Creative Commons

This dissertation was written as part of the MSc in Strategic Product Design at the International Hellenic University. Purpose Organizations today need to focus on the implementation of new technologies in their main activities. It is a transition they should make to meet the expectations of the market. Many SMEs face problems with that procedure. Agile project management (APM) may help them think differently to start managing unknown activities like that. The current dissertation aims to deliver a manual to help organizations adopting agile project management at an entry-level. Design/methodology/approach Ten unstructured interviews have been taken from experienced business interviewees to create that manual. These interviews aim to evaluate the average non-IT organization’s current state regarding technological issues and how technology affects its growth. The interviewees were informed about agile’s philosophy and the created manual. They assessed it and shared their point of view. Findings The paper reveals that the presented manual is a tool that each organization may use to start adopting APM at an entry-level. Limitations The current survey has been conducted in the Greek market with Greek variables in mind. It should be contacted in other cultures and economies as well, to generalize it. The fact that this methodology has not been applied in a real project is a space for further research, while during the application, many issues will appear. Practical implications The presented methodology brings agile project management closer to the non-IT organizations that want to innovate and start implementing new technologies. Originality/value The paper shows organizations how to start adopting APM step-by-step without any previous experience.