Privacy Policy for ITUniversum LLC
https://ituniversum.com/
At https://ituniversum.com/, accessible from https://ituniversum.com/, one of our main priorities is the privacy of our visitors. This Privacy Policy document contains types of information that is collected and recorded by https://ituniversum.com/ and how we use it.
If you have additional questions or require more information about our Privacy Policy, do not hesitate to contact us.
This Privacy Policy applies only to our online activities and is valid for visitors to our website with regards to the information that they shared and/or collect in https://ituniversum.com/. This policy is not applicable to any information collected offline or via channels other than this website.
Consent
By using our website, you hereby consent to our Privacy Policy and agree to its terms.
Information we collect
The personal information that you are asked to provide, and the reasons why you are asked to provide it, will be made clear to you at the point we ask you to provide your personal information.
If you contact us directly, we may receive additional information about you such as your name, email address, phone number, the contents of the message and/or attachments you may send us, and any other information you may choose to provide.
When you register for an Account, we may ask for your contact information, including items such as name, company name, address, email address, and telephone number.
How we use your information
We use the information we collect in various ways, including to:
Provide, operate, and maintain our website
Improve, personalize, and expand our website
Understand and analyze how you use our website
Develop new products, services, features, and functionality
Communicate with you, either directly or through one of our partners, including for customer service, to provide you with updates and other information relating to the website, and for marketing and promotional purposes
Send you emails
Find and prevent fraud
Log Files
https://ituniversum.com/ follows a standard procedure of using log files. These files log visitors when they visit websites. All hosting companies do this and a part of hosting services' analytics. The information collected by log files include internet protocol (IP) addresses, browser type, Internet Service Provider (ISP), date and time stamp, referring/exit pages, and possibly the number of clicks. These are not linked to any information that is personally identifiable. The purpose of the information is for analyzing trends, administering the site, tracking users' movement on the website, and gathering demographic information.
Cookies and Web Beacons
Like any other website, https://ituniversum.com/ uses 'cookies'. These cookies are used to store information including visitors' preferences, and the pages on the website that the visitor accessed or visited. The information is used to optimize the users' experience by customizing our web page content based on visitors' browser type and/or other information.
Advertising Partners Privacy Policies
You may consult this list to find the Privacy Policy for each of the advertising partners of https://ituniversum.com/.
Third-party ad servers or ad networks uses technologies like cookies, JavaScript, or Web Beacons that are used in their respective advertisements and links that appear on https://ituniversum.com/, which are sent directly to users' browser. They automatically receive your IP address when this occurs. These technologies are used to measure the effectiveness of their advertising campaigns and/or to personalize the advertising content that you see on websites that you visit.
Note that https://ituniversum.com/ has no access to or control over these cookies that are used by third-party advertisers.
Third Party Privacy Policies
https://ituniversum.com/'s Privacy Policy does not apply to other advertisers or websites. Thus, we are advising you to consult the respective Privacy Policies of these third-party ad servers for more detailed information. It may include their practices and instructions about how to opt-out of certain options.
You can choose to disable cookies through your individual browser options. To know more detailed information about cookie management with specific web browsers, it can be found at the browsers' respective websites.
CCPA Privacy Rights (Do Not Sell My Personal Information)
Under the CCPA, among other rights, California consumers have the right to:
Request that a business that collects a consumer's personal data disclose the categories and specific pieces of personal data that a business has collected about consumers.
Request that a business delete any personal data about the consumer that a business has collected.
Request that a business that sells a consumer's personal data, not sell the consumer's personal data.
If you make a request, we have one month to respond to you. If you would like to exercise any of these rights, please contact us.
GDPR Data Protection Rights
We would like to make sure you are fully aware of all of your data protection rights. Every user is entitled to the following:
The right to access – You have the right to request copies of your personal data. We may charge you a small fee for this service.
The right to rectification – You have the right to request that we correct any information you believe is inaccurate. You also have the right to request that we complete the information you believe is incomplete.
The right to erasure – You have the right to request that we erase your personal data, under certain conditions.
The right to restrict processing – You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal data, under certain conditions.
The right to object to processing – You have the right to object to our processing of your personal data, under certain conditions.
The right to data portability – You have the right to request that we transfer the data that we have collected to another organization, or directly to you, under certain conditions.
If you make a request, we have one month to respond to you. If you would like to exercise any of these rights, please contact us.
Children's Information
Another part of our priority is adding protection for children while using the internet. We encourage parents and guardians to observe, participate in, and/or monitor and guide their online activity.
https://ituniversum.com/ does not knowingly collect any Personal Identifiable Information from children under the age of 13. If you think that your child provided this kind of information on our website, we strongly encourage you to contact us immediately and we will do our best efforts to promptly remove such information from our records.
