Traditional project vs agile product
Welcome everyone to my second article on my exploits as a full time scrum master and my transition from a project manager to scrum master.
Just a bit of background on myself..
I have been privileged to be a project manager for waterfall to Agile and then to a full time scrum master now for 3 products since.
To sum it up, this is me before and after 
The journey for me has been mind boggling, perplexing and sometimes confusing. Transitioning from work that is static to dynamic nature will require your patience and adaptability skills.
However, do not despair. The main thing to note is that when organizations decide to adopt agile, that mindset cannot be exclusively restricted or practiced by a select group of individuals (called the scrum team).
To provide an illustration, please find the diagram below (courtesy of 360PMO.com) >
What this means is that in terms of projects (even in agile projects), the focus is on scope of work, cost of the project and the schedule timeline. This means that scope and cost is sometimes sacrificed for the sake of meeting timelines.
Whereas for products, its more on the value delivered as a result of the quality and delivery of valuable product features with the constraints being addressed. This means that quality of product is at the top focus of agile teams.
Updated 14th Aug, 2022 :
Examples of such products delivered in agile manner is Spotify and Netflix while locally banks such as Maybank and CIMB has been adopting such agile practices a few years ago.
With the coming onset of digital banks in the next few years, there will be more of this agile practices which will be adopted and will see most probably a revolution of new professions and working styles based on this adoption.
The older generation of employees used to working with traditional waterfall projects must be equipped and be willing to learn new styles of working and adapt to this new working culture moving forward, while the younger generation needs to be patient and ready to work alongside the more experienced seniors who would be able to provide valuable advice and feedback.
Though some of it may not be in an agile manner but it needs to be adhered and adapted in the new working environment. For example, standard practices pertaining to compliance and auditing, user experience and technical architecture.
As I go deeper into the agile mystery arts, I will divulge further as I learn and hopefully share more in my future articles.
Stay tuned for my next post on sprint ceremonies
Disclaimer: What I am sharing is purely from my point of view and does not reflect anyone else’s. What I present in my posts doesn’t necessarily mean tat it is applicable to your work, organization and culture. Would love to hear from you if you have any different opinions or feedback.
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