AgilePM emphasizes collaboration and early, iterative exploration of solutions. The correct approach is to engage key roles (like Solution Architect and Business Visionary) to find an alternative that remains feasible and delivers value, aligning with the principle of ‘focus on the business need’ and iterative development.

AgilePM embraces change but manages it through collaboration and empowered decision-making. The Project Board (including the Business Visionary and Senior User) is responsible for setting priorities and agreeing on changes. The first action is to assess the impact with them and re-prioritize, ensuring the project remains viable and focused on the highest value.

‘Management by exception’ means that a higher authority (like the Project Board) delegates authority to a lower level (like the Project Manager) within agreed-upon tolerances. They only need to intervene if the project is forecast to exceed those tolerances. This empowers the delivery level while maintaining overall control.

AgilePM requires transparency and early warning. A forecast breach of tolerance is a formal exception that must be escalated to the Project Manager. This allows for a managed response, such as de-scoping less critical items with the Business Ambassador’s input, rather than making unilateral or hidden decisions.

The Solution Architect is the role responsible for the technical integrity of the solution. They define the technical architecture and ensure the developed solution is coherent, maintainable, and fits together properly, thus ensuring it is ‘fit for purpose’ technically.

The principle of ‘Collaborate and involve stakeholders’ is critically important. The Business Ambassador role exists to be the on-project, empowered business representative. Their lack of availability breaks the collaborative, iterative feedback loop between business and developers, which is a cornerstone of agile delivery.

The Development Approach in the Foundations phase outlines *how* the solution will be developed. It sets the strategic context by defining the project lifecycle (e.g., timeboxing, iterations) and the agreed-upon standards, tools, and techniques (e.g., specific agile methods, testing protocols), providing guidance for the project team.

The Exploration activity is the core ‘doing’ phase of a timebox. The team performs analysis, design, development, and testing to build the products (often user stories) that were agreed upon for that specific timebox during the Planning activity.

The End Stage Assessment is a formal checkpoint with the Project Board. Its purpose is to review the performance of the *completed* stage or timebox. The End Stage Report is the formal document that summarizes what was delivered, the actual results against plan, any issues, and the updated plan for the next stage, making it the focal point for the board’s decision to continue.

AgilePM emphasizes collaboration and early, iterative exploration of solutions. The correct approach is to engage key roles (like Solution Architect and Business Visionary) to find an alternative that remains feasible and delivers value, aligning with the principle of ‘focus on the business need’ and iterative development.0