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IS Project Management |
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HI5029 |
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2024 |
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T2 |
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Introduction
The report analyses the management of scope changes in SCRUM projects that would be found within Holmes Software Technologies in upcoming ERP solution development. Though widely adopted, the SCRUM Agile methodology is flexible and adaptive, going into significant challenges in scope management. Unlike the more traditional methods of project management, the feasibility of constantly refining and adjusting the project goals even during its development is an important part of SCRUM. Flexibility can provide scope for uncontrolled scope changes or "scope creep, which might have effects on the timeline and result of the project. This report talks about how SCRUM projects deal with the issue of scope change, pinpoints different kinds of challenges culture faces, and looks for strategies that handle scope effectively. The report will present a critical review of the different approaches used to keep control over project scope in SCRUM environments through a general literature review.
Literature Review
Advantages of Agile and SCRUM Methodologies in IT Projects
McCutcheon & Brunch, 2021, present some of the essential benefits of the Agile and SCRUM methodologies, more exclusively in IT project work. Agile and SCRUM can be adapted to changes unlike the Waterfall method since it does not change. Both Agile and SCRUM are suitable for projects that deal with rapidly changing requirements. SCRUM allows for very clear stakeholder feedback through iterative sprints, ensuring high-quality products sooner and faster development time (McCutcheon & Brunch, 2021, p4(1)). This gives the framework an emphasis on team autonomy, collaboration, and communication can facilitate higher morale and productivity (McCutcheon & Bunch, 2021, p21(4)). The capability for delivering incremental working software ensures projects can meet customer needs early, hence offering faster value against traditional methods. These features make SCRUM particularly suited for complex IT projects where innovation, flexibility, and stakeholder engagement are crucial to success and help also avoid the costly scope changes typical of the Waterfall method (McCutcheon & Bunch, 2021, p17(3)).
Benefits and Challenges of Agile Project Management in Dynamic Environments
In their study, Ciric et al. (2019) discuss the advantages and challenges of APM for both software and non-software industries. APM is known for flexibility, an organization has a better chance to adapt to changing priorities and effectively manage dynamic environments than traditional project management approaches dependent on rigid upfront planning (Ciric et al, 2019, p1408(2)). It also lists ways of incorporating APM into traditional environments, adapting Agile practices to organizational needs, conducting pilot projects, and self-managing teams in return for active sponsorship from leadership groups (Ciric et al, 2019, p1409(2)). Common concerns, however, were prioritization of work, alignment of stakeholders, and incompatibility with current especially in cases where APM is practiced outside of software development (Ciric et al, 2019, p1412(1)). APM has great advantages in handling dynamic projects, but successful exploitation depends upon adaptation with due care to the organization's culture as well as the main structure (Ciric et al, 2019, p1413(4)).
Challenges and Best Practices in Managing Agile Projects
Maranda et al. (2022) discuss scope and change management in Agile project management given newer challenges brought about by the COVID-19 virus. The authors have mentioned that while Agile is valued because of its flexibility and rapid adaptation, scope management is a crucial area that gets less attention and may lead to delays and overspending (Maranda et al, 2022, p290(1)) of the project budget. The literature review revealed seven categories of challenges that were perceived to be the most serious regarding people & organization, user requirement prioritization, over-scope requirement, and communication & coordination issues (Maranda et al, 2022, p293(1)). These challenges were mapped by the authors to best practices that target the improvement of scope management and change handling in Agile projects (Maranda et al, 2022, p291(2)). These findings show that effective scope change management strategies are implemented by organizations to further improve the project's outcome and align with Agile principles. Further studies are based on broader literature and other mitigation techniques (Maranda et al, 2022, p293(3)).
Influence of Agile Methodology on Management in Software Projects - Scrum
Hayat et al. (2019) considers how Agile, particularly Scrum, touches base with software project management regarding different knowledge areas. In this work, they find that the iterative aspect of Agile allows for changing requirements and thereby helps to be flexible in time, cost, and scope management (Hayat et al, 2019, p1(1)). In the survey of the software companies, it was realized that Scrum considerably improved project management efficiency through its ability to promote communication and teamwork among the members of the team (Hayat et al, 2019, p2(3)). Scrum emphasizes delivering quality products within the set timeline and budgets, and this approach therefore has a lesser risk towards its management. Further still is the issue of teamwork and self-motivation component wherein this framework will result in good human resource management practices (Hayat et al, 2019, p2(3)). Overall, Scrum has a positive effect on such aspects of project management it makes software development more adaptive and successful (Hayat et al, 2019, p2(4)).
