1. A new short course on Agile Project Management also serves as an elective module on PPM
The Programme in Project Management (PPM) started in 1997 and to date, there have been well over 200 intakes of this practical, skills-based programme. Over the years since its inception, the PPM has been updated regularly to keep abreast of new developments. In recent years, agile project management has become very popular, and several large organizations are investigating how agile project management principles can be used in their project management methodologies. The time is, therefore, now ripe to introduce agile project management as a new short course and a full-fledged elective module of the PPM.
People who finish the agile project management course successfully will receive a certificate from the Graduate School of Technology Management of the University of Pretoria. The Project Management Institute ( https://www.pmi.org/ ) recognises the certificate as 20 Professional Development Unit (PDU hours) and the agile project management short course earns credit towards the PMP certificate or maintaining your PMP certification.
This new short course will be presented entirely online and run concurrently with the module Legal Aspects for Project Managers of the Online PPM, allowing attendees to select either this existing module of the PPM or the new module, Agile Project Management. People who are enrolled in the Midweek PPM or the Weekend PPM and prefer to do this module rather than the “Legal” module will, therefore, have to do the Agile Project Management module online and according to the schedule of the Online PPM.
The first intake of the Agile Project Management course will start on 19 May 2025.
2. What is Agile Project Management?
Traditional project management (or the waterfall methodology) was developed in the 1950s and later and became essential in construction and many other industries. However, it led to widespread failure when applied to software development. Waterfall project management is still applicable where the project’s product can be defined with relative certainty at the offset. Agile project management, by contrast, is a flexible and collaborative approach that applies to projects where the project’s solution or product is relatively uncertain. With agile project management, uncertainty is catered for in iterative steps during project execution. The team and customers learn more about the solution or end product as the project progresses and activities are organised into short increments of work, with frequent reviews and plan modifications. The frequent reviews and adaptive planning ensure agility and the ability to respond to change.
Agile project management methods lead to improved responsiveness to changes, higher speed of delivery, and better team collaboration.
Modern products often involve both hardware and software systems. A combination of waterfall/traditional and agile project management is required to develop such products.
Comparison of the traditional Waterfall method to Agile, with a real-world example from South African banking sector.
Each step in the Traditional, Waterfall or Predictive method—such as initiation, planning, execution and closing—must be finished before going on to the next phase this must be done in a sequential, linear manner. This method is frequently used in South African government infrastructure projects, such as expansive social housing programmes, where careful front-end planning is required due to stringent regulatory approvals and set budgets. Agile, on the other hand, is a flexible and iterative process that permits ongoing modification and input. Agile software development allows South African banks, such as Standard Bank and Nedbank, to rapidly upgrade online services and mobile banking apps in response to client demands and regulatory changes. Waterfall is more appropriate for projects with clearly defined criteria, while Agile’s flexibility is especially useful in sectors that are undergoing rapid change.
3. Details of the new Agile Project Management course
The title of the course is Agile Project Management for Professionals.
This online course is designed for working professionals and features pre-recorded lectures, allowing you to study at your own pace, anytime and anywhere. The course requires a commitment of at least 20 hours, with the possibility of up to 40 hours, depending on your learning pace. You will have approximately one month to complete the course. People who finish the Agile Project Management course will:
- Understand how Agile differs from traditional project management approaches, and how it enables efficient project delivery and improves business agility.
- Be able to judge the suitability of a project for Agile, and have practical skills selecting the appropriate development life cycle.
- Understand the role of high-performance teams, stakeholders and leadership within an Agile environment.
- Be able to plan, estimate and prioritise work within an Agile project.
- Be able to leverage their new Agile Project Management skills to promote agility within their organisation.
- Have practical experience facilitating an Agile development project and be able to respond to the dynamic complexities of an Agile business environment.
You will learn about agile project management methods and how to apply them in your own work environment.
The lecturer is Prof Taryn Bond-Barnard, an experienced project management practitioner and scholar.
4. Why Agile is Relevant in South Africa Today
South African industries face several challenges, including economic uncertainty, technological disruption, and the need for technological innovation. Therefore, the need for adaptability and rapid change in South Africa has led to the growing interest and popularity of agile project management. Individuals pursuing project management careers (please link this to the blog on PM careers on this website) should be aware of the growing demand for agile project management skills and certifications in the job market. Project managers in relevant industries, including new product development, IT, programming, and software development should consider Agile certifications and further education to retain their competitive advantage.
A real-world case of a South African company
Agile methodologies were used by Discovery Health, a well-known medical insurance company in South Africa, to improve their product development process and promptly respond to changing market demands. Using Agile, Discovery expedited the creation and improvement of its Vitality health and wellness platform. Agile assisted by enabling regular upgrades and the quick addition of new functionalities like AI-powered suggestions and individualised health insights and actions to be taken. An iterative process was used to allow Discovery to react quickly to consumer feedback and regulatory changes. This agile way of working ensures ongoing enhancements to Discovery’s digital health offerings and helps Discovery maintain its competitive advantage.