If you have additional questions or require more information about our Privacy Policy, do not hesitate to contact us.
This Privacy Policy applies only to our online activities and is valid for visitors to our website with regards to the information that they shared and/or collect in https://ituniversum.com/. This policy is not applicable to any information collected offline or via channels other than this website.
Consent
By using our website, you hereby consent to our Privacy Policy and agree to its terms.
Information we collect
The personal information that you are asked to provide, and the reasons why you are asked to provide it, will be made clear to you at the point we ask you to provide your personal information.
If you contact us directly, we may receive additional information about you such as your name, email address, phone number, the contents of the message and/or attachments you may send us, and any other information you may choose to provide.
When you register for an Account, we may ask for your contact information, including items such as name, company name, address, email address, and telephone number.
How we use your information
We use the information we collect in various ways, including to:
Provide, operate, and maintain our website
Improve, personalize, and expand our website
Understand and analyze how you use our website
Develop new products, services, features, and functionality
Communicate with you, either directly or through one of our partners, including for customer service, to provide you with updates and other information relating to the website, and for marketing and promotional purposes
Send you emails
Find and prevent fraud
Log Files
https://ituniversum.com/ follows a standard procedure of using log files. These files log visitors when they visit websites. All hosting companies do this and a part of hosting services' analytics. The information collected by log files include internet protocol (IP) addresses, browser type, Internet Service Provider (ISP), date and time stamp, referring/exit pages, and possibly the number of clicks. These are not linked to any information that is personally identifiable. The purpose of the information is for analyzing trends, administering the site, tracking users' movement on the website, and gathering demographic information.
Cookies and Web Beacons
Like any other website, https://ituniversum.com/ uses 'cookies'. These cookies are used to store information including visitors' preferences, and the pages on the website that the visitor accessed or visited. The information is used to optimize the users' experience by customizing our web page content based on visitors' browser type and/or other information.
Advertising Partners Privacy Policies
You may consult this list to find the Privacy Policy for each of the advertising partners of https://ituniversum.com/.
Third-party ad servers or ad networks uses technologies like cookies, JavaScript, or Web Beacons that are used in their respective advertisements and links that appear on https://ituniversum.com/, which are sent directly to users' browser. They automatically receive your IP address when this occurs. These technologies are used to measure the effectiveness of their advertising campaigns and/or to personalize the advertising content that you see on websites that you visit.
Note that https://ituniversum.com/ has no access to or control over these cookies that are used by third-party advertisers.
Third Party Privacy Policies
https://ituniversum.com/'s Privacy Policy does not apply to other advertisers or websites. Thus, we are advising you to consult the respective Privacy Policies of these third-party ad servers for more detailed information. It may include their practices and instructions about how to opt-out of certain options.
You can choose to disable cookies through your individual browser options. To know more detailed information about cookie management with specific web browsers, it can be found at the browsers' respective websites.
CCPA Privacy Rights (Do Not Sell My Personal Information)
Under the CCPA, among other rights, California consumers have the right to:
Request that a business that collects a consumer's personal data disclose the categories and specific pieces of personal data that a business has collected about consumers.
Request that a business delete any personal data about the consumer that a business has collected.
Request that a business that sells a consumer's personal data, not sell the consumer's personal data.
If you make a request, we have one month to respond to you. If you would like to exercise any of these rights, please contact us.
GDPR Data Protection Rights
We would like to make sure you are fully aware of all of your data protection rights. Every user is entitled to the following:
The right to access – You have the right to request copies of your personal data. We may charge you a small fee for this service.
The right to rectification – You have the right to request that we correct any information you believe is inaccurate. You also have the right to request that we complete the information you believe is incomplete.
The right to erasure – You have the right to request that we erase your personal data, under certain conditions.
The right to restrict processing – You have the right to request that we restrict the processing of your personal data, under certain conditions.
The right to object to processing – You have the right to object to our processing of your personal data, under certain conditions.
The right to data portability – You have the right to request that we transfer the data that we have collected to another organization, or directly to you, under certain conditions.
If you make a request, we have one month to respond to you. If you would like to exercise any of these rights, please contact us.
Children's Information
Another part of our priority is adding protection for children while using the internet. We encourage parents and guardians to observe, participate in, and/or monitor and guide their online activity.
https://ituniversum.com/ does not knowingly collect any Personal Identifiable Information from children under the age of 13. If you think that your child provided this kind of information on our website, we strongly encourage you to contact us immediately and we will do our best efforts to promptly remove such information from our records.
