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Companies face new challenges needing to find ways to stand out from the competitors. All companies face new projects, which need to be managed assertively and faster, launching new products on the market ahead of competitors. This strategy requires enormous dexterity and agility within teams, which are increasingly multifaceted, multidisciplinary, and multifunctional. However, teams need to conciliate apparent freedom for creation with the sustainability rules, which are increasingly demanding, such as legislation and image that companies want to pass on to the market in terms of corporate social responsibility, ensuring a sustainable development of the companies. The goal of this work is to investigate and correlate agile project management and sustainability, taking into account that there are strong relationships, as well as to learn how agile project management affects organization's social, environmental, and economical dynamics from the triple bottom line standpoint. The research examines how agile project management ideas are connected to the triple bottom line concepts based on the literature. The framework was based on the theoretical assumptions underpinning the present research. The basic structure of the developed framework is based on the framework of a matrix‐based method for ordering and synthesizing data. Thus, network diagrams have been developed reproducing the links existing in the literature, both explicitly and implicitly. However, they were deeply expanded considering links not previously referred in the literature. An explanation about these new links is also provided, justifying their inclusion. Hence, the new diagrams offer a more complete landscape about how the adoption of agile practices in project management can improve sustainability in its different aspects, and vice‐versa. The findings reveal that implementing agile project management induces direct effects on an organization's social, economic, and environmental dynamics of the companies, as well as in their teams, with a favorable effect on all of them. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Problem definition: Agile project management, in particular Scrum, is enjoying increased use in practice despite only scant scientific validation. This article explores how agile project management impacts project performance and execution. We compare the effects of agile sprints—short-term project phases characterized by time-boxed progression from one sprint to the next and self-imposed, phase-specific output goals—with those of traditional project management. Methodology/results: We decompose the two sprint elements of time-boxed progression and self-imposed, phase-specific output goals as factors in a 2 × 2 experimental design. We then conceptualize project execution as a simple real-effort task and conduct a controlled laboratory study. For a given duration, participants perform better with time-boxed progression as, without it, that is, with flexible progression, they spend too much time on early project phases at the expense of later ones. We refer to this effect as "progression fallacy" and show how it differs from well-known behavioral effects that cause project delays. Introducing self-imposed, phase-specific output goals in combination with time-boxed progression, as proposed by Scrum, does not significantly improve performance when compared with time-boxed progression alone. However, the combination of self-imposed, phase-specific output goals and flexible progression, as is common in traditional project management, amplifies the progression fallacy with the result that goal-setting has a negative performance effect. In two control treatments, we show that the progression fallacy is robust to planning and progression prompts despite some mitigation. Managerial implications: This study contributes evidence of higher project performance when working in agile sprints, which mitigate behavioral flaws present in traditional project management. Not only do these behavioral insights apply to project management; they are also relevant in the broader context of task completion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a case study of interdisciplinary subjects, more precisely the AGILE SCRUM specific to software development applied in agricultural processes to increase the productivity, maximize the profit and to emphasize the benefits of AGILE methodology which is suitable in every field of industry. Starting with theoretical aspects about Agile project management approach and philosophy, including values and principles, continuing with SCRUM framework, is emphasized the applicability of the method in various fields of industry, including agriculture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hybrid project management is an approach that combines traditional and agile project management techniques. The goal is to benefit from the strengths of each approach, and, at the same time avoid the weaknesses. However, due to the variety of hybrid methodologies that have been presented in the meantime, it is not easy to understand the differences or similarities of the methodologies, as well as, the advantages or disadvantages of the hybrid approach in general. Additionally, there is only fragmented knowledge about prerequisites and success factors for successfully implementing hybrid project management in organizations. Hence, the aim of this study is to provide a structured overview of the current state of research regarding the topic. To address this aim, we have conducted a systematic literature review focusing on a set of specific research questions. As a result, four different hybrid methodologies are discussed, as well as, the definition, benefits, challenges, suitability and prerequisites of hybrid project management. Our study contributes to knowledge by synthesizing and structuring prior work in this growing area of research, which serves as a basis for purposeful and targeted research in the future.

Increased project complexity, project dynamics and changes in clients’ requirements are a few examples that suggest the necessity for flexibility in project management in order to deliver successful projects. Despite the fact that literature suggests adding flexibility to project management, there is no existing framework that provides a practical method for adding flexibility into the practice of project management in the construction industry. Therefore, this research is aimed at proposing a practical framework that helps practitioners in embedding project management flexibility into their project management practice. The research question is as follows: how to embed flexibility in the practice of project management in the early project phases? To answer the research question, four sub-questions have been formulated, which have been separately researched. The main question is answered by proposing a flexibility framework. This framework comprises four stages: understanding the current situation, practitioners’ perspectives on flexible project management, choosing enablers to become flexible and applying selected enablers to improve project performance. The framework is validated using the examples given by practitioners from 24 cases. Considering the movements towards flexibility and adaptability concepts, this research fills the gap in literature by providing a practical framework for project management flexibility. Moreover, it provides a step-by-step guideline for practitioners to embed flexibility in practice.

