Agile’s influence on the project management industry continues to rise at pace. More organizations and project professionals than ever are embracing Agile tools and frameworks as they aim to increase the success of – and return on investment from – projects and other change initiatives.   Since its introduction in 2010, AgilePM has fast established itself as the leading framework and certification for agile project management.   Published by the Agile Business Consortium, AgilePM guidance offers a practical and repeatable methodology that achieves an ideal balance between the standards, rigour and visibility required for good project management, and the fast-pace, change and empowerment provided by Agile. It offers a structured and scalable corporate Agile framework based on proven practice.  

But why has AgilePM proven so popular? Here are some of the key features that contribute to its success.

• A tried and tested corporate approach: AgilePM is essentially a project manager’s subset of the Agile Business Consortium’s wider Agile Project Framework. The framework – established for over 20 years and regularly refreshed – provides governance and rigour along with the agility and flexibility demanded by organizations today.

• Addresses the full project lifecycle (beyond product development): AgilePM offers a mature Agile approach that, whilst offering agility and flexibility, retains the concepts of a project, project delivery and project management. It goes beyond the realm of Agile product development approaches such as Scrum.

• Quality & governance controls: One of AgilePM’s underlying principles is Never Compromise Quality. In an AgilePM project, high-level acceptance criteria is agreed at various stages throughout the project lifecycle, from initial requirements at the feasibility stage, to objectives for each stage of product/solution development.

• Risk management: AgilePM provides practical ideas for managing risk, directly addressing many of the common risks associated with projects. The Project Approach Questionnaire provides an effective starting point for creating a clear, shared understanding of project risks and their mitigation.

• Clear roles & responsibilities: People working together effectively is the foundation of any successful project. AgilePM recognizes this and assigns clear roles and responsibilities to each person in a project, representing business, solution/technical, management and process interests.

• Popular agile practices incorporated: AgilePM incorporates and encourages a range of popular agile practices to support effective product and solution development, including MoSCoW Prioritisation, Timeboxing and Iterative Development.

 

NEED TO TRAIN YOURSELF AND YOUR TEAM? If you’re new to AgilePM and interested in knowing more, visit this page 

The goal of our webinars is to deliver information: we want you to learn more about the topic you have chosen and we see it as our mission to improve your knowledge.

Together with our expert trainers and consultants, we run several webinars during the year, in several languages, trying to cover all those topics that are particularly relevant for your professional growth: from Project management (PRINCE2 as well as Agile methods), to Programme, Portfolio,PMO Management and IT Service Management..

The best thing about webinars is that you can watch them over and over! So if you've missed one, no worries! Follow the link to watch the recorded version of your preferred topic or method and ...

... enjoy your learning moments!

AGILE METHODS AND DEVOPS

Agile approaches are no longer limited to software development. They are more and more popular with various organizations that need to be more flexible and responsive to effectively address their increasing pace of change. Agile Project Management is an innovative approach to project management.

INTRODUCTION TO PMO MANAGEMENT: ROLES, TECHNIQUES AND BENEFITS

If your focus is on improving the way that projects are done (so that more projects succeed and change is more effective), then you should consider P3O, which explains how to use offices to support projects, programs and portfolios. You can facilitate effective portfolio, programme and project management in your organization by implementing a PMO Office. This may be provided through a single permanent office which may exist under several different names e.g. PMO, Portfolio Office, Centre of Excellence, Enterprise or Corporate Programme Office. It may otherwise be provided through a linked set of offices (portfolio office, programme offices, project offices), both permanent (enabling/supporting business objectives and consistency of delivery) and temporary (enabling/supporting specific programmes and projects), providing a mix of central and localized services.

PORTFOLIO MANAGEMENT: BENEFITS OF STRATEGIC ALIGNMENT

If you are a manager with a top-down perspective (you are managing a budget and a team, or a group of strategic initiatives), your next step could be MoP Portfolio Management, a one week training with certification. MoP, Management of Portfolios, provides an overview of all change activities including what is in the portfolio, what it is costing, what risks are faced, what progress is being made, and what the impact is on business as usual and the organization’s strategic objectives. MoP helps you answer the question “Are we doing the right projects?” by prioritizing the right projects and programmes to undertake.

PROGRAMME MANAGEMENT: ELEMENTS AND BENEFITS

If you are a project manager, or a manager, managing bigger-and-bigger projects and driving transformational business change, your next step is Programme Management. MSP, Managing Successful Programmes, represents proven good practice in programme management in successfully delivering transformational change, drawn from the experiences of both public and private sector organisations. MSP defines programme management as “the action of carrying out the coordinated organization, direction and implementation of a dossier of projects and transformational activities (i.e. the programme), to achieve outcomes and realize benefits of strategic importance to the business”. In fact it’s key to understand that a programme is not only a “bigger project”, but can also be a set of coordinated projects.

PRINCE2 2017: ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE PRINCE2 UPDATE

PRINCE2 is firmly established as the world’s most practiced method for project management and is globally recognized for delivering successful projects. In January 2017 AXELOS, announced the upcoming arrival of updated PRINCE2 guidance and Foundation and Practitioner examinations. Together, these form PRINCE2 2017 and represent the first major update to PRINCE2 since 2009. With this informative webinar QRP International wants to introduce you to the changes, understanding not only what changes in the content, but also what are the main reasons for the update, and how these updates will impact (or not impact) on your actual certification, and/or training plans.

ITIL Foundation adn Practitioner 2017: ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE PRINCE2 UPDATE

ITIL is a best practice framework that has been drawn from both public and private sectors internationally. It describes how IT resources should be organised to deliver business value documenting the processes, functions and roles of IT Service Management (ITSM). WATCH THE FULL LIST OF QRP INTERNATIONAL VIDEOS

MORE INFO

QRP International aims to support organisations and professionals developing their personal skills and reaching their business objectives with Training, Certification and Consultancy services in Best Practice management methods. Get in touch to know more or to ask your questions.

