While plenty of our clients know what we mean when we say we employ “Agile Project Management,” many still do not. There are many different styles of project management (e.g., Waterfall, Scrum, Kanban, Lean project management, Six Sigma). We use a combination of both to create a method that works for our team and our clients. Agile and Scrum have proven to be the two methods we find work best for us.
What is Agile Methodology?
Agile methodology encourages the project manager focuses more on customer feedback and developing the product in short sprints. This methodology differs from more traditional and rigid approaches, such as a waterfall. Each Sprint has a defined duration, with a set list of deliverables planned at the start of the Sprint. Costs and schedules could change with each iteration. Subsequent iterations are adjusted in response to feedback or unforeseen issues. The Agile methodology allows a team to pivot quickly to meet customer demands. The Agile project manager (or Scrum Master) acts primarily as a facilitator. The facilitator is responsible removing any barriers the team faces. However, the team also shares more responsibility in managing their own work.
Agile project management is a customer-focused methodology
Another difference is that the team solicits ongoing stakeholder input and user feedback. This is obtained by testing products in the field and regularly implementing improvements. The team is customer-focused, with consistent communication between users and the project team. This differs from other methodologies where the team often works in a vacuum. The team frequently provides deliverables to stakeholders throughout the project, and progress toward milestones is dependent upon stakeholder feedback. Agile methodology enables E.B. Howard Consulting to create a collaborative and product-focused environment with clients and staff during the production of each proposal or funding menu.
Customer feedback
We receive so much positive feedback about our agile methodology approach to SBIR/STTR proposal preparation and how client-focused our process is. Clients often tell us how different this model is from other proposal preparation or funding menu they have experienced or heard of. They report feeling more heard, a perception that we have a better understanding of their needs than the competitors, and that our process is much more collaborative/communicative. We take this as a huge compliment! We are thrilled that our standard operating procedures are working well for the startups who collaborate with us to find funding.
We work with high-growth startups and organizations that support the startup and innovation ecosystem. We build highly specific non-dilutive funding menus, provide proposal preparation services, and measure outcomes of funding through evaluation. Schedule a consult call with us HERE.