The main problem associated with designing buildings and structures is the poor flexibility of such projects. Designing is a long-term process that takes place long before the actual construction begins. Depending on project complexity, it can last from a few to several months, during which it is frequently changed and updated. A design project usually follows a top-down pattern where subsequent steps succeed each other. Given all this, it seems justified to say that designing buildings and structures is a process marked by little flexibility, meaning that any response to changes is long, complicated, or sometimes unfeasible. And so the following question arises: how to improve the process of designing buildings and structures so that the very project more easily adapts to changes arising inside and outside the organization? The solution may be the implementation of selected parts of agile project management methodologies. The aim of the paper is to select elements from agile methodologies in order to streamline the work of a design project team. Section one deals with the analysis of different project management methodologies, focusing mainly on agile. This is followed by a description of project management in construction, with particular emphasis on the design process. Section three highlights the opportunities for implementing the elements of agile project management methodologies in construction by using an example of the mpiBIM student project that is held by Warsaw University of Technology. The research delivers ready-to-use forms that may be useful for a team that would like to implement agile work in building design projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Projects have grown into more dynamic and complex endeavors, and agile project management should be considered as a way to deal with them. This is a novel study in this field, because the implementation of agile project management in the automotive industry was not explored so far, thus, this work intended to fill this gap, by identifying barriers in the implementation of agile methodologies in project management regarding the automotive industry. This was conducted through a questionnaire survey, which was developed and distributed to 148 manufacturing companies of components for the automotive industry, out of a total number of companies of 240, and 56 complete answers were obtained (23.33%). Statistical analyses were performed using a Kruskal–Wallis test, a Mann–Whitney test, and Spearmen's correlation. A real picture of the implementation of agile project management in the Portuguese automotive industry is depicted through this work. 'Organizational', 'Knowledge and Technology', 'Institutional', and 'Financial' barriers are found to be the most important. However, in overcoming these barriers, companies can be more sustainable in economic, environmental, and social terms. Recommendations on how to overcome these barriers were presented, and a framework sequencing these recommendations was presented, leading to an effective implementation of agile methodologies. It starts with the willingness of the company, and all collaborators, to adopt the agile methodologies, looking for the agile values as an input in order to achieve a competitive advantage. It is followed by an initial investment, which intends to attain the deployment of an agile team, composed of highly skilled collaborators with a clear understanding of the agile objectives, who disseminate knowledge about agile methodologies to the other collaborators, increasing their ability to implement agile methodologies in project management. This team should work and develop frameworks and workflows, according to each company's characteristics and environment. The studied aspects can be replicated in other countries, and allow a comparison of the situation between countries, trying to correlate the culture of each country with the ability to implement agile methodologies, among other aspects, such as economical level of the companies, type of production, and the commitment of the collaborators to improve processes and create competitive advantages with which to face competitors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Hybrid project management is an approach that combines traditional and agile project management techniques. The goal is to benefit from the strengths of each approach, and, at the same time avoid the weaknesses. However, due to the variety of hybrid methodologies that have been presented in the meantime, it is not easy to understand the differences or similarities of the methodologies, as well as, the advantages or disadvantages of the hybrid approach in general. Additionally, there is only fragmented knowledge about prerequisites and success factors for successfully implementing hybrid project management in organizations. Hence, the aim of this study is to provide a structured overview of the current state of research regarding the topic. To address this aim, we have conducted a systematic literature review focusing on a set of specific research questions. As a result, four different hybrid methodologies are discussed, as well as, the definition, benefits, challenges, suitability and prerequisites of hybrid project management. Our study contributes to knowledge by synthesizing and structuring prior work in this growing area of research, which serves as a basis for purposeful and targeted research in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Universities worldwide are facing similar problems, decrease in public funding, increase of international competition and slow bureaucratic organization. One of the possibilities to increase flexibility and to respond better to students’ needs and job market changes is implementing Agile Project Management practices. Both Agile and its most popular Scrum methodology have origins in Software development but have been successfully adopted in other industries as well. This paper examined specific Agile Project Management practices that can be implemented in different areas of Universities, such as Governance and Structure, Curriculum Design, Teaching, Learning, Evaluation, Online Courses and Virtual Classroom. It is concluded that Universities could foster benefits by implementing Agile practices partly, incrementally or by having a full Agile transformation, but either way a goodwill to test it and internal champions to lead the change represent crucial elements of such transformation.

Purpose – In recent years, innovative methodologies of product development such as lean product development (LPD) and agile project management (APM) have emerged. Even though previous research studies focused on these subjects, only few of them were focused on traditional industries, as civil construction. The purpose of this paper is to cover a part of this gap by estimating the potential of the application of these two new approaches (LPD and APM) in the construction industry, more specifically on the design stage. Design/methodology/approach – For this, a case study has been conducted in order to understand if some of LPD and APM tools and practices had already been used, and also to evaluate the potential application of these new methodologies. Three Brazilian companies have been evaluated, all of them were exclusive executors of the design stage and presented distinct characteristics (size, structure, business model, etc.). Findings – The results show that there is currently little adherence to LPD and APM practices within the companies studied. In terms of potential application of these new methodologies, the study has identified evidence regarding technical similarities between the reported cases and others mentioned in literature. However, the interviewees’ reception of these concepts was mostly pessimistic, showing considerable resistance to changes in the current process. Originality/value – According to the analysis, the study identified that the main challenge/hampering to the implementation of these tools in the cases studied herein are the functional organizational structures, the customer–supplier relationships and the internal cultural resistance to change.

The concept of workforce agility has become increasingly popular in recent years as agile individuals are expected to be better able to handle change and uncertainty. However, agility has rarely been studied in a systematic way. Relations between agility and positive work outcomes, such as higher performance or increased well-being, have often been suggested but rarely been empirically tested. Furthermore, several different workforce agility measures are used in the literature which complicates the comparison of findings. Recognizing these gaps in the literature, we developed a new workforce agility measure, compared this measure to established workforce agility measures, and empirically tested the relations of workforce agility with work outcomes. For this purpose, we surveyed participants from two samples (N1 = 218, N2 = 533). In a first step, we used Sample 1 to examine the factor structure of the measure for item selection. In a second step, we used Sample 2 to confirm the 10-factor structure and to compare the predictive validity of our measure along with two other agility measures. Findings demonstrate predictive validity for all three workforce agility scales, especially in relation to innovative performance. Furthermore, workforce agility related positively to task and innovative performance, organizational citizenship behavior, job satisfaction, and well-being.

Agile development methods are widely used among business enterprises. Since the introduction of the Agile Manifesto in 2001, several agile methods have been implemented, first in single-team set-ups and later in larger multi-team set-ups for complex Information Technology (IT) system development. However, the adoption of agile methods has been slow in the public sector. This is also reflected in the academic literature, as there are only a few studies discussing agile adoption in public organizations. This paper contributes to research on the use of agile practices specifically in the context of public organizations, and sheds light on the challenges a public organization may face while adopting these practices. The aim of this paper is to identify and categorize the challenges that may hinder efficient adoption and use of agile methods in public IT projects that include private software vendors. This research is based on a case study of a large governmental office. As a result, this paper presents several categories of identified challenges, the root causes of these challenges, and a discussion of the characteristics of these challenges for the public sector.

The concept of workforce agility has become increasingly popular in recent years as agile individuals are expected to be better able to handle change and uncertainty. However, agility has rarely been studied in a systematic way. Relations between agility and positive work outcomes, such as higher performance or increased well-being, have often been suggested but rarely been empirically tested. Furthermore, several different workforce agility measures are used in the literature which complicates the comparison of findings. Recognizing these gaps in the literature, we developed a new workforce agility measure, compared this measure to established workforce agility measures, and empirically tested the relations of workforce agility with work outcomes. For this purpose, we surveyed participants from two samples (N 1 = 218, N 2 = 533). In a first step, we used Sample 1 to examine the factor structure of the measure for item selection. In a second step, we used Sample 2 to confirm the 10-factor structure and to compare the predictive validity of our measure along with two other agility measures. Findings demonstrate predictive validity for all three workforce agility scales, especially in relation to innovative performance. Furthermore, workforce agility related positively to task and innovative performance, organizational citizenship behavior, job satisfaction, and well-being. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the paper is to analyze and critically evaluate the challenges facing the organizational migration from traditional to agile project management and to propose an organizational framework with conditions for a more successful transformation to Agile in the IT sector. The research thesis states that migrating from traditional to agile project management is a complex organizational innovation that may face multiple barriers and challenges. Overcoming these barriers requires creating appropriate conditions that are relevant to the identified weaknesses and at the same time enforced not in a bureaucratic but flexible way. The tasks of the study are: 1) Clarifying the evolution in project management and key factors and challenges in the transformation from traditional to agile project management; 2) Empirical study of the critical factors for a successful transformation towards agile project management; 3) Formulation of proposals for the necessary conditions and organizational interventions to support the process of migrating to the agile approach. An empirical study was conducted and the factors and challenges in the process of moving to Agile were investigated among respondents from different companies (n=98). On the basis of the findings, key conditions for organizational interventions to be followed to implement an efficient migration to an Agile have been identified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dynamic economic development and the fast implementation pace of innovative, economical solutions force companies to continue finding methods of increasing the efficiency of their operations. One of the ways to increase the effectiveness of activities is to use a project approach that allows achieving all the set goals efficiently. The project approach is gaining popularity due to its high efficiency. Also, it is treated as a separate trend called as “projectification” and “project orientation”. The article defines what a project and project management methodology are. The specificity of railway transport projects concerning rolling stock was characterized. The elements of traditional and agile project management methodologies were described, indicating their differences. Project areas were selected in which the implementation of the elements of agile project management methodologies is the easiest and fastest to carry out.

