Waterfall vs. Agile?
Project managers often decide between choosing Waterfall or an Agile framework for product development. Because the role of a project manager in a Waterfall project will be different in an Agile project, it would be helpful to know some key differences in their roles and responsibilities.
Waterfall works for projects where requirements are stable and predictable, while Agile is best for developing new products. However, the 2015 CHAOS Report by the Standish Group has shown that Agile projects succeed three times more than Waterfall projects (39% versus 11%). Choosing Agile as the software development lifecycle model will be a statistically better bet.
Making Changes
Successfully implementing Agile will need the right tools, collaboration, and preparation. The Standish Group cites that management support contributes 15% to the success of projects (with another 15% contributed to user involvement). Executives need to be involved in transition efforts to Agile, as they are the sponsors of the program. Without their buy-in, there will be no resources for the right workspace and technology to facilitate collaboration and development. It is also the management that helps get the Agile coaching necessary for the organization to navigate through the transition.
Recommended Further Reading
The following materials may assist you in order to get the most out of this course:
Course Contents
Section 1: Agile Project Management
Section 2: Using the Agile Manifesto to Deliver Change
Section 3: The 12 Agile Principles
Section 4: The Agile Fundamentals
Section 5: The Declaration of Interdependence
Section 6: Agile Development Frameworks
Section 7: Introduction to Scrum
Section 8: Scrum Projects
Section 9: Scrum Project Roles
Section 10: Meet the Scrum Team
Section 11: Building the Scrum Team
Section 12: Scrum in Projects, Programs & Portfolios
Section 13: How to Manage an Agile Project
Section 14: Leadership Styles
Section 15: The Agile Project Life-cycle
Section 16: Business Justification with Agile
Section 17: Calculating the Benefits With Agile
Section 18: Quality in Agile
Section 19: Acceptance Criteria and the Prioritised Product Backlog
Section 20: Quality Management in Scrum
Section 21: Change in Scrum
Section 22: Integrating Change in Scrum
Section 23: Managing Change in Scrum
Section 24: Risk in Scrum
Section 25: Risk Assessment Techniques
Section 26: Initiating an Agile Project
Section 27: Forming the Scrum Team
Section 28: Epics and Personas
Section 29: Creating the Prioritised Product Backlog
Section 30: Conduct Release Planning
Section 31: The Project Business Case
Section 32: Planning in Scrum
Section 33: Scrum Boards
Section 34: Sprint Planning
Section 35: User Stories
Section 36: User Stories and Tasks
Section 37: The Sprint Backlog
Section 38: Implementation of Scrum
Section 39: The Daily Scrum
Section 40: The Product Backlog
Section 41: Scrum Charts
Section 42: Review and Retrospective
Section 43: Scrum of Scrums
Section 44: Validating a Sprint
Section 45: Retrospective Sprint
Section 46: Releasing the Product
Section 47: Project Retrospective
Section 48: The Communication Plan
Section 49: Formal Business Sign-off
Section 50: Scaling Scrum
Section 51: Stakeholders
Section 52: Programs and Portfolios