Hi PM Community -
If your organization uses both Agile and Waterfall frameworks, now as project manager you are provided a few projects and do not know which framework to follow. Are there specific criteria to determine which would tell us whether to use Agile or Waterfall for the projects? How do you determine the framework? Saving Changes...
Eric SimmsSenior Program ManagerBaltimore, Maryland, United States
Many people will have an opinion on this. Here's mine:
If a project can be planned and executed in separate sections I’ll run it as an Agile project. Generally speaking, it’s possible to change direction from one sprint to another within an Agile project, based on lessons learned. A non-software example of an Agile project would be relocating an organization to a new building. You could make moving each department a separate sprint, and during each sprint you’d learn valuable lessons you could apply to future departments’ moves.
I’ll run a project as a Waterfall project if it must be fully planned before starting and executed all at once. An example would be constructing a building. I’d need to plan all aspects of the building before I begin construction, and I couldn’t easily or significantly change my plans partway through the construction.
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1 reply by Srikana Ray
May 23, 2018 4:11 AM
Srikana Ray
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Thank you Eric. For a software Agile project can planning and execution be separate sprints?
Many people will have an opinion on this. Here's mine:
If a project can be planned and executed in separate sections I’ll run it as an Agile project. Generally speaking, it’s possible to change direction from one sprint to another within an Agile project, based on lessons learned. A non-software example of an Agile project would be relocating an organization to a new building. You could make moving each department a separate sprint, and during each sprint you’d learn valuable lessons you could apply to future departments’ moves.
I’ll run a project as a Waterfall project if it must be fully planned before starting and executed all at once. An example would be constructing a building. I’d need to plan all aspects of the building before I begin construction, and I couldn’t easily or significantly change my plans partway through the construction.
Thank you Eric. For a software Agile project can planning and execution be separate sprints?
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3 replies by Anton Oosthuizen, Drew Craig, and Sante Delle-Vergini, PhD
May 23, 2018 6:23 AM
Drew Craig
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Not Eric, but doing that is waterfalling scrum. So no.
May 23, 2018 8:04 AM
Sante Delle-Vergini, PhD
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Definitely not.
May 24, 2018 2:08 AM
Anton Oosthuizen
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As others have stated, no. You need to see each iteration as a mini cycle that excludes initiation and close out.
I look to it in according to the scope .. if the scope is well defined and clear I would use Waterfall. Saving Changes...
Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
First of all, Agile and waterfall are not matter of comparison. Agile is a practice. Waterfall is a life cycle process based on predictive life cycle model. You can apply Agile practices using waterfall life cycle process. We do that in my actual work place. Second, let me give you the example of my actual work place: the same person is assigned as project manager (or similar role depending on the method you use) to more than one intiative at the same time where those initiatives are running into different life cycle process and methods. For example, waterfall based and Scrum based. Saving Changes...
Drew CraigSr. Agile & Product Coach| VanguardPhiladelphia, Pa, United States
May 23, 2018 4:11 AM
Replying to Srikana Ray
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Thank you Eric. For a software Agile project can planning and execution be separate sprints?
Not Eric, but doing that is waterfalling scrum. So no. Saving Changes...
Drew CraigSr. Agile & Product Coach| VanguardPhiladelphia, Pa, United States
Using an Agile approach reduces the emphasis on completing ALL planning up front, and emphasizes getting to work on delivering incremental value, with inspect & adapt sessions from the engaged stakeholders for driving the MVP in each incremental delivery. Any feedback, or issues, are placed into the backlog and prioritized as needed to ensure they are addressed.
On the other hand, there are suitable projects for plan-driven efforts, where little change is expected and potentially has been successfully done before providing a 'template' - like a lift and shift for a new platform.
Trust your gut, move forward, learn from the experience, adapt as needed. In the end, it is about getting the customer the value they require.
Using an Agile approach reduces the emphasis on completing ALL planning up front, and emphasizes getting to work on delivering incremental value, with inspect & adapt sessions from the engaged stakeholders for driving the MVP in each incremental delivery. Any feedback, or issues, are placed into the backlog and prioritized as needed to ensure they are addressed.
On the other hand, there are suitable projects for plan-driven efforts, where little change is expected and potentially has been successfully done before providing a 'template' - like a lift and shift for a new platform.
Trust your gut, move forward, learn from the experience, adapt as needed. In the end, it is about getting the customer the value they require.
Thank you Andrew for the detailed explanation. Saving Changes...
This decision for me depends on the scope (agree with Kevin: well defined it invites waterfall) and also on maturity level of available project team (are they able to act agile?) and also it depends on related expectations of the principal (is agile accepted and consequences known?).
There are many other things to be aware of, that´s why I prefer to ask the team to decide on some given preconditions and guidance (in case of the role of a mediator is appropriate).
But let me return a question: What are the elements of both methods we all are choosing to accomplish a decision? Maybe a hybrid PM method is advantageuos for current project requirements - and if so, what elements are able to combine?
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1 reply by Kevin Drake
May 23, 2018 8:58 PM
Kevin Drake
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I worked in Germany and trained by Germans (TUeV NORD), and we share the same about the hybrid approach.
Most companies going through an agile transformation will create some sort of profiling checklist to assess how suitable a project is to follow one lifecycle vs. another - a number of different criteria can be consulted to decide including:
- level of uncertainty regarding the requirements & solution approach
- level of technical and operational risk
- ability for the customer (or a very close proxy) to work closely with the team on a daily basis
- number of external dependencies or delivery partners
- ability to deliver the desired outcome in pieces vs. as a whole
- ability to dedicate core team members close to or at 100%
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