Software projects fail for one of two general reasons: the project team lacks the knowledge to conduct a software project successfully or the project team lacks the resolve to conduct a project effectively.
Steve McConnell – Software Engineer & Writer
The New York Times a few years ago had an article called ‘The New Workplace Is Agile and Nonstop’. Agile project management is an iterative and incremental approach to project work based on flexibility and collaboration.
Large companies want to be agile, innovative, and fast. The challenge is many large companies have a legacy culture and internal systems that promote the status quo rather than agility. Not good for innovation, particularly software development
Large and small companies in government and the private sector like agile projects. Projects have a hard beginning and a hard end. Progress can be measured. Resources are allocated. VUCANs know what to do and when to do it. And if there are differences in scope, quality, cost, or schedule, these can be corrected relatively quickly.
Speed is a key attribute of agile projects. Project teams may be virtual with members throughout the world. Communications are instantaneous. Workers have flexible hours.
VUCANs were generally hired, trained, remunerated, and promoted for knowing and doing the things in their original job description. This is a challenge in projectized work environments, where work is discontinuous and generalized. Workers need new knowledge, skills and abilities. Core workers are expected to have general expertise and core specialization knowledge.
Work Lesson Earned: The kicker in agile projects is VUCANs are expected to be ‘hybrid workers’ available 24 x 7.