An Overview: Agile and Enterprise Architecture

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StrategyDriven Project Management Article |Agile Architecture|An Overview: Agile and Enterprise ArchitectureAgile project management is basically a philosophy that accompanies a way of working. It goes beyond the simple process because it encompasses a way of understanding how our work, our organization, our way of interacting and responding to stakeholders has changed.

Many large multinationals already have it integrated and it is part of their culture, and more and more organizations are doing the same. It is not a fad; it is not something that can pass you by, because it has fit into a changing, demanding and information overdose environment. You have to know how to be agile, flexible and decisive. The smart working is something that has come and hopefully to stay.

Agile origin

Back in 2001, what we know today as the Agile Manifesto was born, by the hand of several American CEOs of the technology sector (software) and they decided to combine various ideas to propose an alternative to the slow working methods that were not responding to the current ones needs, before your organization and your customers. They put together new ideas and formulas to come up with what they understood could help, through continuous improvement.

The goal was to improve quality, productivity, engagement, and be fast.

What is agile?

As you can see, it is a methodology that aims to modify many of the internal processes of organizations to improve performance and productivity.

How does Agile architecture add value to the business?

In this article we are going to see how architecture is changing in practice. From going from being a mainly technical discipline to new approaches such as participating in strategic business issues, that is, helping traditional companies compete with digital disruptors.

Agile architecture is based on the 360 ??customer vision as the core of any digital design and strategy. Enterprise-level architecture supports the strategic themes and portfolio vision by understanding the portfolio backlog, product vision, and roadmap.

The new approach to architecture makes it possible to offer companies innovative digital models and technologies.

  1. Based on the order book and vision, we have to analyze which solution or platform should be new and which solution or component should be reused in order to optimize cost.
  2. Based on the IT digital strategy , the choice of the new technology has to be decided according to the requirements of the company.
  3. The enterprise architects are the bridge between management product portfolio and high – level view of enterprise solutions and development initiatives. For example, collecting, generating, designing and analyzing innovative ideas and technologies to use in the vision of the product portfolio.
  4. Support the evaluation of the solution in terms of cost benefit in the ecosystem and aligned with the business strategy, stakeholders and portfolio requirements.
  5. Support the implementation of the proposed design , that is, work closing the solution architects within the Agile teams during the delivery of the product, CI and CD and DevOps. Being a reality what was designed and being in practice the business and digital strategy.

We can also optimize the budget and profitability of the product or digital asset as part of the investment in technology and support the business vision and the delivery of the product.

Agile architecture features in practice

Architects play a horizontal connector role as they often combine a technical foundation with business acumen and communication skills.

In this age of rapid change, we need architects who can act as mentors and bridges between project teams, between domains and between different layers of the organization, and with strong technical skills as well. It is a combination of business and technical knowledge.

The roles of Agile architecture distinguish the responsibilities between the architect company, the architect of solutions and systems architect. They collaborate at different levels of the business and service domains. In practice, it means:

  • Enterprise Architects Tool are the bridge between product portfolio management and the high-level vision of enterprise solutions and initiatives under development. They participate in strategic themes, portfolio vision, product roadmap, and portfolio backlog, working together with the venture owner and other stakeholders (see image below). EA collects, generates, designs and analyzes innovative ideas and technologies to use in the vision of the business portfolio.
  • The solution architect and system architects are part of an Agile team. They are part of a tribe or squad to participate directly in the implementation of the solution or the delivery and deployment of the product. They provide the technical design of each case in the delivery of the product.
  • There are some architectures, such as data architecture, security architecture, and enterprise architecture, that are part of the shared services hub. These roles are also considered solution architects and technicians.

How to Tune Construction Job Costing Software for Improving Project Tracking

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StrategyDriven Project Management Article |Construction Job Costing Software|How to Tune Construction Job Costing Software for Improving Project TrackingManaging a construction job can be challenging with its various aspects. Having a clear view and set guidelines are important for a project. Hence, it’s a given to include job costing software for all construction jobs and having regular flow between projects.

