Traditional vs. iterative project management

- [Voiceover] Let's examine two common approaches to project management. We'll also look at how to identify which method makes sense for your project. We previously talked about the five main process groups in project management. When each one occurs one after another, it's known as traditional project management, or the Waterfall Approach. Waterfall project management works well when the project goal and solution are clearly defined, and the scope and deliverables are clear cut.

Because you understand what needs to be done, you can step through each project management process group once from start to finish. The more you know about the project, the better the Waterfall Approach works. Simple projects with little uncertainty are great candidates, because you know what needs to be done, and how to handle issues that arise. With familiar technology, your team can be productive, because they know the potential problems and how to work around them.

A team that has worked on similar projects in the past can be more productive, because they understand the work and technology, and know how to prevent common problems. With many projects today, you don't know what the solution looks like, so you have to figure it out as you go. This type of project requires a different approach. Iterative and Agile Project Management go through iterations to deliver partial yet production quality solutions at regular intervals.

With this approach, the customer gets value from the project sooner. In addition, the customer's feedback on the parts delivered so far can help improve the overall solution. In Iterative and Agile Projects, the customer has to be more involved than in traditional projects. Project teams tend to be smaller, more experienced, and able to work without much supervision. In initiating and planning, you define the overall goal for the project, and build an overall plan to achieve that goal.

With iterative and agile project management, you then develop detailed plans for each iteration. Executing is easier because you work on one iteration at a time. In addition, small, autonomous teams of highly skilled people make it easier to get everyone on board. With iterative and agile projects, you also monitor and control the project more closely, and communicate faster and more frequently.

Finally, each iteration has its own closing process for accepting its specific deliverables. Then, when the final iteration is accepted, you can do what needs to be done to close the overall project. You'll determine whether the traditional or agile approach makes sense during project initiation once you know whether or not your solution is clear.