Agile Project Management and Project Risk Improvements: Benefits and Costs
Elkhatib et al. (2022) researched how Agile environments in the United Arab Emirates can be better equipped with improved project risk management by proposing a hybrid approach to enhance project outcomes. The key risks that they discuss are organizational, process, business, technology, and monitoring risks, among Agile methods, Scrum enhances some of the risks by much more than traditional waterfall methods (Elkhatib et al, 2022, p1158(2)). Agile methodologies certainly enable a project manager to divide the project into smaller pieces of work, hence easier to adapt to changes and customer input, which in turn heightens the likelihood of successful project completion (Elkhatib et al, 2022, p1160(3)). The authors argue that clear customer vision, project manager experience, and supportive culture are the critical influences to be considered in raising the level of Agile adoption (Elkhatib et al, 2022, p1165(3)) by organizations. They suggest incorporating various analytical tools that would help to improve their decision-making process and continuously involve customers. This would prevent bulk changes in the later stages of a project (Elkhatib et al, 2022, p1165(4)). The findings showed that even though Agile largely helps an organization, various organizational rigidities exist that must first be overcome along with proper training for actual implementation (Elkhatib et al, 2022, p1166(3)).
Risk Assessment and Mitigation in Agile Projects
Issues such as risk assessment and management in Agile projects were discussed by Anes, Abreu & Santos (2020), with their wide expansion beyond the software industry. The authors note that while there are aspects in favor of Agile methodologies, such as Scrum being able to single out user requirements for implementation quite effectively and promote flexibility on the contrary, implicitly the risk management approach is a system that very often misses important risk factors in the process (Anes, Abreu & Santos, 2020, p1(2)). The authors highlight the four major risks: scope creep, unrealistic expectations, lack of cooperation, and lack of communication. Scope creep may be made to occur when continuous customer feedback results in uncontrolled changes that threaten to deliver the project. Unrealistic expectations may also arise when changing the needs of customers goes beyond what the Agile team can deliver (Anes, Abreu & Santos, 2020, p3(3)), further compounding the management of the project at hand. This paper proposes a qualitative risk assessment model that is to be developed using fuzzy logic tools, which will enable Agile teams to identify and manage these risks systematically with no loss of inherent flexibility. This model is bound to improve decision-making and avoid potential pitfalls in Agile project execution (Anes, Abreu & Santos, 2020, p5(2)).
Tools and Techniques in Scrum Management
The article by Simplilearn, 2024, articulates how Scrum tools enable Agile project management. Scrum-iterative progress through sprints emphasizes teamwork, accountability, and continuous delivery of high-value products (Simplilearn, 2024, p.1). Among the key features that might attend appropriate Scrum tools are sprint planning and tracking capability, backlog management, task and workflow management, and real-time collaboration (Simplilearn, 2024, p.2). Such tools as Jira or Trello are famous for their friendly interface combined with powerful functionality, which allows the team to see the progress and manage the work on time (Simplilearn, 2024, p.3). Effective Scrum tools would provide reporting and analytics where teams can measure performance and make workflow adjustments where necessary. Integration with other software applications facilitates communication and processes effectively for enhanced efficiency of Agile methodologies in various industries (Simplilearn, 2024, p.4).
Effective Communication in Globally Distributed Scrum Teams
Kostin and Strode (2022) present effective communication in globally distributed Scrum teams as extremely important. The basis of their work is the conducting of qualitative interviews with practitioners. They identify what constitutes effective communication and come up with four items that involve alignment, communication transparency, communication quality, and communication discipline (Kostin & Strode, 2022, p8(4)). Alignment is a common mental model in which "team members share a common view about what matters for their projects ((Kostin & Strode, 2022, p7(1)). Communication transparency means that there is openness and honesty in exchanges where trust can be established among team members, while the quality of communication refers to conciseness, speed, and responsiveness of the interaction (Kostin & Strode, 2022, p7(2)). The communication discipline is maintained through the set norms for communication, using appropriate communication tools. The result provides further insight into efficient communication in the GD Scrum contexts when shared understanding plays a vital role in the success of a team in distributed environments (Kostin & Strode, 2022, p9(2)).
