Practitioners of agile software development methodologies, including XP, are often "anti" project management. However, the real issue is not project management or no project management, but the style of project management.

Many developers right fully struggle with a style that has been characterized as "project administration" rather than true project management. Furthermore, there is a second issue characterized by the difference between command-control and leadership-collaboration styles of management. The "right" type of project management is as important, if not more so, to agile/XP projects as it is to traditional ones. A little project management can go a long way, particularly with larger projects.

This presentation will cover: a set of agile project management (APM) values and principles that are based on those of the Agile Software Manifesto, but adapted for project managers; an APM framework of Envision, Speculate, Explore, Adapt, and Close; some of the core practices that define APM; and the key role differences between agile and traditional project managers.

The presentation is based on material in Jim's new book, Agile Project Management: Creating Innovative Products. In her endorsement of the book Lynne Ellen, Sr. VP & CIO - DTE Energy, wrote: "This is the project management book we've all been waiting for - the book that effectively combines agile methods and rigorous project management. Not only does this book help us make sense of project management in this current world of iterative, incremental agile methods but the book is an all-around good read!"

Jim Highsmith directs Cutter Consortium's Agile Project Management Advisory Service, is a fellow of the Cutter Business Technology Council, and is a member of the Software Development Productivity Council for Flashline, Inc.. He has 25-plus years experience as an IT manager, product manager, project manager, consultant, and software developer. Jim has consulted with IT and product development organizations and software companies in the U.S., Europe, Canada, South Africa, Australia, Japan, India, and New Zealand to help them adapt to the accelerated pace of development in increasingly complex, uncertain environments.

Jim consults in the areas of Agile Project Management, Adaptive Software Development, and Team Collaboration.

He has held technical and management positions with software, computer hardware, banking and energy companies. He has a B.S. in Electrical Engineering and an M.S. in Management.

Jim is author of Agile Project Management: Creating Innovative Products (Addison Wesley 2004), Agile Software Development Ecosystems (Addison-Wesley, 2002), and Adaptive Software Development: A Collaborative Approach to Managing Complex Systems (Dorset House, 2000) which won the prestigious Jolt Award.

Jim is co-editor, with Alistair Cockburn, of the Agile Software Development Series of books from Addison Wesley. He is a coauthor of the Agile Manifesto, and a founding member of The AgileAlliance.

Jim is a frequent speaker at conferences worldwide, has published dozens of articles in major industry publications and was the editor of Cutter's eBusiness Application Delivery newsletter. His ideas about project management in the Information Age have been featured in ComputerWorld and the Economic Times in India.