Building a construction business is not child’s play and requires extensive planning and restructuring of projects. In order to get linear and high-class projects, it’s best to have a high standard infrastructure. But the software must also perform at its best and provide custom solutions for your unique needs in the company. All this can be done by a few of the closely explained points down below:

Assess Reports

As a construction manager, it’s important to have regular insights into a project’s different aspects and know how the costs are being distributed. It’s often after a project that managers get to know if the project saved some in profits or gobbled everything up the client offered. For this reason, making good use of the construction job costing software is important to get regular updates and reports on the budget spent to change allocations or assign some more expenses to another part of the project that needs it. Obviously, you will need to perform daily inputs and acquire calculated amounts to know how to allocate costs more constructively.

Breakdown into Groups

Just one construction project can engulf several tasks and provisions. These can make managing the job and providing resourceful allocations a challenging job for the manager. But if you use the job costing software the right way, you can create several small groups of huge tasks and conquer them by dividing. When the functions like labor hiring, costs allocation, materials procurement, overhead handling, and much more can be divided into categories using the software to monitor each with ease. This dividing can also help you get constructive reports of every little task completion to stay ahead.

Track Cashflow

Under an ongoing construction project, cash can go in and out so wildly; it becomes hard to evaluate where the budget went. Rather than crying over spilled milk, you must recognize where every penny is spent and whether it was put to a good cause or not. You can’t do this by calculating the outgoing cash by hand; it will take forever. But you can always input the exact amount spend and get an analysis from the software to review how the cash flow is being allocated, whether if it’s constructive for the project or not.

Input Data Regularly

For a construction job, you need to be able to administer regular inputs to get productive analysis. However, this isn’t possible with an office computer that is used to run the job costing software. You must invest in a system that lets you travel with the data wherever you go to make sure you don’t miss a beat on reports. Having the data to show up on a mobile phone screen can ease things up and make the data accurate and reusable on the automated platform.

Organize Tasks

Constructions tasks assigned to every level of professional in the field can often get messed up as printed schedules are formed with unruly hierarchy structures. These aspects can really slow down the job assignment and completion to create several lags in the job overall. For this reason, it’s important to have a dedicated system of job assignment and task division so that every professional knows what they have to do. By storing the job hierarchy in the software, you can create more flexible schedules for each day so that the tasks remain organized and structural.

Top 6 Tips for Project Management Success

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StrategyDriven Project Management Article |Project Management |Top 6 Tips for Project Management SuccessWhether you are managing a multi-million dollar project or overseeing tasks for a small startup, being a project manager can be a stressful and challenging role.

To find project management success you have to understand the project, assemble the perfect team, utalize your resources effectively, and manage everything from the beginning to the end. One small problem or missed deadline can result in a disaster for you, your team, and your client.

Fortunately, by following a few tips and implementing a few best practices, you can manage your project to success. If you are a project manager who wants to level up your skills, this short and simple guide is for you.

1. Embrace Your Role

One of the best ways to find project management success is to embrace your role. The sooner you embrace your role, the sooner you can manage, encourage, and motivate your team. If you need help in your role, consider using these services.

2. Set Realistic Goals

A helpful project management tip is to set realistic goals. Project management is all about deadlines and milestones. Setting goals and milestones to reach will help keep the project on track until it’s completed.

3. Prepare Your Team

While you may oversee and plan the project, your team will be doing the heavy lifting. For this reason, it’s essential to make sure your team is fully prepared for the work that is ahead. Give them all the tools and support they need to be able to perform their jobs effectively.

4. Understand the Project Details

One of the critical success factors in project management is understanding the ins and outs of the project. One missed detail can derail your success and put you on the track to failure. Make sure you are familiar with all the details of the project you are managing.

5. Use Effective Communication

A great tip for how to manage a project is to communicate effectively. You should be communicating with your team and with your client. Make sure to keep the lines of communication open so your team is comfortable coming to you for solutions and support.

6. Use the Right Tools

Successful project management involves using the right tools to manage the project and track your progress. Without the right tools, you and your team can easily waste time and energy performing tasks inefficiently. Implement the latest technology to give yourself the best chance at success.

Use These Tips for Project Management Success

By using these tips, you can fill your role and find project management success.

Start by embracing your role and setting realistic goals. You should prepare your team, know the ins and outs of the project, and use effective communication with your team and client. Make sure to use the right tools and manage your time wisely to ensure success.

Follow these tips and you’ll be well on your way to effectively managing a project.