Get a free assessment
of your project.
Fill in the form below or give us a call at +1 (516) 942-2021
By clicking the button you agree to our Privacy Policy
We use cookies. To find out more, read our Privacy and cookie policy.
We use cookies. To find out more, read our Privacy and cookie policy
Leave your phone number and we will contact you!
Project management
When Agile is Not the Right Fit for Your Project
Project management
When Agile is Not the Right Fit for Your Project
7 min read
7 min read
The choice of methodology is one of the pivotal aspects of modern project management. However, discussing methodologies can resemble a doctor's consultation, with the audience (like the patient seeking expert advice) wondering if they'll be sent home or to the metaphorical "cemetery" of failed projects. My proposal is simple yet profound: let's empower participants in our discussions and those seeking expert opinions and actionable recommendations.
Download our worksheet, which can be helpful for top managers and project leaders. Reviewing these criteria allows you to identify pitfalls that may undermine Agile's effectiveness.
Why Agile Doesn't Work?
Let's acknowledge that contemporary management techniques such as Scrum, Kanban, and other Agile methodologies are seldom implemented as envisioned upon their inception.
I've overseen project development in various corporate settings for years, from large enterprises to startups. Even in nimble startups, where adopting management paradigms should be more accessible, I've never seen a team strictly follow these methodologies and recommendations.
Initially, there's enthusiasm, but it often dissipates into perfunctory rituals, leading to emotional exhaustion among team members, frustration among leaders, and confusion among clients witnessing their budgets evaporate.
Upon analyzing project performance, execution teams, project managers, and managerial personnel, I've come to the following:
I've overseen project development in various corporate settings for years, from large enterprises to startups. Even in nimble startups, where adopting management paradigms should be more accessible, I've never seen a team strictly follow these methodologies and recommendations.
Initially, there's enthusiasm, but it often dissipates into perfunctory rituals, leading to emotional exhaustion among team members, frustration among leaders, and confusion among clients witnessing their budgets evaporate.
Upon analyzing project performance, execution teams, project managers, and managerial personnel, I've come to the following:
Agile management possesses critical nuances that must be understood before it is adopted for a project, with consensus from all stakeholders.
Agile management possesses critical nuances that must be understood before it is adopted for a project, with consensus from all stakeholders.
A decision to adopt the methodology should only be made after thoroughly understanding these intricacies. Integration into the company's project management framework, including the initiation process, implementation steps, and risk evaluation, should follow this understanding.
I emphasize these nuances not because Agile methodologies fail to meet project requirements but due to their often loose interpretation. Typically, they are treated as mere recommendations or selectively applied formalities. This issue is usually worsened by the lack of qualifications among team members, especially in managerial roles.
I emphasize these nuances not because Agile methodologies fail to meet project requirements but due to their often loose interpretation. Typically, they are treated as mere recommendations or selectively applied formalities. This issue is usually worsened by the lack of qualifications among team members, especially in managerial roles.
Client Team Essentials
To ensure the effective use of these management methodologies in a project, the client team must meet several critical requirements:
- Exceptionally high qualifications, sometimes even overqualification, among managers, especially in larger teams.
- Full customer involvement throughout the entire project lifecycle (in this case, the product owner may act for the customer along with whoever controls the project budget).
- Financial autonomy or strict financial discipline on the client's side, accompanied by a clearly defined roadmap, marketing strategy, and measurable success benchmarks (such as user numbers, revenue, or other quantifiable metrics with clear justification).
- The willingness of top management to share financial risks or the existence of mechanisms to mitigate losses.
Key Criteria for Agile Project Teams
Critical project team requirements that must be met to succeed with Agile are:
- The expertise of team members (developers, QA engineers, project managers).
- Choosing the right technical approach to meet project goals.
For a comprehensive overview of this topic, please refer to our post on selecting the most suitable technology for a project:
Selecting Technology for Long-Term Project Success.
Selecting Technology for Long-Term Project Success.
- The business analyst's extensive experience and high qualifications, including:
- forecasting skills,
- using templates for problem-solving,
- making quick decisions on pivots and
- prioritizing secondary goals.
- A highly qualified system architect with:
- experience in designing systems under uncertainty,
- access to templates for standard solutions in case of technological challenges.
Failure to meet these conditions can lead to mere imitation of agile principles, team burnout, and doubts about project success.