QRP International is proud to announce the launch of new PM courses: PM² Project Management, the PM methodology developed by the European Commission.

PM² Project Management Methodology

PM² is a Project Management Methodology developed and supported by the European Commission which captures the experience of EU institutions from managing thousands of projects, change initiatives, programmes and grants. PM² has been custom developed to fit the specific needs, culture and constraints of EU Institutions and Public Administrations, but also incorporates elements from globally accepted best practices, standards and methodologies, such as PRINCE2, PMI’s PMBOK and IPMA. The result is an easy-to-implement methodology suitable for any type of organization.

THE OPEN PM² INITIATIVE Until the end of 2016, PM² methodology and certification was only available to EU institutions’ staff.

With the OpenPM², the EU Commission decides to provide open access to the PM² Project Management Methodology beyond purely EU institutions and including Contractors, Member States and finally all EU citizens. This open initiative help establish a common project management language and process for projects across organisations, increase effectiveness, collaboration efficiency and success in the coordination of projects in the EU.

PM² Project Management Course: PM² Fundamentals

QRP International offers PM² Project Management Methodology courses. These are two-days training called PM² Fundamentals. PM² courses take place in the EU Commission area (Rondpoint Schuman).

This unique course is particularly relevant for those organisations and people involved in international collaborative EU funded projects or willing to apply for EU grants.

The purpose of PM² Project Management Methodology is to enable better project management in the EU to help organisations deal with challenges of project management performance, collaboration with other organizations, engagement with citizens and complexities of managing service providers and outsourced projects.

GENERAL INFO:

• Location: Brussels (EU Commission area – Rondpoint Schuman)
• Duration: 2 days, 14 h
• Language: English
• Price: € 1 250 (excl VAT)
• Material: PM² course handouts (English)

Stay Ahead! Register for the first PM² Courses!

Now that you know about PM² courses, and the launch of this open initiative from the EU Commission, don't miss your chance to stay ahead with your PM skills: register for one of the two sessions planned for this year! Feel free to get in touch to have more info on PM².

QRP International is proud to announce the launch of new ABC - Scrum Master qualification.

ABC Scrum

Popular and widely adopted around the globe, Scrum is a framework for developing, delivering and sustaining complex products through effective team collaboration. Scrum Masters are responsible for promoting and supporting Scrum as defined in the Scrum Guide. Acting as servant-leader for the Scrum Team, Scrum Masters do this by helping everyone understand Scrum theory, practices, rules, and values. Scrum Master qualification is offered by APMG and Agile Business Consortium: this new hands-on qualification is based on The Scrum Guide – the definitive guide to Scrum – created and maintained by Scrum’s creators. Feel free to get in touch to have more info on  the ABC Scrum Master.

What does it take to become Agile?

One of the key difficulties when we talk about ‘agile’ is that this is a very broad and general term and it means different things to different people. There are usually 2 common interpretations of agile:

1. Flexible, responsive to customer needs, early to market with products that customers actually want;
2. Internal capability, skills and commitment to implementing change constantly, allowing the business model to evolve to meet the needs of a fast-changing market place.

These perceptions share a positivity about ‘agile’, it is clearly perceived as a good thing. At the same time, this highlights that there are different interpretations of what Agile means, different ideas about how to adopt it and therefore different methods and frameworks that could be chosen.

Here we describe 2 of the most known names in the Agile world, Agile Project Management and Scrum:

AGILE PROJECT MANAGEMENT

Agile Project Management (AgilePM®) is an innovative approach to project management and an actual Project Management method. It helps people work effectively together to achieve business goals. This guidance provides the ability to deliver Agile Projects in organizations requiring standards, rigour and visibility around Project Management, while at the same time enabling the fast pace, change and empowerment provided by Agile.

Agile Project Management is the result of the collaboration between APMG International and the DSDM Consortium.

Key Facts:

• 60.000 certifications (globally since 2011)
• 2 certification levels: AgilePM Foundation and AgilePM Practitioner
• Courses available in Brussels and Anwterp
• Course and exam language: English

SCRUM

Scrum is an Agile framework for completing complex projects. Scrum method originally was formalized for software development projects, but it works well for any complex, innovative scope of work.

Key Facts:

• 368.000 certifications (Scrum Alliance data)
• 3 certification levels: Certified Scrum Master, Certified Scrum Product Owner, Certified Scrum Developer
• Courses available in Brussels, Gent and Anwterp
• Course and exam language: English and French

WANT TO KNOW MORE ON THESE AGILE METHODS?

We can help you identify the right Agile method for you and your organization: use this form to get in touch!

Did you just get AgilePM or Change Management certified and want to share and show your growing skills? Now this is possible thanks to this innovative solution from APMG International! DIGITAL BADGE - WHY YOU SHOULD CLAIM YOURS APMG International has launched digital badges for successful candidates to share a credential online and easily broadcast certified skills to employers and other interested parties. Nicholas Houlton, COO, APMG International describes the new solution as follows: "Our open badges are secure digital representations of credentials. Through a single click employers can verify the certification, understand the qualification and something of the process required to earn it. The badge can be easily embedded on a CV, email signature and social networking sites, including Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.” Sharing your certification success demonstrates that you are committed to continual improvement, shows that your skills are current and that you are a highly skilled professional! HOW TO CLAIM YOUR BADGE Digital badges are available for exams currently delivered by APMG (AgilePM and Change Management). To access your digital badge, you must have taken your exam with APMG International from 1 January 2016 to current date. To embed your digital badge simply log into the APMG candidate portal and click on the create badge button.