Project Management: Waterfall, Agile, & Hybrid Approaches

Summary

In this video, Candice Porter explains the differences between Waterfall, Agile, and Hybrid project management methodologies. She highlights when to use each approach, noting Waterfall for well-known requirements and Agile for dynamic, customer-driven projects. Hybrid combines both, tailored to organizational needs.

Takeaways

• 📝 Waterfall project management, also known as traditional or predictive project management, is about developing a detailed plan and following it throughout the project lifecycle.
• 🏗️ Waterfall is best suited for projects with well-known requirements, such as building a house or a bridge, where changes can be costly.
• 🔄 The waterfall process involves sequential steps: gathering requirements, designing, building, testing, validating, and deploying, with a 'big bang' outcome at the end.
• 🤝 Agile project management emphasizes collaboration with the customer and is ideal for projects with less defined requirements, such as software development.
• 🔄 Agile uses 'sprints', which are time-boxed periods for completing specific work and delivering project increments, as opposed to the waterfall's single large outcome.
• 🔧 Hybrid project management is a flexible approach that combines elements of both waterfall and agile, tailored to the needs of the organization and the project.
• 🛠️ In hybrid projects, phases may alternate between waterfall and agile methodologies, or run in parallel, depending on the nature of the work and the project requirements.
• 🛑 Waterfall management uses a traditional work breakdown structure to plan and organize tasks, considering dependencies and critical paths.
• 📋 Agile management involves a backlog of prioritized requirements and a sprint backlog for the work to be done in a specific sprint, with durations typically ranging from one to four weeks.
• 🚀 Agile projects often use dedicated resources and feature a product or project increment showcase after each sprint, allowing for customer feedback and potential requirement adjustments.
• 📈 Both waterfall and agile methodologies have their strengths and are chosen based on the nature of the project requirements and the project environment.
• 🔑 Scrum is an agile approach with specific roles and is one way to execute agile project management, often discussed in the context of dedicated resources and sprints.

Q & A

What is the main focus of Waterfall project management?

The main focus of Waterfall project management is to develop a comprehensive plan at the beginning of the project and strictly adhere to that plan throughout the project lifecycle.

Can you give an example of when Waterfall project management would be most appropriate?

Waterfall project management is most appropriate when the requirements are well known and the project involves significant costs for changes, such as in building a house or a bridge.

What is the typical flow of steps in the Waterfall methodology?

The typical flow in the Waterfall methodology involves gathering requirements, creating a design, developing or building the solution, testing and validating, and finally deploying the project outcome.

How does Agile project management differ from Waterfall in terms of collaboration with the customer?

Agile project management involves much closer collaboration with the customer throughout the project, allowing for the gathering of additional requirements and adjustments as the project progresses.

What is the term used to describe the time-boxed periods in Agile project management?

In Agile project management, the term used to describe the time-boxed periods is 'sprints'.

What is a sprint in Agile project management and how does it differ from the Waterfall approach?

A sprint in Agile project management is a set amount of time dedicated to accomplishing specific work and delivering a part of the project incrementally. This differs from the Waterfall approach, which typically results in one big outcome at the end of the project.

What is Hybrid project management and how does it combine elements of Waterfall and Agile?

Hybrid project management is a combined approach that tailors elements of both Waterfall and Agile methodologies to meet the specific needs of an organization, its culture, and the project itself. It can switch between phases of Waterfall and Agile as needed.

Why might Hybrid project management be used in a project involving both hardware and software development?

Hybrid project management might be used in a project involving both hardware and software development because hardware typically benefits from the Waterfall approach due to the high cost of changes, while software can be more flexible and benefit from Agile's iterative and incremental delivery.

What is the traditional work breakdown structure used in Waterfall project management?

The traditional work breakdown structure in Waterfall project management involves breaking down the project into deliverables, defining tasks to achieve those deliverables, and establishing dependencies and order of work to create a schedule and identify the critical path.

How does Agile project management handle requirements and prioritization?

Agile project management uses a backlog to gather and prioritize requirements. The highest priority items are pulled into a sprint backlog for the team to work on during a sprint, ensuring that the most valuable features are developed first.

What is the role of dedicated resources in Agile project management?

Dedicated resources are important in Agile project management because they allow the team to focus fully on the work during each sprint, ensuring that the work can be completed efficiently and effectively within the sprint's time frame.

What is Scrum and how does it relate to Agile project management?

Scrum is an Agile approach for executing projects, characterized by specific roles and ceremonies. It is a framework within Agile project management that provides a structured way to implement the Agile methodology.

Outlines

00:00

📈 Introduction to Project Management Methodologies

Candice Porter introduces the video's focus on comparing three project management methodologies: Waterfall, Agile, and Hybrid. She outlines the purpose of the video, which is to provide a quick overview of each method, their differences, and the scenarios in which they are best applied. The video is structured to give viewers a clear understanding of when to use each approach, starting with Waterfall, which is also known as traditional or predictive project management.