The aim of this paper is to reveal, examine and study the most important specifics of the Scrum framework application from a theoretical and practical aspect. The first section explains the basics of the agile approach, i.e. agile values and principles, with the idea of creating a starting point for understanding the Scrum framework and the environment in which it originated. Furthermore, the focus shifts to defining the role, significance and structure of the Scrum framework, with special emphasis on presenting Scrum roles, Scrum events and Scrum artefacts as completely new categories in project management unique to the Scrum framework. Starting with the importance and responsibility of each Scrum team member, followed by the duration, proper sequence and purpose of Scrum events, as well as by the creation, updating and refinement of Scrum artefacts, the Scrum framework is presented to potential users so its application can be better, easier and simpler both within the projects in the IT sector and in other sectors where the application of the Scrum framework is suitable. The results of research on the application of Scrum framework and agile approach within projects regarding the development of new software solutions in the Republic of Serbia are presented at the end of the paper, together with the conclusions concerning the prospects for further development and wider application of the Scrum framework in projects, regardless of their type, complexity, or the field in which they are realised. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Successful implementation of digital health programs is imperative as it is becoming increasingly clear that digital solutions will underpin modern health care. These projects are often supported by large budgets and if not implemented successfully, the quality, safety, and efficiency of patient care may be compromised. Failure rates for the implementation of large, complex healthcare software platforms in digital health programs have been persistently high. Although several factors may contribute to the failure of such projects, the majority have been reported to fail largely due to poor project management. Nevertheless, little is known about the optimal project management approaches for digital health projects, with many health services reliant on external advisory companies and contractors for advice. Although publication bias makes it difficult to reliably study and understand global trends for the failure of digital health projects, examination of media reports and published literature indicates that this is a global phenomenon affecting digital health projects in North America, Europe and Australasia. In this article, our aim is to examine the literature for evidence underpinning current project management approaches used when implementing commercial, off-the-shelf healthcare information technology solutions, including complex healthcare software in large digital health programs in hospitals or across health systems, and evaluate the suitability of current project management approaches to deliver these projects. This starts to build an important evidence base for hospitals and health services considering digital transformation projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Die zweiteilige Artikelreihe beschreibt die Einführung und Etablierung agiler Methoden an der Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin im Rahmen der digitalen Transformation. Der vorliegende Artikel präsentiert dabei die gewonnenen Erkenntnisse aus dem Einführungsprozess agiler Zusammenarbeit und diskutiert Lösungsansätze, um mit typischen Herausforderungen umzugehen. Abschließend werden die gewonnenen Erfahrungen in den Kontext der Transformation der Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz gestellt und Handlungsempfehlungen abgeleitet. This series of two articles describes the introduction and establishment of agile methods at the Berlin State Library (Staatsbibliothek zu Berlin) during its on-going digital transformation. This article presents the lessons learned from introducing agile methods for collaboration in Germany's largest scientific library. Furthermore, it discusses approaches for handling typical challenges during the agile transformation. The article concludes with recommendations regarding the re-organization of the Prussian Cultural Heritage Foundation (Stiftung Preußischer Kulturbesitz) based on the experience of the library. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To get value from BI (Business Intelligence) and Big Data initiatives, organizations need to develop the capability to successfully execute their analytics projects. Via updating Chow and Cao's list of 12 success factors for agile projects, 43 attributes of these potential critical success factors (CSFs) were identified. Data from four case studies of analytics projects suggest that the critical success factors for analytics projects may be Strong Customer Involvement and a Methodical Project Definition Process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]