How to Manage Agile Teams?
The Agile methodology emphasizes individuality, collaboration, and self-organizing teams. Two of the 12 principles of the Agile Manifesto focus on these concepts:
- Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need and trust them to get the job done.
- The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams.
So what is the role of a project manager within Agile, and how do you best manage Agile teams?
As an Agile project manager, you are a coach, facilitator, and supporter of your team. You need to facilitate communication between the group and other stakeholders and remove roadblocks to progress. Under the Scrum framework, the project manager will often step into the role of Scrum master and organize the daily team meetings.
Another key function of an Agile manager is to support your team members’ advancement and development. The final principle in the manifesto states, “At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly.” The manager supports the team as they improve, whether that’s through personalized coaching, further education, or other advancement opportunities.
Artem Gurnov
Artem is a Director of Account Development at Wrike. He previously held the role of Project Manager, overseeing a team of customer success managers (CSMs). Over the years of building teams and scaling business processes, he has successfully deployed multiple projects, from automating client outreach to setting up work prioritization tools for sales reps and CSMs.