Don’t forget to browse our site for advice on business, health, technology, and more.

Improving Your Team’s Lean Project Management

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StrategyDriven Project Management Article | Improving Your Team's Lean Project Management“Great things are done by a series of small things brought together.”
Vincent Van Gogh

At its core, lean project management is about delivering greater value while minimizing waste. In that sense, this approach will help you improve quality while decreasing the cost of production — but where do you begin?

If your goal is to improve your team’s lean project management, resulting in greater efficiency and productivity, you need to take a number of key steps. Here’s how to get started.

Make Your Projects Run More Efficiently and Deliver Better Results Through Lean Project Management

Lean is a business philosophy that first began within the manufacturing industry. The goal was to decrease costs and lead time while yielding greater quality. Derived from the Toyota Production System, this philosophy is applied to all business processes.

Once Toyota successfully maximized outputs while reducing waste, Lean principles were applied to many business disciplines; and in terms of project management, Lean principles help managers improve key variables. For example, just some of the benefits associated with Lean principles include:

  • Greater quality assurance and customer satisfaction
  • Improved team collaboration
  • Lower costs, as well as reduced waste

How to Apply Lean Project Management Methodology

Once you understand the core principles and benefits associated with lean project management, it will be time to apply what you’ve learned. To do so, take the following steps.

Step One: Identify customer value

When developing any project, the first step is to consider the perspective and needs of the customer. In that sense, you should focus on what the customer needs and when. Quality and price expectations are important to consider here, particularly in terms of value and waste reduction. You should strive to eliminate bottlenecks in the project process, focusing on speed while minimizing waste. You’ll want to remain particularly mindful of wasted effort, inconsistency, and overcommitment issues.

Step Two: Create a value plan

Whenever you’re about to tackle a new project, it’s important to consider the initial idea, visualizing your end goal. In doing so, you will become more mindful of the steps in between. That way, you can better understand which steps add value and which do not. For example, when designers create prototypes, this step typically adds value.

The same is true when building your design system, allowing you to eliminate inconsistencies while standardizing all ongoing processes. Design systems bring order to chaos, boosting efficiency and consistency. As a result, companies are able to create at scale. In contrast, meeting with the entire design team daily to share updates may not add a significant amount of value. Remember to think of the customer. While analyzing each step, ask yourself, does this step add value to the customer?

Read more: Lean UX: Expert Tips to Maximize Efficiency in UX

Step Three: Eliminate activities that don’t add value

This step is all about reducing waste. The ultimate goal here is for your team to end up working on activities that add value, eliminating all those that are non-value adding. Depending on the scope of your project, this may be easier said than done. However, even small improvements can make a significant difference when aiming to become Lean.

Step Four: Continue to improve

It’s important to note that the step above is not a one-time job. To be an efficient, successful Lean project team, you need to continuously review ongoing activities to eliminate and reduce as much waste as possible. It’s also important to empower your team so that everyone feels comfortable challenging inefficient activities.

How to Identify Waste Activities

While you may want to improve your team’s lean project management for a number of reasons, eliminating waste is at the core of this philosophy and is addressed by three Japanese concepts, known as:

  • Muda — This includes any activity that consumes resources without creating value. In relation to project management, this is often seen when resources are utilized without any sense of meaningful output. That is why you need to create a well-defined end-to-end project plan. Work closely with your team so that each individual understands what they’re responsible for.
  • Mura — This focuses on reducing unevenness without your team. The goal here is to maintain balanced progress while identifying risks in your work schedule. Within project management, Mura often evolves due to changing priorities, dependencies, poor risk management, and a lack of clarity — all of which can be avoided.
  • Muri — This involves the concept of being overburdened, relating to both humans and machines. When required to work at a higher pace, for longer, this can lead to low-quality output. To avoid this, establish clear boundaries regarding work-life balance and encourage breaks when needed.

Implement Lean Six Sigma (DMEDI)

DMEDI is a structured, measurable, and highly proactive method. The purpose of this approach is to identify issues upfront so that you can prevent waste in terms of your time and resources. The five phases of this method include:

  • DEFINE
  • MEASURE
  • EXPLORE
  • DEVELOP
  • IMPLEMENT

These phases essentially act as a blueprint when setting up a project.

