Introduction
Companies are under more pressure than ever to deliver new business value as quickly as possible – to
react to each market gyration with speed and precision to maintain competitive edge. Adding to this
complexity is the multifaceted nature of businesses and the demand for projects that implement new
business systems and create products that take advantage of the latest in technical innovations.
It’s no wonder that many organizations have adopted Agile development methods to help manage their
software projects. Agile helps firms move quickly and iterate rapidly in a dynamic environment, with selforganized teams of developers, product and business experts whose goal is to frequently deliver new
software or business value.
Agile has gone mainstream according to research analysts. Companies are starting to use a combination
of the Agile project management (primarily Scrum techniques) along with the staged methods that many
Enterprise Project Portfolio Management systems grew up espousing. According to Forrester Research
Inc. in Cambridge, Mass., “Teams are puzzling out the mix of methodologies and combining them to fit
within their organizational realities, blending Agile and non-Agile techniques and practices to create a
hybrid methodology that fits larger organizations,” according to a report. The good news is that they can
work well together and the evolving nature of enterprise project portfolio management is helping to paint a
comprehensive picture of project status and business value no matter what project paradigm is used.
The combination of Agile and Enterprise Project Portfolio Management systems provides high-level
visibility of projects, resources, schedules and business value for the entire organization. When
executives don’t have visibility to all the work, then they’re making decisions with less than all the
important information. Without this information, making decisions about future projects can be
detrimental to the business.
An Enterprise Project Portfolio Management system can provide the perfect complement to Agile project
management and a comprehensive portfolio view of the entire business.