George LewisProgram/Project Manager| DXC Technology CompanyHeredia, Costa Rica
Can Agile Project Management Co-Exists with traditional Project Management? Saving Changes...
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Tom BjörkholmConsultant| Knowit ConnectivityLinköping, Sweden
Yes, I think so.
The obvious example is a product development project including both new hardware and new software. The main project and the hardware development sub-project may be traditional, while the software development sub-project may be agile.
Having said that. The best ways to interface between agile and traditional projects are not always obvious. Different organisations have developed different ideas about the best way to do these interfaces. Saving Changes...
It will be interesting how the next few years play out. Will Agile and Waterfall become more polarized, or more blended? "Bimodal" organizations are becoming more common. Is it a fad, or the future? Saving Changes...
Thilo WackHead of Existing Product and Test Lab| optimedTholey-Hasborn, Germany
Like my peers already wrote, I also can imagine a co-existence both in an organization and even in the same project. And I also think that a mix can work; my experience actually being that some of the best traditional PMs always intuitively used agile practices in the day-to-day manging of their projects...What probably won't work is to alternately assign team members to projects using different frameworks and have them switch back and forth between traditional and agile... Saving Changes...
Renee RobinsonPMO Director| C2GOrlando, FL, United States
I can certainly see both having their benefits dependent on your project circumstances and a blend of both styles can benefit organizations. I also wonder if one will overtake the other in the future in terms of organizational preference. Saving Changes...
Projects are moving towards greater complexity so a shift must occur to a hybrid approach that is lean, agile and more flexible. Will certain projects still require waterfall approach? Yes. Will other projects require agility focused on more lean methods? Yes, Will the most complex require a new model/approach? Yes. It's already occurring so time to ramp up your skill sets. Saving Changes...
Denise CantyAgile Coach, Life Coach, Author, Senior Project-Program Manager| Cenden CompanyWashington, Dc, United States
Even though I'm a dedicated agilist and 100% support agile project management, I fully understand that there are still projects that fair better with traditional project management. I feel that both methods HAVE to co-exist because both have the same level of importance to project management. Saving Changes...
Absolutely, although in our case, it has not been an easy road. But we are very close to the "sweet spot" utilizing both methodologies. Saving Changes...
S RajasekarSenior Project Manager| AllscriptsBangalore, Karnataka, India
Yes very much because both will fit in different situation/conditions , One doesn’t fit everywhere Saving Changes...
Wade HarshmanScrum Master| GDITIndianapolis, In, United States
I'd prefer to state it as "predictive project management can coexist with adaptive product development."
I don't change the words just to be a jerk. I can make a very thorough predictive plan that looks nothing like a waterfall, because I'll take the time to compress the schedule and find efficiencies. I don't trust plans that look like a waterfall.
Also, as we've seen, the phrase "Agile project management" leads to misunderstandings. "Predictive" and "adaptive" are the actual terms used by the PMBOK to differentiate between the two approaches. I didn't like that word choice at first, but I've come to appreciate the distinction.
But yes, in an Agile organization, there is room for predictive projects. It's an efficient way to get things done when the scope is well-defined. You can also run a successful project that's adaptive or emergent within a more traditional organization, but it will be more successful within an Agile environment. Saving Changes...
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