Project Management

Please login or join to subscribe to this thread

How to manage Agile projects with waterfall customers?

linkedin twitter facebook   Agile   Schedule Management   Scheduling   Scope Management  
avatar
Paul Reed-Peck PMO Manager| SICPA SA Villars-Ste-Croix, Vaud, Switzerland
So, we are faced with the challenge today of re-designing our internal project management methodology to support the use of Agile-SCRUM by our development teams, despite working with customers who are still very much in the Waterfall frame of mind.
Has anyone else managed to successfully implement such a blended solution, and if so what tips would you give me?
Sort By:
< 1 2 3 >
avatar
Paul Reed-Peck PMO Manager| SICPA SA Villars-Ste-Croix, Vaud, Switzerland
Nov 01, 2018 3:51 PM
Replying to Bob Thomas
...
I'm working on a "hybrid" project now. The organization is transitioning to Agile, but Waterfall was chosen for my project before it was launched. The Dev team is Agile. I simply manage the project using Waterfall and the Dev lead reports progress as if it were Waterfall. We completed requirements and got sign off before work started because the organization wanted it done that way. After sign off, it was all Agile. I track progress is MS Project, and do financials as if it were Waterfall. It's working well and we're delivering.

I've argued that you can take large Waterfall projects and decompose them into multiple Agile projects.
Hi Bob,
We're doing something similar as we incorporate the Agile deliverables into our waterfall project delivery. It isn't perfect and we certainly haven't become "fully Agile" yet, but with a bit of luck (and a lot of hard work) we will get there!
...
1 reply by Bob Thomas
Nov 12, 2018 12:07 PM
Bob Thomas
...
Good for you, Paul! You might consider adding things that help expedite the change, such as a Kanban board where the team and the business can see it. When the business "sees" progress visually they may become comfortable with the change to Agile.
avatar
Marcus Hand Principal| Handmarc LLC Princeton Junction, Nj, United States
Agility is a mindset - who doesn't want to be agile? But organizations can have a deep districts of new-fangled approaches (as they see them) that blur formal hard requirement documents, fixed scope, and "certain" timelines. As with any cultural change, you will need to establish credibility through early successes and overcome resistance and suspicion.

My advice, assuming that you have made an honest effort to persuade the customers of the benefits of Agile-SCRUM to them and to the product, is to start with the SEPL (Small Enhancement Punch List) and use it as the foundation for the product backlog for a small team. You will need the product owner to be open to this approach and to become a willing and cooperative participant. Pick the smallest items and develop stories for each one. The goal would be to find a subset of significant and visible items that can be accomplished in one or two sprints each, and to introduce the agile approach to the customers in a low risk high / success way. The customers would be engaged in all the usual ceremonies and the agile development team would work on developing and delivering the sprint objectives in the usual way.

Hopefully, the benefits of the agile approach would become clear to them after a few sprints and you will be able to grow the footprint by adding larger multi-sprint stories into the backlog and more agile development teams and products to the scope.
avatar
Denise Morrow Business Transformation Manager| None Brisbane, Australia
Oct 16, 2018 12:48 PM
Replying to Kiron Bondale
...
Paul -

This is a hybrid approach - it can work if there are clear working agreements in place between your team and the client's team on the level of support needed to successfully apply an adaptive lifecycle.

Water-Scrum-Fall is a common (anti)pattern in such cases. The client provides their detailed requirements up front and doesn't wish to be closely engaged in the delivery process, but the delivery team produces their deliverables following an agile delivery approach...

Kiron
I managed my project this way. Exec Team signed off on "hybrid" project charter but were not wanting to be involved in how we did it as long as we were on track. The team used an Agile DSDM approach and we were able to show how effective this way of working is. The Exec Team were astonished at how much we achieved. Furthermore the team remained focused on the solution and were not stressed out with all the changes in the business and project that happened during this period.
avatar
Bob Thomas Retired Brentwood, Tn, United States
Nov 02, 2018 9:25 AM
Replying to Paul Reed-Peck
...
Hi Bob,
We're doing something similar as we incorporate the Agile deliverables into our waterfall project delivery. It isn't perfect and we certainly haven't become "fully Agile" yet, but with a bit of luck (and a lot of hard work) we will get there!
Good for you, Paul! You might consider adding things that help expedite the change, such as a Kanban board where the team and the business can see it. When the business "sees" progress visually they may become comfortable with the change to Agile.
< 1 2 3 >

Please login or join to reply

Content ID:
ADVERTISEMENTS

"In opera, there is always too much singing."

- Claude Debussy

ADVERTISEMENT

Sponsors







Vendor Events

See all Vendor Events

Newsletters

Jun 3: The Career Problem Facing New PMs
May 20: Your PM Career as a Project Life Cycle
May 13: The Big Lie After Layoffs

See all newsletters