Introducing the PRINCE2 Agile behaviours
When PRINCE2 is tailored for an agile project context, it’s important for the project manager and the project board to ensure that both the project management team and product delivery teams adhere to the PRINCE2 Agile behaviours.
Along with the five focus areas, the PRINCE2 Agile targets, and fixing and flexing, these behaviours contribute to the effective implementation of PRINCE2 Agile, and lead to more efficient project delivery and better outcomes.
The five PRINCE2 Agile behaviours are:
Transparency
Transparency is a foundational aspect of agile ways of working. More than just visibility, it encompasses a mutual understanding rooted in the essential Agile behaviours of honesty, trust, and respect. Transparency paves the way for prompt decision-making, straightforward communication, and meaningful engagement, even in complex scenarios.
Take, for example, a team tracking their progress with a burn-down chart. If there’s a persistent deviation from the anticipated progress rate, transparency requires the team to promptly address and determine the underlying reasons. Open communication about these deviations not only prevents unforeseen setbacks but also bolsters the team’s ability to address challenges.
Collaboration
Collaboration lies at the heart of an effective team, emphasizing unity, mutual support, and the idea that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. But collaboration isn’t confined within the team—it reaches out to encompass all stakeholders, with a special emphasis on customers. Engaging directly with customers and aligning with them ensures a mutual grasp of objectives and desired results.
For instance, if a team member faces a technical hurdle causing project delays, and another, who’s on track with their tasks, offers help, it exemplifies true collaboration. Such mutual support not only bolsters team relations but also boosts overall efficiency.
Rich communication
For an Agile team, the key to success often hinges on effective communication. While written communication has its place, face-to-face discussions and visual tools often prove more impactful. Cultivating a setting that promotes open, multifaceted communication lays the foundation for trust and dedication within the team. While written documentation remains important, more dynamic methods of communication can reduce the reliance on extensive records.
For example, team members opting to hash out a design alteration on a whiteboard, rather than through a string of emails, epitomizes the benefit of direct interaction. Such encounters often lead to faster and more efficient resolutions.
Self-organization
In Agile methodologies, empowering team members to oversee their tasks is crucial. Those immersed in the work typically have the keenest insights on its execution and warrant trust in their judgment. Such autonomy not only fuels their drive but also fosters mutual respect within the team. While higher management provides overarching guidance, teams that own their processes at the delivery phase are better positioned to flourish and stay aligned with the project’s goals.
Consider the analogy of children cleaning up post-party, incentivized by a subsequent movie treat. It’s a testament to how self-management can spur efficiency and contentment in a group setting.
Exploration
For a project to truly succeed, it’s imperative to discern and deliver precisely what’s needed. This comprehension is honed through ongoing iterations, prompt feedback mechanisms, and regular learning moments. The knowledge gathered over the course of a project can substantially enhance product refinement.
PRINCE2 Agile advocates for experimenting and deploying spikes as potent tools to either pioneer fresh concepts or refine existing workflows. These techniques are a structured inquiry to affirm hypotheses or concepts, often alleviating ambiguities from both technical and client viewpoints. Such insights can greatly aid in more informed decision-making and superior product evolution.
Importance of the five behaviours
Integrating PRINCE2 with agile approaches emphasizes the significance of these five behaviours for several reasons.
- Transparency cultivates trust within teams and with stakeholders. This open ethos promotes clear communication and minimizes unforeseen challenges.
- Collaboration solidifies team relationships, optimizes productivity, and ensures a united pursuit of common goals.
- Rich communication guarantees timely and appropriate information exchange, lessens misinterpretations, and streamlines the resolution of issues.
- Self-organization entrusts and invigorates team members, leading to a sense of ownership that aligns with project aims, simultaneously uplifting team spirit and work output.
- Exploration emphasises continuous growth and feedback, and it equips teams to refine products and discern client requisites, enabling the delivery of what’s genuinely essential.
In essence, the more these behaviours are exhibited by project and product delivery teams, the greater the likelihood of applying PRINCE2 Agile successfully.
