From Practice to Theory: My Agile Project Management Journey

When I first encountered agile project management, it wasn’t through a textbook or a course—it was through daily practice. Working in an agile environment at Die Presse shaped my understanding of iterative processes, cross-functional teamwork, and the importance of adaptability long before I ever put a name to these methodologies.

Image Credit: Google DeepMind via Unsplash

But as with anything in professional life, experience alone is only part of the puzzle. To deepen my understanding, I enrolled in the Agile Project Management course at Wirtschaftsakademie Wien (Nov 2024 – Feb 2025), where I explored the theoretical foundations behind the frameworks I had already seen in action—Scrum, Kanban, Design Thinking.

What struck me most during the course was how these principles, which had felt so intuitive in practice, were rooted in structured methodologies that could be scaled, improved, and adapted to different contexts. Concepts like sprint planning, backlog refinement, and continuous feedback cycles weren’t just about efficiency—they were about fostering collaboration, transparency, and innovation.

The course provided valuable insights into why agile works, not just how to do it. And now, equipped with both practical experience and theoretical knowledge, I feel more confident in applying agile principles strategically—whether in media management, digital transformation projects, or interdisciplinary teams.