5. Core Principles of Agile Project Management
Four fundamental principles underpin agile project management, these concepts promote flexibility and empowering teams to successfully negotiate changing conditions. The principles are:
- People and Interactions: This principle promotes open communication and teamwork, creating an environment where team members collaborate well.
- Delivering useful interim products is prioritised over thorough documentation in working solutions. For instance, in software development, functional software is developed first and less attention is given to extensive documentation.
- Customer collaboration helps teams better understand requirements and improve solutions to satisfy end-user expectations by promoting ongoing stakeholder participation.
- Responding to Change: Emphasises the value of adaptability by enabling teams to promptly adjust to changing specifications and client input.
Rapid changes in technology and changing client expectations have caused South African banks to slowly migrate from the conventional Waterfall project management methodology to Agile approaches. This change has made it possible for banks to develop, and more efficiently release, digital financial products. This has reduced the product’s time to market while making sure regular customer feedback is integrated into the product’s development process. By adopting Agile, leading South African financial institutions such as Standard, Nedbank and FNB have increased their responsiveness to regulatory changes, improved customer experience and satisfaction, and promoted innovation in the fintech industry.
6. Real-World Examples of Agile Success in South Africa
Over the past 10 years, several South African companies have successfully implemented Agile to enhance their organisational efficiency and be more responsive to their customers. In the SA petrochemical industry Sasol was one of the first companies to adopt agile to navigate the organisation’s complex transition to sustainable energy solutions. They created cross-functional teams to focus on green hydrogen and renewable energy projects. In this way Sasol has positioned itself as a leader in the energy transition.
In the South African ICT sector Vodacom adopted Agile to improve its IT services and product development. This helped the organisation shorten their product time-to-market and improve customer satisfaction.
Similarly, Nedbank integrated Agile methodologies to accelerate their digital banking innovations, using agile for innovations such as their Money App, ensures a seamless user experience.
The retail industry was disrupted by the introduction of Checker’s Sixty60 on-demand delivery service. Using agile they have been able to continuously improve the app’s functionality and expand its reach across South Africa.
These South African agile success stories highlight some key lessons: Agile enables businesses to quickly react to changing customer needs, encouraging collaboration across teams and the organisation, enhance product quality through continuous iteration and rapidly seeking out and incorporating customer feedback. Moreover, it is important to note that such agile success stories require strong leadership, a cultural transformation in the organisation, and ongoing stakeholder engagement.
Other SA real world applications where companies have successfully implemented Agile methodologies to enhance their operations:
Bright Alloys: This Gauteng ferrochrome smelter partnered with ElectroMechanica to implement automation and Agile methods following a devastating furnace burn-through incident in 2022. This event, caused by an unnoticed rapid temperature increase, which led to unexpected downtime and negatively impacted the productivity of the plant. Following detailed root cause analysis that indicated a system and human error, Bright Alloys partnered with ElectroMechanica to implement automation using an agile approach. VTScada was introduced, it is a comprehensive SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system, this system was implemented to enhance real-time monitoring and control of the furnace operations. This system provided operators with clear interfaces and real-time data, this functionality enabled prompt and informed decision-making. The integration of Agile practices at Bright Alloys created a cultural shift within the organisation, promoting collaboration and continuous improvement. This transformation led to a direct positive impact on their operational bottom line, with improvements in furnace availability, reduced natural gas consumption, and increased feed accuracy tolerance. For a detailed overview of this project, you can watch the following video:https://youtu.be/hz-u8UPXOak).
Leading mining company Sibanye-Stillwater has led the way in implementing Agile approaches to improve operational effectiveness and standardize procedures throughout its business divisions. The business created the Integrated Mining Enterprise (IME) Solution in partnership with MineRP, a supplier of mining software solutions. In order to facilitate quick planning and the production of useful insights across several departments, this strategic project sought to create a single operating model.
By combining data from many sources, the IME Solution acts as a holistic platform that enhances productivity by enabling real-time decision-making. Sibanye-Stillwater made sure the solution was flexible and responsive to the changing demands of the mining sector by implementing Agile methodologies. This partnership demonstrates the business’s dedication to using technology and creative approaches to promote ongoing development in the mining industry. These examples show how implementing Agile methods can boost productivity, responsiveness, and teamwork in a range of South African sectors.
7. Agile in South Africa’s Education and Public Sector
In South Africa, Agile methodologies have started to access sectors like education and public services, where the methodology is being used to improve responsiveness and efficiency.
