1. Adaptive Project Framework
Managing Complexity in the Face of Uncertainty
Presented by
Robert K. Wysocki, Ph.D.
Enterprise Information Insights, Inc.

2. Meet Your Discussion Leader
Robert K. Wysocki
Ph.D.
Consultant, trainer, author, publisher
40+ years experience in IS/IT PM
Author of 16 books on PM and IS/IT
Author of the PMI recommended book Effective Project Management: Traditional, Adaptive, Extreme, 4th Edition, Wiley 2007
Developed more than 20 PM courses
Trained over 10,000 project managers
Facilitator Notes
3 minutes
Discussion Points
This is your time to introduce yourself before the attendees introduce themselves.

3. Agenda Contemporary IS project landscape APF fundamentals
A high-level look at the APF cycles
Adaptations of APF
Like all well planned presentations we are going to tell you what we are going to tell you, tell you and then tell you what we told you.
So let’s spend some time telling you what we are going to tell you.
Some basic logistics first:
This course is interactive.
Ask questions
Challenge what you hear
Engage the instructor in applications at your company
What works?
What doesn’t work?
Spend a few minutes on each topic to give them a sense of what the course is about.

4. Contemporary IS Project Landscape
To the traditional project manager
every IS project looked like a nail and
they had the hammer.

5. Contemporary IS Project Landscape
NEEDS
WANTS
What the client wants is probably not what the client needs. The PM’s job is to make the client want what they need.

6. Contemporary IS Project Landscape
Why do you think over 70%
of all IS projects fail?

7. Contemporary IS Project Landscape
Projects fail for lack of:
Executive management support
User involvement
Experienced project manager
Clear business objectives
Minimize scope
Standard infrastructure
Firm basic requirements
Formal methodology
Reliable estimates
Skilled staff
APF
Explain how each of these contributes to the growing importance of project management in the business world.
Source: Standish Group

8. One size does not fit all.
Contemporary IS Project Landscape
One size does not fit all.

9. What basic approach makes sense for this type of project?
Contemporary IS Project Landscape
What basic approach makes sense for this type of project?

10. Contemporary IS Project Landscape
Would you rather follow the recipe or know how to develop the recipe?

11. Contemporary IS Project Landscape
SOLUTION
Clear Not Clear
Not Clear
Clear
GOAL

12. Contemporary IS Project Landscape
SOLUTION
Clear Not Clear
Not Clear
Clear
GOAL
TPM
TPM = Traditional Project Management

13. Contemporary IS Project Landscape
SOLUTION
Clear Not Clear
Not Clear
Clear
xPM
GOAL
TPM
xPM = Extreme Project Management

14. Contemporary IS Project Landscape
SOLUTION
Clear Not Clear
Not Clear
Clear
xPM
GOAL
TPM
APM
APM = Agile Project Management

15. Contemporary IS Project Landscape
Emertxe Project Management
GOAL
SOLUTION
Not Clear
Clear
Clear Not Clear
TPM
APM
xPM
MPx
MPx = Emertxe Project Management

16. Contemporary IS Project Landscape
Distribution of Projects across the Landscape
SOLUTION
Clear Not Clear
…10%...
Not Clear
Clear
GOAL
20%
70%

17. Contemporary IS Project Landscape
SDLCs map directly into this Project Landscape
TPM
Linear
Standard Waterfall
Rapid Development Waterfall
Incremental
Staged Delivery Waterfall
APM
Iterative
Evolutionary Development Waterfall
Feature-Driven Development
Adaptive
APF
ASD
Scrum
RUP
DSDM
xPM & MPx
Extreme
INSPIRE
SOLUTION
Clear Not Clear
MPx
xPM
Not Clear
Clear
GOAL
Extreme
Extreme
TPM
APM
Linear
Incremental
Iterative
Adaptive

18. Contemporary IS Project Landscape
Other Factors Affecting Choice of PMLC
Let me help you get on top of this
situation.
This is harder
than I ever
imagined.
Risk
Cost
Duration
Complexity
Market Stability
Business Value
Technology Used
Business Climate
Customer involvement
Goal & Solution Clarity
# Departments Affected
Organizational Environment
Team Skills & Competencies
Completeness of Requirements
Risk
Cost
Duration
Complexity
Market Stability
Business Value
Technology Used
Business Climate
Customer involvement
Goal & Solution Clarity
# Departments Affected
Organizational Environment
Team Skills & Competencies
Completeness of Requirements

