Be Agile

Hello Again


The Latest
In the last blog we tentatively forecast some improvement in the market during the first quarter and, despite the lingering political and economic uncertainty, things are definitely getting busier. Not just here at Picture More but, we’re delighted to say, across the market.

Agile
We are always keen to inform you of new trends we notice in the market and recently one such trend has been the requirement for Agile methodology in project management. This may seem like bad news to you if you’ve just completed your Prince2 certification or if the idea of iterative development flies in the face of your tried and tested planning and documentation policies. Let’s take a step back for a second.

Leadership
How has Agile come into existence? For years, professors on the world’s leading MBA programmes have told us that companies are complex adaptive systems and that in an environment that is changing exponentially they need to be reactive. Getting away from the scientific reasoning they have identified what effective leadership looks like and guess what, on an individual level it’s what we in the real world always knew.

Vision
Great leaders sell a vision. They empower others to achieve it and hold them accountable whilst removing obstacles from their path. They manage with a light touch whilst making sure everyone understands the guiding practices that will achieve success. They collaborate with their customers (internal and external), share information and respond to change.

Qualifications
Hopefully that doesn’t sound so bad. Your technical knowledge and experience is still vital and prioritising working software over comprehensive documentation can’t be so bad. Even the most dedicated long term planners know that tweaks have to be made along the way and Agile simply embraces that and the extra responsiveness it brings. If you have an XP (eXtreme Programming) or SCRUM qualification that’s great. If you have Prince2, especially the latest version, you should see that this can be compatible with Agile. Away from qualifications think about the personal “soft” skills that confirm your ability to work in an Agile environment and what it means to be a leader rather than simply a manager.

CV
Whether you are working or between roles think about the iterations of change that you could bring to your skill set (and CV) to match the requirements of your next role and keep abreast of the latest developments to make sure you can talk the talk. Put simply, the best project managers from the old world will be the best in the new world and it’s a question of being able to demonstrate that. In a market that is just starting to flourish again you should soon get the chance to do just that.


...and as the market flourishes our organisation continues to grow. We are looking for high quality candidates with recruitment experience. If you are interested you can find full details in the job advert which is amongst the many professional IT positions on our job board.