In recent years, IT project management best practice has shifted from waterfall approaches to agile management methodologies. One of the ways IT project management can become more agile is through the implementation of cloud computing.
But why are agile management frameworks, such as PRINCE2 Agile, and cloud computing a match made in heaven?
Agile project management
For years, a question has continued to stump management elite around the world: How does a company continue to execute projects in a disciplined manner while providing continuous streams of innovation?
But why is agile management and cloud computing a match made in heaven?
A few decades ago, a group of software developers came up with a unique and novel approach to project management. What they came up with would become the Agile Software Development Manifesto.
Agile management framework focuses on continuous innovation, flexibility and team input during the development process. Agile methodologies include SCRUM, extreme programming and lean. Overall the management approach focuses on people, communications, products and flexibility.
Agile management and the cloud
Cloud computing, or the use of the internet to store and access software and applications, is one of the technological innovations of the decade.
Australia’s cloud Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) market continues to boom with organisations spending $688 million in 2018, a figure expected to reach around $1.2 billion by 2022, according to new research from emerging technology analyst firm Telsyte.
As cloud computing services grow, it is becoming more common to find agile methodologies being used alongside cloud-based applications.
Cloud services focus on meeting user prerequisites and delivering services in a timely manner to those who need them, while agile management encourages collaboration and shared working processes.
So when companies couple agile methods and the cloud for IT project management, they have at their disposal a range of functions that can inject agility into any business.
Researchers at the Amity University and Maharishi Markandeshwar University found that when agile methodology and cloud computing are used together they have a positive affect on service delivery.
Researchers found that cloud computing, when used with agile methods, reduced development cycle time by 75 per cent.
They uncovered that cloud computing, when used with agile methods, reduced development cycle time by 75 per cent. Further, the combination decreased the cost of communicating information between people and reduced the wasted time between a decision and the outcome.
How can cloud computing facilitate agile management?
For one thing, the use of the cloud can encourage greater innovation and experimentation. Development teams using cloud computing can spawn as many instances as they need without worrying about server space.
So, when a feature looks promising, a team can generate a development instance that allows quick coding and testing. By using cloud-based applications, there is no wait or release time when physical servers become scarce.
Importantly, builds are not the only aspect of its project management that is improved with cloud computing.
As smartphones, tablets and laptops become ubiquitous objects within the workplace, most employees need to access a variety of devices to get their job done. The cloud can allow data to be stored collectively, reducing the chances of duplication and speeding up data sharing between collaborators.
Finally, cloud computing is the prefect platform for agile methods. It allows organisations to move functionality to their customers quicker and receive better feedback, while facilitating quicker implementation of changes to the product.
The sheer speed of this development cycle is a direct consequence of cloud computing and agile management. Customer feedback is now felt through all the processes at each stage rather than in the final stages, which allows changes to be made when they are needed.
Project management software like PRINCE2 Agile, which combines the flexibility and reactions of agile and the explicitly defined framework of PRINCE2, is an excellent way of implementing cloud computing.
Talk to a professional course provider and find out how cloud, agile and PRINCE2 can improve your business.