PPS and Agile work well together
The need to prioritise initiatives and projects is increasing and quickly gaining business value is becoming more and more important. Many businesses see Agile as a way of increasing their ability and to deliver results more quickly. At the same time, they want to maintain the relatively simple control they have, provided using more traditional business and project methodology and decision models.
Sometimes the secret of succeeding with a project is based on the method you choose. The PPS model is simple, clear, user-friendly and adaptable, based on the needs. This means that you can work the Agile way you can easily use the PPS skills and tools. The basic thoughts of the PPS and Agile methodologies and their approach regarding what is important in order to succeed with a project are very alike
You can use PPS in a linearly-planned project, but the ridged process and document-driven part, which is normally called the ”Waterfall method” does not match PPS. If you look at the central terms and expressions in PPS and Agile, you will see that they share the same basis/foundation for how affective tasks and activities and results are created:
Plan-driven methods tend to plan larger areas of the process in detail over a long period of time. This works until things change, and this is something that makes us want to avoid making changes. Agile, however, welcomes change and sees it as an advantage. PPS’s approach to changes in projects is that they should create benefit and value. From that perspective, PPS is more like the Agile way of working, than the waterfall method. Changes should, according to Agile and PPS, be a natural part of the project.
It is often said that Agile methods were created as a counterreaction to the plan-driven and ridged methods, that are normally called waterfall methods. Plan-driven methods are often seen as being process-oriented, while the Agile methods as seen as being more person-oriented. People become the resources in waterfall methods. They can be replaced, added or removed, depending on the needs. Agile claim that there is no process that can replace the person, or a team’s skills and experiences. The aim of the Agile process is, because of this, to support the individuals and the team in their work.
Both PPS and Agile focus on delivering value to the customer, using a result-oriented approach. This is in contrast to the plan-driven methods, which are normally referred to as being document-oriented and where the documentation created will be proof of the delivered value.