Project Management Institute Announces Acquisition of Disciplined Agile

Project Management Institute (PMI), the world’s leading not-for-profit membership association for the project management profession, today announced the acquisition of Disciplined Agile (DA). The DA toolkit is the world’s only comprehensive agile body of knowledge (BOK) that provides straightforward and practical guidance to help individuals, teams and enterprises choose their “way of working” in a context-specific way. Key principles of DA include customer centricity, being pragmatic rather than purist, providing a range of agile and lean options, applying context-based practices, and optimizing flow across the entire enterprise. Applying the DA toolkit allows organizations to customize any method or framework – such as traditional, Scrum, or SAFe – to drive outcomes that differentiate them from their competitors.

The combination of these two organizations offers a unique and unparalleled value proposition to stakeholders who are committed to improving their personal, team and enterprise agility.

By leveraging Disciplined Agile:

• PMI members will add strong, credible new capabilities and certifications that will differentiate them and open doors.
• Current agile practitioners will be able to leverage a more mindful, tailored approach to agility, driven by an agile and lean mindset and enabled by processes that fit their context – enabling stronger outcomes than would be possible with more prescriptive approaches.
• Enterprises around the world will enjoy a more tailored approach to enterprise agility based on their specific needs and context.
• PMI and DA partners will have access to an expanded set of product offerings for their stakeholders and customers.
• Both PMI and DA members will receive access to both organizations’ frameworks and online content, as well as the richness that comes with a broad-based, diverse community.

According to PMI President & CEO Sunil Prashara, “This acquisition is another important building block for PMI – addressing new ways of working in an increasingly agile world, and greatly expanding the capabilities of project managers and agile practitioners alike. PMI is now positioned to add even more value for members by providing a full continuum of products, services, training and certifications to project managers, agile leaders, and their teams wherever they are in their careers – sometimes even before they know they need it. Regardless of approach, whether it be traditional or agile, project or product, PMI is uniquely positioned to deliver value for individuals and the organizations they serve.”

Mark Lines, co-creator with Scott Ambler of Disciplined Agile, added, “Nearly all businesses today are attempting to become more agile. ‘One-size fits all’ solutions are sometimes a good starting point, but then they get stuck. The Disciplined Agile approach recognizes that every organization is different, and within each organization there are different ways of working. The Disciplined Agile approach meets you where you are and allows you to tailor solutions for the way that you and your organization need to work.”

The integration of the acquisition is beginning immediately, and PMI will provide additional details to members and other stakeholders in due course.