Agile is now firmly embedded within the delivery toolset available to projects,programmes and portfolios, with many organisations now seeing it as the defaultoption to deliver software solutions.

Furthermore, agile is now being used more widely, for example, in the deliveryof transformation, HR, finance and engineering related projects. The rise inpopularity of adopting agile methods alongside the more traditional approaches(e.g. waterfall) does not reduce the need for project assurance as the same broadrisks still exist.The standard approach to planning and undertaking traditional assurancereviews can be adapted and adopted to ensure assurance activity of agile projectsis both effective and valuable.

The APM Assurance Specific Interest Group (SIG) has produced this guide tooffer support and guidance to experienced assurance professionals who may beundertaking assurance of their first agile project. This guide has been compiled inorder to support those professionals in gaining an understanding of the ‘highlevel’ basics of agile, the differences in approach required to undertake effectiveassurance activity along with pointers to specific areas to look out for whenconducting assurance reviews.