05:02

💧 Waterfall Project Management Explained

This paragraph delves into the specifics of Waterfall project management, emphasizing its linear, sequential nature where planning is done upfront and followed throughout the project lifecycle. The process is likened to building a house or a bridge, where a comprehensive plan is critical to avoid costly changes. The steps of the Waterfall methodology are illustrated, starting from requirement gathering to design, development, testing, validation, and deployment. The 'big bang' outcome at the end of a Waterfall project is highlighted, where the completed project is delivered all at once to the customer.

10:03

🔄 Agile Project Management: Collaboration and Iteration

The second paragraph contrasts Agile project management with Waterfall, highlighting its collaborative and iterative approach. Agile is best suited for projects with evolving requirements, such as software development. The paragraph explains the concept of 'sprints,' which are fixed-time intervals dedicated to completing specific work and delivering incremental project outcomes. Agile's flexibility is underscored, allowing for close customer collaboration and adjustments as the project progresses.

🤝 Hybrid Project Management: A Blended Approach

The final paragraph introduces Hybrid project management as a blend of Waterfall and Agile methodologies, tailored to the specific needs of an organization, its culture, and project requirements. The paragraph discusses how Hybrid can combine the structured planning of Waterfall with the flexibility and customer collaboration of Agile, potentially switching between phases or running parallel tracks. Examples are given to illustrate when each approach might be used within a Hybrid framework, emphasizing the importance of planning in expensive, physical projects like aircraft manufacturing, and the adaptability of Agile for software development.

Keywords

💡Waterfall Project Management

Waterfall project management is a traditional, predictive approach where a plan is developed and strictly followed throughout the project lifecycle. It is characterized by a linear progression of phases, such as requirements gathering, design, development, testing, and deployment. In the video, it is mentioned as suitable for projects with well-known requirements, like building a house or a bridge, where significant changes can be costly.

💡Agile Project Management

Agile project management is a collaborative approach that emphasizes flexibility and customer involvement throughout the project. It is particularly useful when requirements are not well known at the outset, as in software development. The video explains that agile involves working closely with the customer, using iterative cycles called sprints to deliver parts of the project incrementally.

💡Hybrid Project Management

Hybrid project management is a combination of waterfall and agile methodologies, tailored to meet the specific needs of an organization or project. It allows for flexibility in switching between structured planning and iterative development. The video mentions that hybrid approaches can be used when different phases of a project might benefit from different methodologies, such as hardware development using waterfall and software development using agile.

💡Sprints

In agile project management, sprints are time-boxed periods during which specific work is completed and part of the project is delivered. The video describes sprints as a way to break down the project into manageable increments, with each sprint focusing on delivering a part of the project and then reviewing it with the customer.

💡Backlog

A backlog in agile project management is a list of requirements, tasks, or features that need to be addressed in the project. The video explains that the backlog is prioritized, with the most critical items at the top, and tasks are pulled from the backlog into sprints for development. It is a dynamic list that can change as new requirements are identified.

💡Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)

The work breakdown structure is a tool used in waterfall project management to decompose the project into smaller, manageable tasks. The video mentions that it starts with defining deliverables and then breaking them down into tasks, considering dependencies and the order in which tasks need to be completed to develop a comprehensive project schedule.

💡Critical Path

The critical path in project management is the sequence of tasks that determines the shortest time in which the project can be completed. The video discusses how the critical path is determined by analyzing the dependencies between tasks in the work breakdown structure, which is crucial for planning and managing projects using the waterfall methodology.

💡Requirements

Requirements in project management refer to the specific conditions or capabilities that a project must meet. The video explains that the type of project management approach (waterfall, agile, or hybrid) can be influenced by whether the requirements are well known at the project's start. For instance, waterfall is suitable for projects with clear, established requirements.

💡Incremental Delivery

Incremental delivery is a method of delivering a project in stages, where each stage adds value to the final product. The video highlights that agile project management often involves incremental delivery, with each sprint resulting in a part of the project being completed and reviewed, allowing for continuous improvement and customer feedback.

💡Scrum

Scrum is an agile framework that provides a set of roles, events, and artifacts for managing and controlling a project. The video mentions scrum as an example of an agile approach, emphasizing the importance of dedicated resources and the use of specific roles, such as the Scrum Master and Product Owner, in facilitating the project.

💡Project Schedule

A project schedule is a timeline that outlines when each task in a project will be completed. The video discusses how the project schedule is a crucial component of waterfall project management, where a robust plan is developed at the beginning and followed throughout the project to manage dependencies and ensure timely completion.

Highlights

Introduction to the differences between waterfall, agile, and hybrid project management methodologies.

Waterfall project management is also known as traditional or predictive project management.

