In what situations should a hybrid approach be used?
Is this type of approach more complicated for an organization than using just one within a project? Saving Changes...
Senior Projects Manager | Field & Marten AssociatesNew Westminster, British Columbia, Canada
Jorge
Each situation is different and so is every project and every organization so it all depends on the environment and culture the org operates in. Many organizations these days operate in a hybrid approach. Business Agility is important especially with our rapidly evolving world.
Hybrid just means a combination of approaches for a given project. It could be how different phases of the life cycle are addressed or the use of different tools & techniques.
The challenge with organizational adoption of hybrid approaches is ensuring that consistent principles for project management are being followed irrespective of the approach, life cycle or practices used.
This is fairly generic, but it describes most of the projects I've bene working on for the past several years:
- You're running scrum at the team level in IT and you have cross-functional projects with deliverables from multiple organizations that aren't tied to IT deliverables.
Some examples of the drivers for a hybrid approach might be:
- IT can deliver the work in iterations, but it can't be released for public use until most of the functionality is usable
- You need to train the call center (or other organization) on the finished product - they don't have time for multiple smaller training sessions, spread over time, on functionality they won't be using for months
- You were able to develop content in an iterative manner, but cannot submit it to a governing body for approval until it was 100% complete. The review process will consist of several reviews requiring modifications, with no set timeframe, and there is additional work that has to be performed once you have final approval for the content.
This is not comprehensive, and others can probably describe ways to make these approaches more agile. Just be aware that until you are running an agile approach across most/all organizations at your company, you'll have cross-functional projects that are some level of hybrid. Saving Changes...
Peter RapinSubject Matter Expect; Project Delivery| Independent ConsultantOntario, Canada
The concept of hybrid approach to project delivery confuses me. The processes and procedures employed to deliver a project should be those that best enhance the delivery. Where those process come from or how they are named, or which organisation lays claims those possess is immaterial. Is it Agile? is it Waterfall? is it Lean? Is it Risk Driven? With all due respect to the various organisations that promote these processes does it really mater? Use what works for you. Saving Changes...
Thomas WalentaGlobal Project Economy ExpertHackenheim, Germany
Jorge, I like what Peter said.
In addition I would comment that we only can combine what we know to define the approach used in a particular project.
If you are an expert with hammers, everything looks like a nail. And you might succeed.
Even if there are better tools to do the job, if you do not know how to use them they are not relevant for you, but maybe for somebody else. Yes, it is personal.
So, a hybrid approach is always what you can combine from different model approaches (and there are more than 2 in most cases).
My advice: use what you know and extend your range, also by practicing (e.g. as volunteer in a Chapter).
Thomas
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1 reply by Peter Rapin
Nov 29, 2021 3:16 PM
Peter Rapin
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I like the "hammer" example. My neighbour is a carpenter and he has dozens of hammers (whereas I have one) each with a particular function. He uses hammers for everything; measuring, crowbar, screw driver, scratching his back, and even for pulling weeds and planting tulips.
The point I'm trying to make is that once we become skilled in one thing we tend to apply that skill to ALL tasks rather than looking for better tools.
Use what you know but not to the extent that it hampers your ability to provide the required service. As you wrote - "extend your range".
Saving Changes...
Peter RapinSubject Matter Expect; Project Delivery| Independent ConsultantOntario, Canada
Nov 29, 2021 1:32 PM
Replying to Thomas Walenta
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Jorge, I like what Peter said.
In addition I would comment that we only can combine what we know to define the approach used in a particular project.
If you are an expert with hammers, everything looks like a nail. And you might succeed.
Even if there are better tools to do the job, if you do not know how to use them they are not relevant for you, but maybe for somebody else. Yes, it is personal.
So, a hybrid approach is always what you can combine from different model approaches (and there are more than 2 in most cases).
My advice: use what you know and extend your range, also by practicing (e.g. as volunteer in a Chapter).
Thomas
I like the "hammer" example. My neighbour is a carpenter and he has dozens of hammers (whereas I have one) each with a particular function. He uses hammers for everything; measuring, crowbar, screw driver, scratching his back, and even for pulling weeds and planting tulips.
The point I'm trying to make is that once we become skilled in one thing we tend to apply that skill to ALL tasks rather than looking for better tools.
Use what you know but not to the extent that it hampers your ability to provide the required service. As you wrote - "extend your range". Saving Changes...
I would say most projects are hybrid in many ways. With some projects, change may be very expensive at least to certain deliverables, so change is made difficult by design. With others there is enough uncertainty that too much planning for areas subject to change is just wasted effort, and ease of change is more effective.
Often there is a mix. Some design elements must be firm early to avoid very costly rework, while others will evolve towards an eventual solution. The PM needs to understand what decisions are flexible, and which can't afford to change.
When I see PMs driving a purist approach, often it seems more self-promotion than project focused. These remind me of people who just took a 3 day seminar on Agile and come back insisting there must be a complete organizational overhaul, no more assigned desks, and they will personally lead us in this brave new world as the newly minted guru. It tends to prove the old adage, "A little knowledge is a dangerous thing." otherwise known as the Kruger Dunning effect. Saving Changes...
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