19. Contemporary IS Project Landscape
Project Management Life Cycles

20. Adaptive Project Framework
APF is unique among Agile Models
Product and process development
Scope Change
Scope Bank
Integrative & Probative Swim Lanes
APF can be imbedded in other PMLCs
Meaningful client involvement
Cumulative delivery of maximum business value
Terminate any time without loss of business value

21. Examples of Projects TPM: Install an intranet network in field office
APF: Put a man on the moon and return him safely by the end of the decade
xPM: Cure the common cold

22. Contemporary Project Landscape

23. Characteristics of APF
Thrives on change rather than avoiding it
Adapts traditional and agile tools
Based on the principle: learn by doing
Assures maximum business value
Just-in-time planning
Squeezes out all non-value added work
Scope is variable

24. Working Definition of an Adaptive Project
An adaptive project consists of a number of cycles each comprising a sequence of unique, complex, and connected activities that must be completed within fixed time and budget constraints, and deliver maximum business value.
Explain how each of these contributes to the growing importance of project management in the business world.

25. Overview of APF APF originated out of two client engagements:
Supermarket kiosk design and development
Software development project management process design

26. Overview of APF NEXT CYCLE VERSION SCOPE PLAN BUILD CLIENT CHECKPOINT
POST-VERSION
REVIEW

27. Version Scope Adaptive SDPM Strategy for APF Version Scope
DELIVERABLES
Conditions of Satisfaction
Project Overview Statement
Prioritized functionality
Mid-level WBS and dependencies
Cycle length and # of cycles
Version
Scope
Cycle
Plan
Cycle
Build
Customer
Checkpoint
Post-Version
Review

28. Cycle Plan Adaptive SDPM Strategy for APF Cycle Plan DELIVERABLES
Low-level WBS for this cycle
Dependencies and schedule
Partition activities to sub-teams
Sub-teams develop micro-plans
Version
Scope
Cycle
Plan
Cycle
Build
Customer
Checkpoint
Post-Version
Review

29. Cycle Build Adaptive SDPM Strategy for APF Cycle Build DELIVERABLES
Whatever functionality can be built before the cycle time-box expires
Version
Scope
Cycle
Plan
Cycle
Build
Customer
Checkpoint
Post-Version
Review

30. Client Checkpoint Adaptive SDPM Strategy for APF Client Checkpoint
DELIVERABLES
Quality review of completed functionality
Adjust next cycle functionality and time-box
Version
Scope
Cycle
Plan
Cycle
Build
Customer
Checkpoint
Post-Version
Review

31. Post-Version Review Adaptive SDPM Strategy for APF Post-Version Review
DELIVERABLES
Check on business outcomes
Lessons learned to improve next version
Lessons learned to improve APF
Version
Scope
Cycle
Plan
Cycle
Build
Customer
Checkpoint
Post-Version
Review

32. Characteristics of an APF project
Incomplete requirements
Meaningful client involvement
Short cycles
Daily 15 minute team meetings
Co-located team of professionals
Fixed time and cost
Cycle ends when time-box expires
Cycles converge on a solution
Probative & Integrative swim lanes
No scope change management process
Variable scope

33. APF is a robust approach
Prototyping
Business justification
Business process improvement
New product development
Research & Development
APF can even be used within a TPM project!

34. Adaptive Project Framework
Selected Bibliography
“Effective Project Management: Traditional, Adaptive Extreme, 4th Edition”, 2007, John Wiley & Sons, ISBN
“Effective Software Project Management”, 2006, John Wiley & Sons, ISBN
“Adaptive Project Framework: Managing Complexity in the Face of Uncertainty”, 2009, Addison Wesley, in preparation.
“Effective Project Management: Traditional, Agile, Extreme, 5th Edition,” 2009, John Wiley & Sons, in preparation

35. Enterprise Information Insights, Inc.
Thanks for being a great audience!!!
Robert K. Wysocki, Ph.D.
Enterprise Information Insights, Inc.