Agile project management: What is it and how to get started

Agile project management involves breaking down a project into smaller, manageable steps or iterations, which are often called sprints. Each iteration involves a cycle of planning, execution, and evaluation, allowing teams to adapt quickly to changes and continuously improve the product.

This approach is incremental and iterative, focusing on collaboration, flexibility, and customer feedback to deliver value throughout the project lifecycle. Here is everything you need to know to get started or refine your agile project management practices.

Stemming from Toyota's lean manufacturing concept of the 1940s, software development teams have embraced agile methodologies to reduce waste and increase transparency, while quickly addressing their customers' ever-changing needs. A stark change from waterfall project management that focuses on "big bang" launches, agile helps software teams collaborate better and innovate faster than ever before. 

Traditional agile project management can be categorized into two frameworks: scrum and kanban. While scrum is focused on fixed-length project iterations, kanban is focused on continuous releases. Upon completion, the team immediately moves on to the next. 

Agile project management framework 1: Scrum

Scrum is a framework for agile project management that uses fixed-length iterations of work, called sprints. There are four ceremonies that bring structure to each sprint.

It all starts with the backlog, or body of work that needs to be done. In scrum, there are two backlogs: one is the product backlog (owned by the product owner) which is a prioritized list of features, and the other is the sprint backlog which is filled by taking issues from the top of the product backlog until the capacity for the next sprint is reached. Scrum teams have unique roles specific to their stake in the process. Typically there's a scrum master, or champion of the scrum method for the team; the product owner, who's the voice of the product; and the scrum team, who are often cross-functional team members in charge of getting s@#$ done.

The four ceremonies of scrum

Agile project management framework 2: Kanban

Kanban is a framework for agile project management that matches the work to the team's capacity. It's focused on getting things done as fast as possible, giving teams the ability to react to change even faster than scrum.

Unlike scrum, kanban has no backlogs (usually). Instead, work sits in the To Do column. This enables kanban teams to focus on continuous releases, which can be done at any time. All work is visible, scoped, and ready to execute on so that when something is completed, the team immediately moves on to the next. The amount of work is matched to the team's capacity through WIP limits, which is a predefined limit of work that can be in a single column at one time (except the To Do column). The kanban framework includes the following four components:

The four components of kanban

Whatever agile framework you choose to support your software development, you'll need a way to see your team's progress so you can plan for future work or sprints. Agile project estimating helps both scrum and kanban teams understand their capacity. Agile reports show the team's progress over time. Gantt charts and backlog grooming help project managers keep the list of work current and ready for the team to tackle.

What are the 5 phases of Agile project management?

The 5 phases of Agile project management are Envision, Speculate, Explore, Adapt, and Close. These phases guide teams from defining the project vision and planning, through iterative development and adaptation based on feedback, to project completion. This approach emphasizes flexibility, continuous improvement, and delivering value throughout the project lifecycle.

What are common methodologies of Agile project management?

Common Agile methodologies include Scrum (fixed-length sprints and roles), Kanban (continuous flow and WIP limits), and hybrid approaches like Scrumban. Each offers different structures for managing work and delivering value.

What are the benefits of Agile project management?

Agile project management improves collaboration, flexibility, and customer feedback, enabling teams to deliver value faster and adapt to changing requirements. This leads to higher quality outcomes and more satisfied stakeholders.

Which is better, PMP or Agile for project management?

PMP is best for structured projects with defined goals, while Agile excels in dynamic environments with changing requirements. Choose PMP for large, predictable projects needing strict control, and Agile for projects needing flexibility and rapid iteration. Many professionals blend both approaches or hold both certifications to adapt to different project needs and industries.

What's the difference between Agile & waterfall?

Agile is iterative and flexible, breaking work into small increments and adapting to change, while waterfall is linear and sequential, with each phase completed before the next begins. Agile enables faster feedback and adaptation, whereas waterfall emphasizes upfront planning and predictability.