Back in the 90s the term 'project management' was the realm of IT teams with platforms such as Microsoft Project leading the way. But now one of the best project management techniques is being adopted outside the IT department.
Agile SCRUM first appeared in the 1980s but was wholeheartedly adopted by the IT industry in the 90s and is now being used by over 56% of organisations surveyed by SearchSoftwareQuality. Agile is the umbrella technique with SCRUM being a type of agile. Simply, it breaks a project down into regular successful small-step improvements and regards 'real world' events as part of the project, rather than unexpected changes in the process. Unlike 'waterfall' processes, the process is flexible and can be adapted to suit the project.
But why discuss SCRUM in a blog aimed at the finance profession? Because project management isn't solely for the IT crowd any more. People throughout business are being required to manage complex projects, often more than one at a time, and often involving teams made up from different areas of the business. With agile SCRUM all project stakeholders have collective ownership and the focus is on high-speed implementation. It also focuses on providing a sustainable workflow rather than the traditional peaks and troughs of activity.
Recognising the importance and value of this relatively new technique, we have just published a course to educate finance professionals about agile SCRUM; how to implement it; and things to be aware of when using it. Read more about the course
The important takeaway from this post is that, whatever area of business you work, project management is these days part of your role. Better to embrace and skill yourself accordingly than get left behind and bogged down in a cumbersome framework.
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