Using Lean Portfolio Management to Scale Agile Methods

by Sanjiv Augustine

Companies that have adopted agile methods have realized faster throughput and higher business customer satisfaction on individual projects. Yet despite undeniable wins at the project level, sustained large-scale adoptions of agile methods are fewer and further between. What is preventing more comprehensive adoption of agile within organizations? Many agile experts point to a significant misalignment between the way agile projects are run and the way IT projects are governed in general. IT program and portfolio management, in particular, seem to be at the root of many of these alignment issues.

In this issue we'll explore ways to scale agile methods beyond individual projects so that their associated programs and portfolios can thrive. Hear how one agile consultant saved a failing 100-person company by introducing an agile portfolio planning game - and convincing the company to stop acquiring new customers (a much tougher sell)! Learn effective methods for ranking your projects - and the equally important lesson that "ranking isn't forever." Discover how to blend the adaptability of agile with the context and focus of traditional portfolio management to begin to deliver not just functions, but new organizational capabilities. Are the agile teams in your organization ready to level up?