How Should Resources Be Managed in Agile Project Management?

Imagine a situation when the stakeholders want to change or shift the requirements in the middle of the project. What if there are not sufficient resources for this new requirement? Thus, while implementing the Agile Principles to manage our project, the project managers have to be aware of what and how the resources are allocated to the tasks and activities. In this detailed article, we will learn how to manage our resources in the Agile Project. This will enable us to easily adjust the workflow with optimal resources.

What is Agile Methodology?

Agile means ‘swift’ in general terms. However, it is not much different from its purpose for project management. It is the Project Management Framework that focuses on the incremental development of the end product through short cycles. These short cycles are called iterations. The end goal of this project management strategy is to optimize the project workflow through the continuous releases of the deliverables.

1. One more key feature of Agile is that it involves the customers and project stakeholders through the feedback loops. This increases the speed of development and enhances team collaboration.
2. Under the Agile Framework, there are multiple methodologies such as Scrum, Kanban, Lean, RAD, and Extreme Programming.

What are the Resources in an Agile Project?

The resources in the Agile project are the entities that are allocated to the project processes or activities. In more simple words, these are the array of elements without which the project delivery is not possible. The examples of the Resources include both project-specific elements and team-specific elements. The team-specific resources in the Agile Project include Human resources, comprising diverse roles such as developers, managers, testers, and product owners.

1. The project-specific resources include Physical infrastructure, workspaces, and equipment, integration tools, third-party dependencies, budget, etc.
2. Apart from these, other Agile Resources include time, data, information, training and learning materials, Compliance and Regulatory resources, feedback channels, and many more. All these resources are very important for the project’s successful execution.

How Resources should be Managed?

1. Leverage Cross-functional Teams and their Skill

Sometimes, we have to allocate some resources to another team to fulfill some requirements. These are called Cross-Functional Operations. This not only helps us to utilize the resources in a much better way but also to take advantage of diverse skill sets from different teams. Apart from this, we can use the collaborative approach to address the Agile Management issues. And, the combination of different approaches helps us to innovate the business process.

2. Prioritize Project Tasks Based on Business Value and Dependencies

An important task here is to identify the resource capacity of the project which is the amount of work that the team can provide over a specific period along with the priority order. The resource capacity is calculated both individually and for the whole team to know precise information about the resources. Along with this, time, and project budget are also calculated to know how many activities or tasks can be planned at present. After identifying the resources for the project, take the project process or activity and allocate the resources to them as per the priority. The most important thing here is to ensure correspondence between the sprint capacity and the number of resources allocated.

3. Forecast Resource Requirements for Projects

The Agile Principles are not only about quick project execution but also about planning the upcoming project plan. After we are done with the resource planning, you have to calculate what resources will be required for upcoming project activities. You can create a roadmap for the work which is set to start shortly. It will help you to quickly find out the budget, time, skilled team, etc. for our upcoming project. In this way, we can easily plan the resource capacity of the project as we are planning the current as well as the future project activities.

4. Monitor and Track Resource Utilization

It is equally important to keep note of the real-time status of the resources we allocate. After all the allocation of the tasks has been done, you have to monitor the status of resources and their performance. If there is any situation of work overload, move it to the ‘On-hold’ list. Generally, a heat map is used for identifying the status utilization of the resources. These metrics are really helpful in identifying the project progress and completion rates. We can also identify adjustment plans for managing our resources.

5. Practice Iterative and Incremental Development

Iteration or sprints are short-development cycles in the Agile Project and, they form the base of the Agile Resource Management. To manage the resources effectively, you must break down the project into smaller executable tasks. Since it is difficult to deliver the complete project as a whole, we execute the project in small but tangible project outcomes. This allows stakeholders to quickly get a high-level idea of the product which is being developed. Apart from this, you should also implement feedback loops and stand-up sessions to make the project execution transparent. So, deliverables can be communicated effectively with the product owners, clients, and other stakeholders.

What are the Key Challenges While Managing Resources?

1. Adapting to Sudden Changes: Agile projects succeed in adaptability, but frequent changes in requirements and scope can be challenging. Establish a change management process to efficiently handle modifications, ensuring minimal disruption to ongoing tasks.
2. Impact on Productivity: Continuous changes in priorities can lead to missed deadlines and negatively impact project schedules. Implement robust project tracking and management tools to monitor changes and adjust resource allocation accordingly.
3. Effective Communication: Resource allocation involves multiple team activities, necessitating effective communication for project success. Enable clear and open communication channels, ensuring that all team members are well-informed about resource allocation decisions.
4. Work Overload for Employees: Transitioning between sprint cycles to meet deadlines can result in employee burnout and decreased productivity. Prioritize tasks based on employee capacity, implement workload balancing, and consider realistic timelines for project deliverables.

Conclusion: Agile Project Management

In conclusion, effective resource management is important for the success of Agile projects, considering the dynamic nature of requirements. Utilizing cross-functional teams, prioritizing tasks based on business value, forecasting resource requirements, monitoring utilization, and embracing iterative development are key strategies. Despite challenges like adapting to changes and potential work overload, implementing clear communication and proactive adjustments can optimize resource allocation. Employing tools like spreadsheets, Gantt charts, and dedicated resource planning tools enhances the efficiency of Agile resource management, ensuring successful project outcomes.

FAQs: Agile Project Management

1. What are the tools for managing the resources in the Agile Project?

The primary factor that affects the resource planning is the workspace of our project. However, you can also use Spreadsheets, Gantt Charts, or dedicated resource planning tools for implementing advanced resource management plans.

2. Is there any relation between Resource Allocation and Risk Mitigation?

You can use the resource allocation to reduce the risks. For example, if the resources such as developers and testers are allocated properly, we can reduce the uncertainties in task execution. In this way, the risk mitigation is also implemented.

3. Who has the right to allocate the resources to the project?

Generally, the project managers and stakeholders are responsible for allocating the resources in the project. They first identify the skillsets and availability and then, allocate the resources to the project tasks.

4. How to manage the resources across multiple projects?

The main factor that affects resource allocation across multiple projects is the overlap among various tasks. Thus, this needs to be avoided so there is no conflict in accessing the same resource across multiple projects.