Focus of waterfall management is on developing a plan and following it throughout the project lifecycle.

Waterfall methodology involves steps like gathering requirements, creating design, developing, testing, and deploying.

Waterfall is best used when project requirements are well known, such as in building a house or a bridge.

Agile project management is more collaborative and involves working closely with customers throughout the project.

Agile is best used when requirements are not well known, originally developed for software development.

Agile project management involves sprints, which are time-boxed periods for accomplishing specific work.

Sprints in agile management lead to incremental project delivery, unlike waterfall's single big outcome.

Hybrid project management combines elements of both waterfall and agile, tailored to organizational needs.

Hybrid approach can switch between waterfall and agile phases based on the project's requirements.

Hardware development typically uses waterfall due to the high cost of changes, while software can be more agile.

Waterfall project management uses a traditional work breakdown structure for planning.

Agile project management utilizes a backlog to gather and prioritize requirements.

Sprints in agile are typically two weeks long, with a consistent duration throughout the project.

Agile sprints involve team members working intensively to complete work within the sprint duration.

Hybrid project management allows for a combination of planning and flexibility based on project needs.

Dedicated resources work best in agile project management, often involving roles like those in scrum.

Transcripts

hello everyone i am candice porter and

today i'm going to give you a boiled

down version of what's the difference

between waterfall

agile and hybrid project management

this will be a relatively

quick video just highlighting some of

the differences and when you may want to

use each of these methodologies

so let's get to it

[Music]

let's start by talking about waterfall

project management when we're talking

about waterfall project management you

may also hear it called traditional or

predictive project management they are

used interchangeably so if you hear one

of those three ways of referring to it

then we're all talking about this same

methodology

now waterfall project management really

focuses on developing a plan

and really following that plan

throughout the project life cycle

i'll give you an example of some of the

different steps of going through the

waterfall methodology

and this is really what you're using

when you're creating a robust project

schedule so a lot of times when you're

creating that traditional project

schedule in say ms project and you're

defining all of your dependencies and

building them in and looking at your

critical path you're generally using

waterfall project management

so we are starting at the very beginning

and developing that plan

executing the plan all the way through

now when would you use waterfall project

management this is generally used when

requirements are well known

so

building a house

building a bridge

you can imagine that you'd want to have

a full plan developed before you just

start building a house or you're going

to have a lot of expensive changes

throughout that project execution

so when requirements are well known this

tends to be the best approach

let's look a little bit about the way

that it flows so it's cold waterfall

because you flow from one step into the

other so again we're going to gather all

of those requirements for our project at

the beginning

we're then going to create the design

what's this going to look and feel like

as far as those successful deliverables

and outputs and then we're actually

going to develop or build the solution

whatever those deliverables are

we'll test and validate and then we'll

go ahead and deploy

now there's usually one big outcome

whenever we are using waterfall project

management so if you think about okay

we're building that house we're going to

go through all of these we're going to

make sure that it meets all of the

requirements that we determined in the

beginning and then we're going to deploy

we're going to hand the keys over to the

customer there's that big bang at the

end

let's look at agile project management

[Music]

so agile project management is a lot

more collaborative when we're talking

about the customer

and so we're working really closely with

them throughout the entire project as we

may need to gather some additional

requirements as we move along

this is best used when requirements are

not as well known so this was developed

originally for use with software

development

and didn't really know at the very

beginning of the project what it was

going to look and feel like as far as

that outcome and so waterfall project

management really wasn't the best

approach so agile was created it really

is that collaboration with the customer

that is driving the project forward

and again software developments where

this came about innovative type of

projects are really great to use agile

project management now this looks and

feels a little bit different as far as

how you're delivering as well

there's something called sprints when

you're talking about agile project

management and a sprint is really a time

box

so if you hear the word sprint i want

you to think about there's a set amount

of time where we need to accomplish

specific work and then we're going to

deliver part of the project

incrementally

so a sprint equals a time box we're

going to do part of the work deliver

something incrementally then we're going

to go back into a sprint and deliver

some additional work incrementally and

so forth until the project is completed

i'm going to show you another visual

momentarily but just keep that in mind a

little bit different from waterfall

project management where there's one big

outcome at the end this is used

oftentimes incrementally when you're

creating those deliverables

[Music]

