for some flexibility in how quality criteria are met, but the overall quality expectations must be achieved. Compromising on ‘Must have’ quality criteria would likely lead to an unacceptable product. (View Highlight)
Scope is considered the most sensible area to flex in PRINCE2 Agile (View Highlight)
This directly supports ‘embrace change’7 … and ‘accept that the customer does not need everything’ (View Highlight)
Agile recognizes that understanding evolves, and changes are inevitable (View Highlight)
Techniques like prioritization (MoSCoW)6 …, decomposition into user stories23 …, and trading (or swapping) requirements3 … are used to manage scope flexibility within the fixed time and cost constraints (View Highlight)
customer subject matter expert (SME)37 … plays a crucial role in refining and prioritizing requirements. (View Highlight)
Delivering a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) early can help determine what the customer truly needs16 … (View Highlight)
Allowing significant scope flexibility requires strong prioritization skills and close collaboration with the customer to ensure that the most valuable features are delivered first (View Highlight)
It also necessitates a robust change management approach to handle new requirements effectively (View Highlight)
PRINCE2 Agile recommends zero tolerance for the level of benefit defined as ‘minimum viability’ in the business case42 … Tolerance may be applied above this level42 . (View Highlight)
This underpins the principle of ‘continued business justification’ (a core PRINCE2 principle45 …) and links to ‘be on time and hit deadlines’7 … by ensuring that at least the essential benefits are realized within the planned timeframe. (View Highlight)
Setting a tight tolerance on minimum viable benefits ensures the project remains worthwhile. If forecasts indicate that even these minimum benefits won’t be achieved, it may trigger a need to reconsider the project’s viability. (View Highlight)
All five targets can indirectly influence risk tolerance. For example, a strong emphasis on hitting deadlines might lead to a lower tolerance for risks that could cause delays. (View Highlight)
The level of risk tolerance will influence the rigor of risk management activities and the threshold for escalating potential threats (View Highlight)
In an agile environment where change is embraced, the approach to risk might be more dynamic and responsive. (View Highlight)
Recognize the inherent trade-offs between the six aspects. For example, fixing time and cost necessitates flexibility in scope and potentially quality. (View Highlight)
Understand how tolerance breaches will trigger management decisions and potentially the use of management by exception1 … (View Highlight)
Appreciate the importance of clear communication of tolerances to all stakeholders, especially the project board and delivery teams54 . Transparency3 … is a fundamental agile behavior that supports this. (View Highlight)
Analyze how these tolerance settings, guided by the five targets, contribute to delivering a successful project in an agile context by focusing on value delivery within constraints55 . (View Highlight)
emember that PRINCE2 is designed to be tailored46 … to the specific project environment, as assessed by tools like the Agilometer37 … (View Highlight)
he tolerance guidance provided by PRINCE2 Agile is a starting point for this tailoring (View Highlight)
The project manager is responsible for canvassing stakeholders to understand the context and set appropriate tolerance level (View Highlight)
The Agilometer looks at six key areas represented by sliders, for which the project manager should canvass key stakeholders to determine the appropriate values (View Highlight)
he assessment across these areas (such as ‘acceptance of Agile’ and ‘ability to work iteratively and deliver incrementally’) will provide an indication of the environment’s readiness and maturity for agile (View Highlight)
It is important to consider each slider in isolation rather than creating an average score (View Highlight)
PRINCE2 Agile emphasizes the importance of monitoring specific agile behaviours from both the project management team and the delivery teams (View Highlight)
The smooth functioning of these behaviours is necessary for agile to operate effectively (View Highlight)
Observing the presence and effectiveness of these behaviours can indicate the level of agile maturity (View Highlight)
It’s crucial to assess whether the organization is ready for PRINCE2 Agile (View Highlight)
Factors to consider include whether they have been trained in agile and PRINCE2 Agile, whether their existing ways of working hinder agile roles and responsibilities (like Scrum roles), and whether people are open to learning42 . (View Highlight)
f roles and responsibilities are not understood across the project, particularly by project owners, it’s strongly advised not to start using Scrum42 . (View Highlight)
The level of agile maturity can also be inferred from how agile is currently being used in the organization43 … (View Highlight)
If agile is not used for projects or is at a basic level with limited maturity, PRINCE2 Agile can be suitable for organizations and individuals (View Highlight)
If agile is used for Business as Usual (BAU) for ongoing routine development, PRINCE2 Agile might not be suitable for the entire organization but can enhance product delivery in a project context (View Highlight)
If there’s a mature level of agile used for both projects and BAU with formalized processes and predominant agile behaviours, PRINCE2 Agile might have limited use but could enhance existing knowledge45 . (View Highlight)
A health check can provide a general indication of the health of the project in agile terms. This involves assessing whether agile is working well based on certain statements (View Highlight)
