Project Management

Please login or join to subscribe to this thread

Agile is Pragmatic Approach to Project Management, is waterfall dead completely ?

linkedin twitter facebook   Agile  
avatar
Satish Sharma Certified SAP S4Hana 1909 Financials Expert| Freelance New Delhi, India
Is waterfall project management approach is still relevant?
Sort By:
< 1 2 >
avatar
Vincent Guerard Coach - Trainer - Speaker - Advisor| Freelance Mont-Royal, Quebec, Canada
Both approach have there pro and cons. I have yet to see Agile to be implemented successfully in other industry then IT. Most if not all, methodologies are made for IT.
avatar
Morne Beeslaar Managing Director| Faolan Consulting Pretoria, South Africa
I doubt that the construction/mining industry would ever adopt Agile for anything other than perhaps FEED part of the project. Waterfall will remain defacto for a long time.
avatar
Sante Delle-Vergini, PhD Senior Project Manager| Infosys Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Waterfall is here to stay.
avatar
Deepa Kalangi Manager, Program Management, Author, Trainer| CVS Health Charlotte, NC, United States
Yes, waterfall is going to stay. BEST example projects are the HCR- healthcare reform projects that are mandated by the Government which don't compete with the market where you need Agile.
avatar
Wade Harshman Scrum Master| GDIT Indianapolis, In, United States
Agile is not a project management approach. We make this mistake a lot, so let me repeat: Agile is not a project management methodology. It's a cultural model, and project management must adapt if your organization is Agile. What we call "Agile" predates software development and has close relations with Lean, so it can be used successfully in other industries. The Agile Manifesto, which specifically addresses software development, is a set of values and principles, but it does not define a method for developing software or managing projects.

When you understand that, the waterfall question does not follow. A predictive lifecycle ("Waterfall") can still be used in an Agile environment, and in many cases it should be used. What you cannot do is micromanage your team in an Agile environment, nor can you drive your plan to completion while ignoring changes that should be considered. (This should be true whether your organization is Agile or not.)

The choice between plan-driven approaches or change-driven approaches is a false dichotomy, because each is relevant in the proper context.
...
1 reply by Stéphane Parent
Jul 31, 2017 2:15 PM
Stéphane Parent
...
Well stated, Wade. You will make Sergio proud.
avatar
Liana Underwood National Capital Region, Va, United States
Great question and thanks for schooling us Wade!
avatar
Stéphane Parent Self Employed / Semi-retired| Leader Maker Prince Edward Island, Canada
Jul 31, 2017 8:11 AM
Replying to Wade Harshman
...
Agile is not a project management approach. We make this mistake a lot, so let me repeat: Agile is not a project management methodology. It's a cultural model, and project management must adapt if your organization is Agile. What we call "Agile" predates software development and has close relations with Lean, so it can be used successfully in other industries. The Agile Manifesto, which specifically addresses software development, is a set of values and principles, but it does not define a method for developing software or managing projects.

When you understand that, the waterfall question does not follow. A predictive lifecycle ("Waterfall") can still be used in an Agile environment, and in many cases it should be used. What you cannot do is micromanage your team in an Agile environment, nor can you drive your plan to completion while ignoring changes that should be considered. (This should be true whether your organization is Agile or not.)

The choice between plan-driven approaches or change-driven approaches is a false dichotomy, because each is relevant in the proper context.
Well stated, Wade. You will make Sergio proud.
...
2 replies by Sergio Luis Conte and Wade Harshman
Jul 31, 2017 5:56 PM
Sergio Luis Conte
...
HAHAHAHAHAHA!. Thank you Stéphane!
Jul 31, 2017 10:07 PM
Wade Harshman
...
Ha ha, someday, maybe. I wouldn't dare to compete with Dr. Conte.
avatar
Sergio Luis Conte Helping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based Organizations Buenos Aires, Argentina
The point is: both are not matter of comparison. Agile is a practice. Waterfall is a life cycle process based on predictive life cycle model. You can apply Agile using waterfall life cycle process.
avatar
Sergio Luis Conte Helping to create solutions for everyone| Worldwide based Organizations Buenos Aires, Argentina
Jul 31, 2017 2:15 PM
Replying to Stéphane Parent
...
Well stated, Wade. You will make Sergio proud.
HAHAHAHAHAHA!. Thank you Stéphane!
avatar
Drew Craig Sr. Agile & Product Coach| Vanguard Philadelphia, Pa, United States
I agree with the sentiments above. And thank you Sergio and Wade.
< 1 2 >

Please login or join to reply

Content ID:
ADVERTISEMENTS

"Humor is but another weapon against the universe."

- Mel Brooks

ADVERTISEMENT

Sponsors