Cynthia Ramos just wanted to grab her pasta salad from the communal refrigerator and eat at her desk, but instead she got sucked into another exchange with Jim Miller. Since she’d joined MainFrame as a software developer, six months earlier, every conversation with Jim had been about what a hindrance the company’s project-management system was. On her very first day—in a roomful of new colleagues—he’d asked whether her former employer had used Scrum.1 When she’d said no, he’d chuckled and said, “You might regret leaving to come here!”
Case Study: Should I Pitch a New Project-Management System?
A newly hired software developer considers recommending changes at an established tech company.
Anuj Shrestha
Summary.
Cynthia is a newly hired software developer at MainFrame, which uses Scrum to manage projects. But she agrees with her coworkers that the company’s methodical and deliberate pace is inferior to the quicker, more loosely structured approach of her previous employer, which used Flow. So when a colleague approaches her and asks her to use her impressive background and credentials to advocate for Flow, Cynthia agrees. But after her pilot project produces mixed results, she wonders whether she should proceed with a presentation to the process-improvement board.
Two experts weigh in: Sonali Raut, a senior data scientist at Munich RE Automation Solutions, and Alex Estevam, a technical program manager at Mastercard.
A version of this article appeared in the January–February 2024 issue of Harvard Business Review.
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New!
HBR Learning
Project Management Course
Accelerate your career with Harvard ManageMentor®. HBR Learning’s online leadership training helps you hone your skills with courses like Project Management. Earn badges to share on LinkedIn and your resume. Access more than 40 courses trusted by Fortune 500 companies.
How to get it done right, on time, and on budget.