Managing several building construction projects using predictive methods, senior leadership is pushing for more agile practices and the sponsor wants projects to adopt agile. Before mandating any agile methods, what should the project manager do first?

Before implementing significant changes like adopting agile practices, a project manager should first assess the organizational culture and readiness. This foundational step identifies potential challenges, existing strengths, and areas requiring support or training, ensuring a smoother and more successful transition. Without this assessment, mandating agile could lead to resistance, inefficiencies, and project failures due to a lack of understanding or an unsuitable environment. Providing agile training is a subsequent step, but only after understanding the specific needs and readiness. Shifting all projects immediately or pausing them without prior assessment is premature and disruptive, risking project delays and stakeholder dissatisfaction.