Research projects can be quite challenging due to the lack of well understood requirements since the beginning, should we use an agile, waterfall or hybrid methodology in order to achieve successful results? Saving Changes...
It depends on several factors; however, my first choice would be Agile, followed by Hybrid.
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Thomas WalentaGlobal Project Economy ExpertHackenheim, Germany
Research projects like dissertations should be rather seen as programs.
Their focus is not on schedule, budget, and predefined scope but instead often on emerging benefits (findings), general strategies, stakeholder engagement, and governing what you do. Saving Changes...
Isaac Cecil Tele MaboeHead: lCT Soution Delivery| Transnet Engineering (a subsidiary Transnet SOC Ltd), South AfricaPretoria, Gt, South Africa
The choice of a project management methodology depends largely on the project's specific characteristics, including its complexity, requirements, and environment. For instance, (1) waterfall or predictive methodology is meant for a scenario with well-defined requirements, with strict regulatory or governance requirements and minimal client interference, while (2) agile is ideal for a situation where requirements are unclear and evolving (uncertainty is plenty), rapidly changing environments and regular client engagement and feedback, and (3) hybrid on the other hand combines elements of both agile and waterfall to match the situational project demands. It is common with very large projects. This approach allows for upfront planning for certain project phases, while incorporating Agile's flexibility and adaptability for other phases.
As mentioned earlier, the choice of a project management methodology depends on the specific characteristics of the project, its complexity, requirements and environment. Saving Changes...
Disciplined Agile discusses Ways of Working and Team Flow when choosing how to approach projects. How does the research work flow? Is there a common set of steps required before research can begin, or is it different for each project? Do you have a set amount of time for research, at which point you build a plan based on what you know, or is it all research all day long? Once the research is concluded, what's next?
Agile has been presented as being a great fit for exploring what you don't know. A couple important questions are whether you can timebox the work into sprints and will the researchers benefit from the ceremonies used in Scrum, not that it's the only agile approach, just consider that you don't want the approach to get in the way of the work. If the research involves running, and re-running, experiments that don't last more than a month, sprints might make sense. Some research projects might benefit greatly from daily standups, weekly reviews, and retrospectives. Others might benefit from a more Lean/Kanban or hybrid approach. Saving Changes...
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