hybrid project management you probably

hear about this quite a bit quite a

buzzword these days hey what are best

practices for hybrid project management

this is really a combined approach

and this is generally customized to

organizations based on how they're

structured the culture of the

organization

it can be

any combination of waterfall and agile

and just tailoring it to what meets the

needs of the organization the project

the team itself

so it could switch back and forth

between hey maybe this phase of work

will be using

you know waterfall or traditional or

predictive and then maybe we go into a

more agile type of phase maybe there's

two tracks running at one time

you see that oftentimes if there's

product development and maybe there's a

hardware requirement and a software

requirement

generally

hardware

is going to be used

with waterfall project management

because if you think about it when

changes are expensive when there's a lot

of kind of physical or tangible items

being used with a project

then waterfall's generally best so that

we can do all of that planning up front

and eliminate work and waste because

that gets really expensive when we're

talking about projects

when we're talking about software and

making little tweaks here and there

there's not as much as far as hey if we

need to change something it's not these

huge expensive items

think for example if you're building a

plane a huge aircraft that's going to

carry hundreds of passengers

if you're really trying to deliver in an

incremental way or with agile project

management

things may change a lot along the way

along the course of that project being

executed

changes are going to get expensive very

very quickly if halfway through the

project you're changing the design of

where the seats go

or you're changing something to do with

hey let's just add plugs we don't want

to add plugs to all the seats and it can

be expensive to make changes

we want to think of waterfall project

management agile maybe the requirements

aren't as well known we're working

really closely with the customer we are

working with sprints delivering

increments

and then

showing it to the customer what do you

think does this meet the requirements

and then maybe a few tweaks are being

made i'll touch on that more momentarily

again hybrid we're talking about a

combination what works best for this

project let's design an approach and

maybe use a little bit of waterfall a

little bit of agile

with waterfall project management

you generally use a traditional work

breakdown structure so when you're in

that planning phase we are going to

think about what are all of the

deliverables associated with this

project so if you look at 1.0 here

what is this deliverable

what

is the work that we're going to need to

do in order to

get this deliverable completed that's

going to be our task

generally tasks start with a verb

and we want to keep breaking it down to

the lowest level so that it can be

accurately estimated as far as time

cost resources that need to be assigned

what we then do with the work breakdown

structure

is think about dependencies

okay in what order

does this work need to be accomplished

does task 2.1 need to be completed

before 3.2 and we start putting them in

order

and linking those dependencies

that starts to give us that picture

moving over time of when the work's

going to get completed and that's also

how we come up with our critical path

when we're using agile project

management

we generally have something called a

backlog

sometimes you'll hear it called a

project backlog or a product backlog

this is where we're gathering as many

requirements as possible

and we are

prioritizing what are kind of the

must-haves here that's going to go to

the top of our list what are maybe the

should haves they're going to go next on

the list what are maybe the could haves

and then what are the won't haves so

oftentimes you're going to be

prioritizing all of the requirements

putting them in order in something

called a backlog

what we then do

is align the work usually pulling from

the top of the list the highest priority

items we're going to pull those out and

put them into a sprint backlog

sprints are generally two weeks in

duration

although they can range from one to four

weeks

within the project they should stay the

same duration from sprint to sprint to

sprint so you want to agree on what's

the duration of our sprints at the

beginning of the project again let's say

we're using two-week sprints

we're going to say how much work

based on our project team if we've got

five people working on the project and

their dedicated resources

how much of this work can we get

completed in a two-week period

and we're going to estimate align that

to the sprint itself and then all five

team members we're going to be heads

down doing the work

for that two-week period

trying to get it a hundred percent

complete

then

we are going to have our project or

product increment what is it that we

accomplished

during that last sprint

we're generally going to showcase it to

our customer have some discussions

and if everyone's thumbs up

we're going to go back

pull again from the top of the list

since it's in priority order align that

to the next sprint as far as the work

goes and continue on

sometimes when we showcase our increment

to the customer they may say

that's not exactly what i expected or

oh maybe we didn't think about this

let's add some additional requirements

so if you add some additional

requirements to your backlog then you

need to re-prioritize and that way

you're always pulling

the highest priority items or the ones

that are going to add the most value

so in a nutshell

waterfall traditional

predictive project management best for

well-known requirements we're going to

develop our entire plan at the beginning

of the project before we ever start

doing any work and we're going to have

our start date end date of our project

we're going to measure against that

baseline this is our original plan our

baseline as we move throughout which is

going to tell us hey are we ahead of

schedule behind schedule

are we within budget are we over budget

that's going to be our traditional or

waterfall

project management for agile

requirements generally aren't as well

known and we're working really closely

with the customer throughout execution

via sprints

just one note here when we're talking

about agile project management

dedicated resources

tends to work best

you will often hear people talk about

scrum

if you hear that know that scrum

is an agile approach for executing

projects there's really specific names

when we start talking about the

different roles that they use within

scrum i have another video called what

is agile project management where we dig

in a bit deeper so if you are interested

in learning more about agile project

management please watch that video okay

this is really just meant to be a

high-level overview i've had quite a few

questions on hey what's the difference

when would you use them

i hope that this answers those questions

and please leave me a comment below or

ask me some questions below love to hear

from you

again i am candace porter would love it

if you subscribe to this channel by

clicking the little bell i'll continue

to deliver project management focused

videos that's what this channel is all

about thanks for being here with me

today

[Music]

you