How to Become an Agile Project Manager
How to Become an Agile Project Manager
Agile is fundamentally different from traditional approaches to project management, such as the waterfall methodology. Many Agile frameworks, such as Scrum, don’t have an exact role for a project manager within the team — instead, there is a Scrum master.
Agile focuses on a collaborative approach to projects and emphasizes teamwork, which makes the project manager's role less defined. An Agile project manager is more of a guide, facilitator, mentor, change expert, coach, and trainer.
To be a successful Agile project manager, you should possess the following qualities:
- Exceptional organizational skills, including the ability to prioritize
- The ability to thrive under pressure
- Excellent communication skills and the ability to work well with others
- Superior critical thinking capabilities, including the ability to think on your feet
- Comfort with quickly changing priorities and a high level of adaptability and flexibility
An Agile project manager also needs to embrace the four key values listed in the official Agile Manifesto:
- Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
- Working software over comprehensive documentation
- Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
- Responding to change over following a plan
While many of the principles and processes provided in the PMBOK (Project Management Book of Knowledge) are still relevant to Agile, if you want to focus on Agile project management, you should consider an Agile training course over the standard PMP (Project Management Professional) designation.
A few of the most well-known organizations offering Agile project manager certifications include:
- Agile Certified Practitioner (ACP) from the Project Management Institute (PMI)
- Agile Project Management Practitioner (AgilePM) from APMG International
- Associate or Master’s in Agile from Strategyex
You can also obtain certifications and credentials from:
How to Successfully Integrate Agile Into Project Management
