Agile and Waterfall Product Management Methodologies

 

Agile - VS - Waterfall

Agile:

This project management includes a set of principles and values that came to life in 2001, created by 17 technology leaders. Underneath the umbrella of Agile are a range of frameworks and product delivery methods, such as Scrum, Lean, Six Sigma, and Kanban. Agile frameworks and methods do not generally manage the project lifecycle, rather provide a flexible and iterative solution, which allow you to adapt as the situation demands.

Waterfall:

This project management is much more linear, focusing on up front planning with requirements fully defined before a project commences. Like its name suggests, work cascades, much like a waterfall, through different project phases. Each phase needs to be completed before the next one can begin.

Agile pros and cons

Agile pros:

• Agile’s flexibility avoids rigidity. Stakeholders and team members have opportunities to observe and test throughout the project which allows for adjustments and changes to be made as things move forward. This greater ‘user focus’ means that on delivery it’s likely the outcome will be more in line with expectations – even if they have evolved along the way.
• Agile encourages teamwork, collaboration, self-organisation and accountability. This helps with overall motivation and commitment to a project’s outcomes and goals.

Agile cons:

• Because of its flexibility, an Agile project can run the risk of causing problems in other areas of the organization as priorities shift if the changes are not managed and communicated effectively.
• For teams new to working in an Agile way, there is a risk that people can feel unsure of what they should focus on when the scope is developing.

Waterfall pros and cons

Waterfall pros:

• Waterfall is particularly efficient for well-defined projects. Project stakeholders agree upfront on what will be delivered, which makes planning and design much easier. Progress is more easily tracked as the full scope of the project is known from the beginning.
• Unlike Agile, this more linear approach often means that team members only need to be available for their specific project phases and can thus continue to focus in other areas. Equally a project’s customers may only need to be involved heavily in the early initial scoping phase and then at delivery.

Waterfall cons:

• On the downside, Waterfall requires comprehensive requirements up front which can sometimes be challenging for more complex or longer-term projects.
• Its sequential nature and reliance on pre-planning means there is a certain rigidity built into the project that makes mid-project pivots or directional shifts difficult to deploy without re-engineering all those pre-made plans.

 

Melinda Harrington, Enterprise Agile Coach at Woolworths Group

Practices used by teams working in a more Agile way lead away from Waterfall in aim of better flow, more teamwork, and a greater focus on business value. Together, Agile team members focus on delivering outcomes rather than individually delivering a single pre-defined component of a project.