HERMES
HERMES and Scrum: how they work together
It is often said that HERMES is too rigid for agile teams. The Federal Chancellery calls this a prejudice. Since the 2022 edition, traditional, agile and scaled agile projects can be carried out with HERMES. This is made possible by a clear separation: project management is a matter for HERMES, developing the solution is a matter for the team.
The separation of project and development
HERMES describes itself as a shell into which an agile development method is inserted like a black box. What happens inside this black box is not regulated by HERMES. The team works according to its own method, for example Scrum or Kanban. Scaled agile approaches are also provided for, according to the reference manual SAFe up to the “Essential” level.
HERMES only defines the interfaces: which outcomes go to project management and steering, how reporting is done and where decisions are taken. The terms used inside agile development are free. A team can therefore continue to speak of sprints, backlogs and reviews.
What an agile HERMES project looks like
According to HERMES, an agile project has three phases:
- Initiation. It always runs in the traditional way. Here solution options are compared, and it is decided whether the solution is developed traditionally or in an agile way. According to HERMES, this choice must be justified on the merits and should not simply follow a trend.
- Execution. The solution is created in iterations and put into operation in releases. The project sponsor can stipulate that each release must be approved individually.
- Closure. It also runs in the traditional way. The project is formally ended and handed over to the organisation that continues to operate the solution.
From the outside, an agile project therefore looks the same as a traditional one. Reports and decisions for the management board or the municipal council follow the same structure.
Who does what
The biggest difference from the traditional approach lies in leadership. In the traditional project, the project management issues work orders. In the agile project, the user representation steers the work through the business requirements, and the team organises itself.
| Role | Task in the agile HERMES project |
|---|---|
| Project sponsor | steers the project, releases phases and, if required, releases |
| Project manager | manages the project, but must not interfere in the self-organisation of the team |
| User representative | is responsible for the requirements, is the contact person for team and project management. The reference manual equates this role with the product owner. |
| Development team | organises its own work, according to the chosen method |
How HERMES documents and Scrum artefacts fit together
HERMES also builds a bridge when it comes to outcomes:
- The solution requirements are worked out at the beginning of execution as the first product backlog.
- The detailed specifications largely correspond to the sprint backlog. They may also simply refer to the documentation in the development tool.
- Changes to requirements are handled by the team itself. A formal change request is only necessary if objectives, budget or time frame of the overall project are affected.
- The project management plan contains a release plan showing when which part of the solution goes into operation.
What you should pay attention to
- Take the user representation seriously. The person needs specialist knowledge, time and decision-making authority. The Swiss Federal Audit Office explicitly points this out in the reference manual.
- Choose release approvals deliberately. Define during initiation whether every release must be approved. That gives control but costs time.
- Keep reports lean. Agree which information goes to the steering level after each release. In my assessment, additional reports rarely bring more clarity.
- Allow mistakes. The Audit Office writes that a zero-error culture is fatal for agile work.
Further aids
The Federal Chancellery additionally offers an agile guide. According to the eCH specialist group HERMES, it will be revised in 2026 and expanded with practical experience of simple and scaled agility.
Further reading: HERMES project management for SMEs and municipalities · The role of the project sponsor in HERMES
Sources: HERMES Reference Manual Project Management, 2022 edition (in German) · eCH interview with Martin Schwaar (in German)