Critical Business Elements
Implementing approaches like Scrum or Kanban might not yield favorable results if your company lacks the following:
1. A system for tracking staff time.
2. A technique for assessing the skill levels of personnel (not methodology).
3. Transparent personnel motivation mechanisms.
4. Technology for staff development and quantifiable qualification standards.
5. Either a matrix or project-based management structure.
1. A system for tracking staff time.
2. A technique for assessing the skill levels of personnel (not methodology).
3. Transparent personnel motivation mechanisms.
4. Technology for staff development and quantifiable qualification standards.
5. Either a matrix or project-based management structure.
6. Effective communication channels between sales and project management teams and simple mechanisms for distributing responsibility are crucial, especially in large companies.
7. A plan to mitigate financial losses if project profits decrease within a year.
8. A project office with a system for allocating resources, conducting weekly project planning, and overseen by an experienced manager proficient in controlling and forecasting project and financial issues, along with decision-making frameworks for significant deviations from strategic plans.
9. A clearly defined and discussed system for sharing responsibilities between top management and the project office.
10. An implementation plan, a suite of tools, and criteria with comprehensive training for all involved participants, not just management or line staff.
Before insisting on an agile project approach from a software development contractor, it's crucial to honestly assess how many of these elements are already in place within your company.
8. A project office with a system for allocating resources, conducting weekly project planning, and overseen by an experienced manager proficient in controlling and forecasting project and financial issues, along with decision-making frameworks for significant deviations from strategic plans.
9. A clearly defined and discussed system for sharing responsibilities between top management and the project office.
10. An implementation plan, a suite of tools, and criteria with comprehensive training for all involved participants, not just management or line staff.
Before insisting on an agile project approach from a software development contractor, it's crucial to honestly assess how many of these elements are already in place within your company.
Scenarios Where Agile Excels
Let's highlight specific scenarios or project types where agile management systems perform best:
- Developing a Minimum Viable Product (MVP).
- Finding innovative solutions to overcome technological or marketing challenges.
- Executing internal company projects.
- Operating within seasoned teams with at least 3-5 years of collective experience, where team members possess skills above industry standards and are guided by experienced management with direct access to key decision-makers in budget and strategic management.
- Operating in small startups where each team member carries multiple responsibilities.
- During the preparation phase for investment rounds, if a designated product owner taking charge is a marketer or product manager.
In any of these scenarios, adopting agile methodologies can significantly enhance project efficiency, provided the conditions I've outlined earlier are met by both the client and the implementation team.
However, it's crucial to accurately evaluate whether both parties can embrace agile methodologies rather than merely imitating them.
This requires specific business processes within the company and the introduction of necessary technologies and methods.
Conclusion
Hardly anyone researches the feasibility of applying or implementing agile methodologies in project management. There's a lack of engagement in preparatory operations and pre-project analysis of the team or the project landscape.
Often, clients demand Agile without fully grasping all its conditions; they're more drawn by the hype or simply because "everyone else is doing it." Clients aren't adequately warned that Agile typically operates on a flexible budget rather than a fixed bid. Sometimes, sales teams promise a fixed bid, leading to conflicts between client expectations and budget allocation agreements within the company.
These issues don't arise because the methodology is flawed but because most teams aren't adequately prepared to apply or implement agile management technologies due to insufficient professional expertise.
I suggest that experts in this field engage in discussions regarding criteria, their implications, and questions (such as a functional questionnaire for business analysts or those responsible for selecting management methodologies) that can aid in analyzing and assessing the feasibility of applying agile technologies to a specific project or integrating them into the company's project management practices.
This collaborative effort will serve as a valuable contribution to enhancing the effectiveness of utilizing agile methodologies, providing significant assistance to top managers and project office leaders across companies.
Often, clients demand Agile without fully grasping all its conditions; they're more drawn by the hype or simply because "everyone else is doing it." Clients aren't adequately warned that Agile typically operates on a flexible budget rather than a fixed bid. Sometimes, sales teams promise a fixed bid, leading to conflicts between client expectations and budget allocation agreements within the company.
These issues don't arise because the methodology is flawed but because most teams aren't adequately prepared to apply or implement agile management technologies due to insufficient professional expertise.
I suggest that experts in this field engage in discussions regarding criteria, their implications, and questions (such as a functional questionnaire for business analysts or those responsible for selecting management methodologies) that can aid in analyzing and assessing the feasibility of applying agile technologies to a specific project or integrating them into the company's project management practices.
This collaborative effort will serve as a valuable contribution to enhancing the effectiveness of utilizing agile methodologies, providing significant assistance to top managers and project office leaders across companies.
Don't hesitate to contact us to ensure optimal development and project implementation. With expertise in greenfield projects and ongoing troubleshooting, ITUNIVERSUM LLC is here to assist you promptly and effectively. Let's optimize your project's success together!
Explore More Insights from ITUniversum: