Agile vs Waterfall - which is the best methodology to be used in today's project management world
Christopher MartinHead PMO | Master Scrum Master| CIMB Bank BerhadKuala Lumpur, Malaysia
In a Financial and Banking world especially with Fintech and Digital projects rapidly moving in a fast and large scale, there is a need to improvise on the time span of a project cycle hence most Project / Programme Managers have started to use the Agile methodology as it shortens documentation processes and also speed the development and testing cycle.
What are your thoughts and experiences in adopting Agile vs Waterfall?
-Chris Martin- Saving Changes...
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Dejan PesicProject Management| BC Public ServicePrince George, British Columbia, Canada
Traditional Waterfall treats analysis, design, coding, and testing as discrete phases in a software project. This worked OK when the cost of change was high. But if the cost of change is low it might not work as well.
When the project starts to run out of time and money, testing is the only phase left. This means good projects are forced to cut testing short and quality suffers.
While working software isn't produced until the end of the project, you never really know where you are on a Waterfall project. That last 20% of the project always seems to take 80% of the time.
most importantly, it's just not a great way for handling change.
Instead of treating these fixed stages Agile method believe these are continuous activities.
By doing them continuously:
Quality improves because testing starts from day one.
Visibility improves because you are 1/2 way through the project when you have built 1/2 the features.
Risk is reduced because you are getting feedback early, and
Customers are happy because they can make changes without paying exorbitant costs. Saving Changes...
I'm all for using a flavor of Agile where it makes sense, but I have to ask, how do you define traditional waterfall? Most of what people call waterfall, today, is predictive, but not necessarily a true waterfall. There are projects that are true waterfall, and some of them need to be. It is my opinion that experienced project managers should be well versed enough in different project approaches/life cycles/whatever that they can select the right one for the project. There is no one-size-fits-all. Saving Changes...
Drew CraigSr. Agile & Product Coach| VanguardPhiladelphia, Pa, United States
Use the best tool for the job at hand. Other considerations include the standards set forth by the organization, and the expectations of the business (customer). Saving Changes...
Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
1-Waterfall is not a methodology, is a life cycle process based on predictive life cycle model. Agile is an approach and you can apply it with Waterfall life cycle process. So, both are not matter of comparision. 2-What you have are methods based on life cycle process and models. 3-The first thing to do is to understand your current enterprise architecture to define the best approach/life cycle model/life cycle process/method to use. Saving Changes...
The Waterfall method is the traditional approach to software development where a project is broken up into distinct stages that must be completed in sequence. Project requirements are usually defined at the beginning, with little to no alterations to the plan unless absolutely necessary.
The waterfall methodology is used most often for large-scale software development projects where thorough planning and a predictable process are paramount.
Waterfall works great for building software for clients who have clearly defined requirements that aren’t likely to change throughout the life cycle of your project—think government contracts or legacy systems. When projects are simple and predictable, you can benefit from Waterfall’s inherent stability and linear development path.
Agile takes an iterative approach to software development. Instead of handling all the planning upfront, Agile project management focuses on adaptability to changing situations and constant, regular feedback – whether it’s from the client or from other members of the team.
Agile project management is usually ideal for smaller software projects and/or those with accelerated development schedules.
Agile was designed to reduce the cost of change and uncertainty—which is why it’s no surprise that many startups swear by the methodology. Agile excels when you don’t have a clear picture of the end goal and requirements are constantly changing. Saving Changes...
Sergio Luis ConteHelping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based OrganizationsBuenos Aires, Argentina
Sorry, I do not want to deviate the conversation, but you can use Agile approach with any life cycle model (iterative or predictive), with any life cycle process (waterfall or any other). You can apply Agile in waterfall life cycle process (beyond myself experience there are a lot of examples outside there that you can find into the internet). Where is most difficult to use Agile approach is when you select a method because methods are based on life cycle process based on life cycle models. I was the leader for an initiative that won one of the awards of the PMI. It was in banking. We need to transform the whole bank to Agile architecture to gain in agility. We use more than one method to do things: DSDM, SDLC, etc but allways with focus in Agile. And we use it beyond IT and software obviously, which is the place where Agile was born. Saving Changes...
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