Guidance Points

PRINCE2 Agile mentions 8 guidance points required for understanding PRINCE2 Agile:

1. All references to PRINCE2 refer to the 2009 edition.
2. PRINCE2 is neutral to the delivery method, and can be used in both predictive and adaptive (Agile) environments.
3. PRINCE2 Agile doesn’t assume you’re using it for IT development, and can be used in other environments as well.
4. Some Agile approaches are created only for IT development.
5. Scrum is only one way of being Agile.
6. PRINCE2 Agile mostly assumes Scrum and Kanban when talking about Agile delivery methods. They cannot be used to manage a project and need something like PRINCE2.
7. Agile = A general family of bahaviors, concepts, frameworks, and techniques that is widely accepted throughout the Agile community as being part of the Agile way of working.
8. There are different levels of Agility, and proper level of Agility can be used in any project.

Criticism

• Guidance point #8: It’s not possible to use Agile for any project. It’s only possible, when the product has the capacity to be developed iteratively and delivered incrementally; e.g., it cannot be used for most construction projects, because its development processes (design, procurement, build, etc) cannot be run separately for different subsets of the project. For example, you cannot design a foundation without designing the rest of the building. On the other hand, it’s not possible to have increments (working subsets of the solution) for a building to enable useful feedback. And finally, Agile is used when adaptation is needed, while it is possible to predict the product of a construction project, and adaptation is not needed.
• Guidance point #6: Scrum pioneers believe that it has enough project management elements, and adding an extra layer of project management blocks its Agility.
• Guidance point #7: this definition practically says that “something is Agile when the community calls it Agile”, which is not exact, and usually incorrect. Being Agile is the use of an adaptive lifecycle. Replicating the so-called Agile Practices alone doesn’t make anyone Agile.

External Links

• Agile cannot be used in every project
• Agile Practices Vs. Agile Methods

Written by Nader K. Rad

This is (and will be) a work in progress: More details will be added in the future, depending on the feedback.

This wiki is developed and managed by an accredited trainer, independent of AXELOS. While aligned with their guidelines, it’s not an official resource.