Stéphane ParentSelf Employed / Semi-retired| Leader MakerPrince Edward Island, Canada
As pointed out, agile methodology is better suited for certain industries. You can find equivalencies in other areas.
For example, the procurement process often includes a request for information (RFI) and request for quote (RFQ) before going to request for proposal (RFP). Each RFx elicits requirements further and provides value to the purchaser. Saving Changes...
With the constant change in requirements and expectations of the market place today, projects are becoming more ''agile'' than traditional especially for innovative and revolutionary projects. Saving Changes...
Sam BressiProject Manager| US GovernmentMontclair, Va, United States
Agility is simply the ability to respond to change. How that change is managed can differ greatly among the different agile methodologies as well as the PMBOK standard. In my opinion, PMBOK guides us through the "what", "why", and "when"; agile methodologies can guide teams through the "how". There''s no reason why they cannot be combined or used together.
In fact, there are some aspects of the PMBOK standard that very agile. Look at the Collect Requirements process; prototyping is an encouraged technique in which requirements can be progressively elaborated using short feedback cycles. That''s a very agile technique. Manage Communications can also be very agile depending on the choice of media. A 20-minute stand up with the team to discuss the recent accomplishments, roadblocks, and work plans is a great technique that we can use to update project documents.
I have found in practice that it is a poor decision to start out a project saying "we''re going to use Scrum" or "we''re going to use Kanban".In some instances, companies will dictate which agile framework to use (which, ironically, goes against the agile manifesto that says the project team is self managing) but overall, I think incorporation of agile techniques should be an organic decision that is made during the course of the project. Maybe the work scheduling is best handled using Kanban but actual production is more effective with an XP-style methodology. Use agile as a tool in your toolbox, not as a blueprint. Saving Changes...
Sam BressiProject Manager| US GovernmentMontclair, Va, United States
Also, I forgot to add a second point in my above post. Agile is also very useful in both IT and non-IT industries. Toyota, for example, created Kanban and Lean to better manufacture cars. Saving Changes...