So, whether your goal is to reduce the number of useless activities or would like to address overburdened team members, lean project management will help you reduce wasted efforts and become more productive. It’s a win-win!

Want to learn more? Check out the following resources:

5 Project Management Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

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StrategyDriven Project Management Article |management mistakes|5 Project Management Mistakes and How to Avoid ThemNo matter your company or industry, one thing is true: you’re working on projects. And the truth is that these projects don’t always go well.

In fact, did you know that 70% of organizations have suffered at least one project failure in the last 12 months?

It doesn’t have to be this way. With effective project management, you can stay on top of your company’s various projects and priorities.

But if you’re new to project management, it can be easy to mess up. Keep reading for 6 project management mistakes and how to avoid them.

1. The Goal is Unclear

First and foremost, everyone in your organization needs to understand the goal of your project. What’s the main objective?
Understanding your end result will help make the entire process simpler. If you don’t have this, your project will likely fail.

Think about your ideal final state. What do you want to have done?

Then consider how you will measure the success of your project. Will it be when the website is finished and launched? Perhaps you’ll base success off of results like sales.

No matter the metric, having this clearly defined will make your experience much better.

2. Failing to Manage Project Scope

For many project managers, scope creep is one of the most common management mistakes. Let’s talk about it.

As projects progress, it’s common for you to discover additional tasks that need to get done. Other ideas may emerge. New requests may come in from other stakeholders.

All of this can add to the scope getting out of hand, referred to as scope creep. In definition form, scope creep is adding more features and functionality to a project without addressing the changes to timeframe, resources, and/or costs.

To avoid scope creep from derailing your projects, be sure to have a clear process in place when new asks or changes do come in. Because they will. They always do.

Consider creating a scope document. At the beginning of your project, clearly outline all of the tasks you’re going to complete for this project. Have this agreed upon and assigned by all stakeholders.

Then, as new things emerge, take time as a group to assess the impact to both budget and schedule. If they’re minor, okay. If they’re major, it’s usually best to assign those tasks their own separate project to be completed at a later date.

3. Poor Communication

Whenever you’re working with a group, communication is key. That’s just a given.

But when you’re the project manager, and your job is to make sure things get done at a high level on the right schedule, communicating effectively is even more important.

Set up systems to keep everyone informed and involved.

Will you have a weekly meeting to address progress, roadblocks, and answer questions? Will you communicate via email or a messaging service? What type of project management software will you use and what functionality does it have in terms of communication between team members?

These are all important things to consider. The most important thing is to have clearly defined channels of communication and a regular schedule that people can depend on.

4. Lack of Prioritization

As a project manager, here’s one of the most important lessons you’ll learn: not all projects are created equal.

This means that some tasks are massive and some are small. Some will have a massive impact on the business’ bottom line immediately. Others will take a while to show results.

With so much variation, it’s crucial that you get good at prioritizing.

Take some time to come up with a system that aligns with your organization’s goals. Think about the following things as you prioritize:

  • The impact on revenue
  • The impact on customer experience
  • The long-term impact
  • The amount of resources needed
  • The length of time for the project

To do this, it may be helpful to break projects up into tasks and subtasks. This will help you truly understand the complete scope of projects before you make a final decision on what needs to get done first.

You can also loop in managers from across the department or company to get their input as well. This can be super helpful. Learn more in this post.

5. Poorly Estimating Time and Budget

At the end of the day, time and budget are two of the most influential factors in your life as a project manager. So estimating these incorrectly can completely derail your projects.

It’s easy to overlook potential issues as you’re planning. To avoid this, make sure you include managers as you make plans. They’ll have more context and understanding of the ins and outs of their areas.

Also always plan in some wiggle room when it comes to timeframe and costs. They often are higher than you expect at first.
It doesn’t have to be massive, but include an extra 10% for budget and timeframe. You’ll thank yourself later.

Project Management Mistakes: Avoid Disaster

There you have it: 5 of the biggest project management mistakes you should try to avoid. By avoiding these mistakes, you’ll save yourself and your company a lot of grief.

And your projects will be more successful, meaning great things for your career.

Now that you’ve read through these tips, next it’s time to put them into place. Where do you need the most help? Start there and move on as you go.

Want to learn more about thriving in your career? Check out our blog for additional tips and tricks today.