Agile VE Teams Make It Happen
The concepts described as Agile Software Development (Agile) and Evolutionary Project Management (EPM) describe a method of problem solving and development based on:
- An adaptable process to produce rapid results incorporating the latest information
- A team that comes together to solve a specific problem and rapidly disbands when complete
- Motivated individuals with the requisite skill set
- Teams that maintain close proximity (co-location)
- Meeting project requirements through technical excellence
So, how do we accelerate the turn-around time required to solve problems and ensure that the solution is both high quality and addresses the often-varied needs of stakeholders? What is needed is a process that allows individuals and organizations to engage intelligently with a fast-paced and uncertain work world, allowing groups to come together quickly to accomplish the required tasks and then, as in the Agile methodology, move on. The group replacing the traditional team is the Agile Value Management team (AVM).
This group comes together with a specific goal identified, something that could be expected to be accomplished by a motivated small group (the high-performance team) in a limited time frame. The members of the AVM team follow a compressed version of the VE Job Plan, the six-step problem solving method focused on identifying the critical functions required for a successful solution, what we call the Minimal Technical Solution.