A project is a
collaborative enterprise to either create new products or services or to
deliver results as defined in the Project Vision Statement. Projects are
usually impacted by constraints of time, cost, scope, quality, people, and
organizational capabilities. Usually, the results generated by projects are
expected to create some form of business or service value.
Since value is a
primary reason for any organization to move forward with a project,
Value-driven Delivery must be the main focus. Delivering value is ingrained in
the Scrum framework. Scrum facilitates delivery of value very early on in the
project and continues to do so throughout the project lifecycle.
Here is a video
on value driven delivery in Scrum and traditional project management approaches:
http://www.scrumstudy.com/watch.asp?vid=520
One of the key
characteristics of any project is the uncertainty of results or outcomes. It is
impossible to guarantee project success at completion, irrespective of the size
or complexity of a project. Considering this uncertainty of achieving success,
it is therefore important to start delivering results as early in the project
as possible. This early delivery of results, and thereby value, provides an
opportunity for reinvestment and proves the worth of the project to interested
stakeholders.
In order to
provide Value-driven Delivery, it is important to:
- Understand
what adds value to customers and users and to prioritize the high value
requirements on the top of the Prioritized Product Backlog.
- Decrease
uncertainty and constantly address risks that can potentially decrease
value if they materialize. Also work closely with project stakeholders
showing them product increments at the end of each Sprint, enabling
effective management of changes.
- Create deliverables
based on the priorities determined by producing potentially shippable
product increments during each Sprint so that customers start realizing
value early on in the project.
The concept of
Value-driven Delivery in Scrum makes Scrum framework very attractive for
business stakeholders and senior management. This concept is very different
when compared with traditional project management models where:
- Requirements
are not prioritized by business value.
- Changing
requirements after project initiation is difficult and can only be done
through a time consuming change management process.
- Value is
realized only at the end of the project when the final product or service
is delivered.
The following
diagram compares value delivery in Scrum with that in Traditional projects:
