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Hello,

I am currently learning the Agile Project Management techniques and see a number of benefits using these tools.

I do wonder however - if the weekly one on one with a project team member is needed ?

Does anyone in the community use Agile tools in their projects ? if so are you also able to hold team one on ones ?

Many Thanks,

 

 

Danny

 

mtietel's picture
Training Badge

 Yes, we use Agile processes.  And Yes, I still do O3s with my directs.

Daily stand-ups and other agile techniques serve a different purpose than O3s.
 

BrianT's picture
Licensee Badge

We follow Agile practices, Scrum in particular.  I've found that MT practices complement Agile processes very effectively.  

The daily stand-up meetings are for the team members to report on what they did, and what they plan to do, to the rest of the team.  There is a strong element of peer accountability here.  

1o1's are different from the stand-ups.  1o1's exist to build the relationship between you and your team members.  The 1o1 is a good time to ask your direct about the commitments they made for this sprint.  Are they on track to meet their commitments?  Is anything impeding them?  And, so on.  

If you're rolling out Agile to your team (assuming they're not doing it already), then you're likely asking for a change in behavior from people.  Then, there will be opportunities for coaching and feedback as people adapt to an Agile way of working.  

Best of luck.  

Brian 

 

 

sjoshlin's picture

I've been doing these in an agile environment for a couple years.  I'll second what the others have said...the purpose of the meetings is different.  They complement each other.

If you do daily standups then you're probably just skimming the surface of what your directs are doing, if you're even there.  If you have cross-functional, self-organized teams then your directs may be in different standups and you may not attend all of them.  In the one-on-one the focus will probably be at a different level, anyway.  You may go more in-depth on a particular issue.  You may look at how the smaller, daily tasks fit into the bigger picture.

I'm going to assume that you'll be doing regular retrospectives.  Keep in mind that not everyone will be as candid in front of a group as they may be in front of you.  The feedback that you get from your team will provide further insights into what's working and what isn't with an opportunity to discuss the issues.

I'd also like to add that having that consistent time to talk with your folks every week provides that forum to talk about coaching and career development that is too often overlooked.  I'm not aware of any accommodation for this in any Agile framework.

This has been my experience; your mileage may vary.  I hope it helps.  Good luck.

Sean

 

k1w1onoe's picture

 

Hi,
 
Thanks for the feedback! – Great to hear O’3s and Agile Methodologies work well together.
Within our study group for the PMI-ACP exam – the leader thought that extra one on ones would be a burden on his team, so didn’t see the value. I’m not going to try and convince him otherwise, however I am glad there are successful teams utilizing O3’s and Agile.
I am not a PM; however my next career step is to enter the PM world.
I’ll keep on following Manager Tools / Career Tools – and keep on checking these forums.
Thanks again for the feedback,
 
Danny