Effect of Iterative Development on the Management of Scope
Iterative development is considered a major scope management component in agile projects and under the Scrum framework. Shorter iterations-known as sprints-allow the project team to adapt changes in project requirements and thus avoid scope creep. The approach provides constant feedback (Mkoba & Marnewick, 2020, p126461(12)) from the stakeholders as the product evolves toward the fulfillment of users' needs and expectations. The iterative nature of Scrum provides great flexibility. It allows the scope to be adjusted at the end of each sprint cycle, and such a process prevents uncontrolled expansions. It helps to successfully deliver the final product by focusing on incremental improvements based on customer feedback. Moreover, the adaptive framework allows the reviewing and refinement of the project backlog from time to time, keeping the development effort focused to meet the project objectives and scope management even more optimized while executing a project.
Adhering to the Scrum Rules: A View on Software Project Management
The study conducted by Alsaber et al. (2021), on software developers regarding adherence to the rules of Scrum in Agile project management, reveals colossal knowledge gaps, which act as barriers to the success of a project. The findings indicate that even though many of the responding developers claimed to know the Scrum rules, only 26.67% did, the poor adherence to best practices (Alsaber et al, 2021, p365(5)). This ignorance causes recurring issues such as projects always running over budget and behind schedule, while simultaneously suffering from ramped-up team conflict and stress (Alsaber et al, 2021, p365(5)), among other factors. It does bring into focus the fact that flexibility, as considered one of the main components of Scrum, gets subtly taken away from teams who consistently allow changes into active sprints without proper change control, resulting in a case of scope creep with breakdowns in communication (Alsaber et al, 2021, p364(5)). Scrum allows for adaptation to meet the needs of the users, but a lack of adequate adherence to its principles allows much less control over project dates and quality when compared with traditional methodologies, such as Waterfall, which the authors warned emphasizes proper training in Scrum methodologies for teams.
Discussion
The literature review represents scope management as an integral part of the Scrum project and points to iterative development as one of the key mechanisms of scope change treatment. Iterative development consists of short sprints, enabling project teams to be agile, flexible, and responsive in case of emergent new requirements. Mkoba & Marnewick, 2020, p126461(12)) stated such iteration would not allow scope creeping because continuous feedback by stakeholders focuses on iterative improvements that can align the product to the needs of its users. This iteration allows teams to reassess and make changes in project scope after every sprint to ensure that the deliverables meet stakeholder expectations and organizational goals. In contrast, Alsaber et al. (2020) disclose severe gaps in what the developers know about the rules guiding Scrum engagements and indicate that non-conformity to established practices translates into delays and cost overruns for projects (Alsaber et al, 2020, p362(2)). This mismatch underlines the difficulties in managing variations in scope when teams operate without a clear understanding of Scrum. The authors highlight that many Scrum team members believe they understand Scrum principles but operate contrarily in practice (Alsaber et al, 2020, p 363(3)). These deviations may increase scope changes, affecting schedules and costs of projects adversely. Kostin and Strode (2022) identify communication as one of the major determinants of effective scope management. The authors create that transparency and good quality in communication promote alignment among its members and reduce issues involving scope (Kostin & Strode, 2022, p6(2)). Good communication supports a mutual understanding between teammates of the goals of the project and assists them in approaching changes with more ease. It has also been identified in the literature that bad communication results in misunderstandings and misalignments, and makes the response of the team towards changes negative (Kostin & Strode, 2022, p8(1)).
Effective ways of managing Scrum include clear lines of communication, periodic backlog refinement (Mkoba & Marnewick, 2020, p126461(12)), and disciplined adherence to prescribed Scrum rules (Alsaber et al., 2020, p363(2)). These methods have the power to enable teams to respond to changes in scope with control over deliverables during the project lifetime and the overall success of the projects. The emphasis on training and awareness about Scrum methodologies at the organizational level will prepare the teams to employ effective strategies for scope management.