Education
Agile is being used in the field of education to create various e-learning platforms. Agile is been used by organisations like GetSmarter and the University of Cape Town (UCT) to improve their online learning systems. The benefits of agile in these education companies means that they can more quickly integrate features, updates, and user feedback, which helps students learn more effectively.
Another example of this is the ADvLEARN platform. This platform incorporates AI into the basic education curriculum to enhance topics that significantly depend on problem-solving like mathematics and the physical sciences.
Because agile is an iterative approach, it allows these educational platforms to continue to meet the changing needs of both teachers and students. This will ensure that technological solutions will continue to complement the learning objectives.
Public Sector
There are several recent examples of Agile being used to improve the delivery of government services. For example, South Africa’s Department of Home Affairs has integrated Agile principles as part of its drive towards digital transformation in the public sector. The aimed of these projects is to improve service delivery, reduce wait times, and improve citizen engagement with the government. By using Agile, Department of Home Affairs can rapidly test and deploy digital solutions such as online applications for identity documents, and ensure that the service meets the needs of its citizens and can respond to changing regulations.
Another ‘agile’ public sector example is at the Department of Public Service and Administration (DPSA) where they are using an agile approach to finalise a Digital Policy Framework to drive public service transformation. This agile project aims to improve service delivery, efficiency and establish a more transparent and accountable public sector, that embraces digital technologies and encourages innovation.
These public sector examples highlight how Agile is increasingly being adopted in sectors where flexibility, speed, and efficiency are essential.
8. Adopting Agile in South African Companies: Steps to Success
South African businesses looking to adopt Agile need to follow a step-by-step approach to ensure a smooth transition to an agile way of working.
- The first step would be to start with a pilot project. Choose a small, manageable team or a specific department where Agile practices can be tested and refined. This will allow the business to gauge the effectiveness of Agile before scaling it across the entire company.
- The second step would be to invest in agile training at all levels. From the C suite to the individual team members. Make sure everyone understands the Agile principles and methodologies like Scrum or Kanban. Training should not stop one needs to promote a culture of learning in the organisation.
- The third step would be to emphasise collaboration in the organisation by breaking down silos between departments and encourage cross-functional teams to work together towards shared goals.
- The fourth step would be to invite key representatives from the rest of the organisation to observe the iteration/sprint review meetings. The involvement of these stakeholders would help to demystify the agile process, promote buy-in, and alignment between teams. It would also help to break down silos, making it easier to expand Agile practices across the entire organisation.
- The fifth step would focus on the effectiveness of feedback loops and iterative planning exercises to ensure that continuous improvement takes place.
- Finally, the sixth step, if the pilot project is successful, one would want to gradually expand the Agile practices to other teams in the organisation. Remember to continuously monitor and adapt the process for maximum efficiency. This structured approach to adopting Agile can help a South African business realise the full benefits that Agile has to offer.
9. Challenges of Agile Implementation in South Africa
South African companies may face some challenges when adopting Agile, this includes a resistance to change, a lack of skilled professionals, and cultural differences among the people in the organisation.
Resistance to change is probably the most common challenge, as employees and management may be accustomed to a traditional way of doing things and therefore fear the disruption that Agile may bring. To overcome this, the company should clearly communicate the benefits of Agile to all its employees and make sure that key stakeholders are involved in the process from the start.
Another challenge is the shortage of skilled Agile professionals. Companies can address this by offering internal training programmes, partnering with external Agile coaches and training institutions, and encourage and/or incentives employees to pursue Agile certifications. Cultural differences in the organisation may be challenging, this could be due to different communication styles and work practices which can affect collaboration. By promoting an inclusive and collaborative work environment, where all the teams are trained on Agile values like trust and open communication, these cultural differences can quickly be addressed. By identifying and then immediately addressing these challenges, South African companies can successfully implement Agile and derive immediate benefits from this adaptive approach.
10. Conclusion: The Future of Agile in South Africa
The future of Agile in South Africa is looking bright, as more businesses recognise its potential to promote innovation, improve efficiency, and help the business respond more swiftly to market change. Agile project management gives companies the flexibility they need to adjust to shifting market conditions both domestically and abroad. The modern South African and global business climate demands that organizations react quickly to change. As industries become more digital-first and customer-centric, Agile methodologies will be central to helping organisations stay competitive. Companies who adopt Agile will be in a better position to provide quicker, more responsive goods and services, which will help them stay relevant in a market that is changing quickly.
The growing demand for flexible, adaptable solutions across sectors such as finance, retail, education, and government will likely lead to a broader adoption of Agile practices. By ensuring a culture of continuous improvement and collaboration, businesses in South Africa can use the power of Agile to thrive in the current volatile economy and capitalise on emerging opportunities.