Conclusion
The report shows the importance of effective scope management within Scrum projects and determines iterative development as one of the key elements. The results underlined that with short sprints, adaptability can be enhanced teams can be more proactive in changing requirements by adding continuous feedback from stakeholders to the process. There are, however, remaining issues that develop from the partial understanding of Scrum rules by developers. These could be the roots of project delays and budget overflows. In this regard, scope management improves because of effective communication, which develops a singularity of orientation among the team members themselves. Strategies such as clear communications protocols, regular backlog refinement, and Scrum practices will help with scope management. Altogether, their successful implementation plays the most critical role in a high-quality product that addresses the needs of a customer, which further strengthens the importance of Agile and Scrum in managing complex IT projects.
References
Alsaber, L., Al Elsheikh, E., Aljumah, S. & Jamail, N.M. 2021. Perspectives on the adherance to scrum rules in software project management, Indonesian Journal of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, vol. 21, no. 1, pp.360-366. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/348288580_Perspectives_on_the_adherance_to_scrum_rules_in_software_project_management
Anes, V., Abreu, A. & Santos, R. 2020, July. A new risk assessment approach for agile projects, In 2020 International Young Engineers Forum (YEF-ECE), pp. 67-72, IEEE. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Antonio-Abreu-2/publication/343780127_A_New_Risk_Assessment_Approach_for_Agile_Projects/links/6368e27954eb5f547cafbe85/A-New-Risk-Assessment-Approach-for-Agile-Projects.pdf
Ciric, D., Lalic, B., Gracanin, D., Tasic, N., Delic, M. & Medic, N. 2019. Agile vs. Traditional approach in project management: Strategies, challenges and reasons to introduce agile, Procedia Manufacturing, vol. 39, pp.1407-1414. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2351978920303814/pdf?md5=cba439fc5f5a34c91ec1b8a58cbe522a&pid=1-s2.0-S2351978920303814-main.pdf
Elkhatib, M., Al Hosani, A., Al Hosani, I. & Albuflasa, K. 2022. Agile project management and project risks improvements: Pros and cons, Modern Economy, vol. 13, no. 9, pp.1157-1176. https://www.scirp.org/journal/paperinformation?paperid=119775
Hayat, F., Rehman, A.U., Arif, K.S., Wahab, K. & Abbas, M. 2019. The influence of agile methodology (Scrum) on software project management, In 2019 20th IEEE/ACIS International Conference on Software Engineering, Artificial Intelligence, Networking and Parallel/Distributed Computing (SNPD), pp. 145-149, IEEE. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Kanwal-Wahab/publication/338074789_The_Influence_of_Agile_Methodology_Scrum_on_Software_Project_Management/links/5e0258c24585159aa49842e2/The-Influence-of-Agile-Methodology-Scrum-on-Software-Project-Management.pdf
Kostin, D. & Strode, D. 2022. Effective communication in globally distributed Scrum teams. https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Diane-Strode/publication/370984197_Effective_communication_in_globally_distributed_Scrum_teams/links/646dc86b6a0082273fa6c69f/Effective-communication-in-globally-distributed-Scrum-teams.pdf
Marnada, P., Raharjo, T., Hardian, B. & Prasetyo, A. 2022. Agile project management challenge in handling scope and change: A systematic literature review, Procedia Computer Science, vol. 197, pp.290-300. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S187705092102367X/pdf?md5=92918da4b5adac62c28aa2cfdeff4363&pid=1-s2.0-S187705092102367X-main.pdf
McCutcheon, M.R. & Bunch, W. 2021. The Advantages of Managing IT Projects Using Agile/Scrum. https://matt0523.github.io/McCutcheon_Capstone%20Final%20Draft.edited.pdf
Mkoba, E. & Marnewick, C. 2020. Conceptual framework for auditing agile projects, Ieee Access, vol. 8, pp.126460-126476. https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/iel7/6287639/6514899/09136647.pdf
Simplilearn. 2023. Top 20 Scrum Tools for Seamless Project Management, Simplilearn.com. https://www.simplilearn.com/scrum-tools-article
