What to Put in Your Project Plan: Agile vs. Waterfall

Agile vs. Waterfall Project Plans

The debate between Agile and Waterfall project management methodologies is a common one, with some individuals favoring Waterfall and others preferring Agile. However, the ultimate goal remains the same: successfully completing a project.

Let’s check out the differences and similarities between Agile and Waterfall project plans, focusing on the tools used in each methodology. It’s important to note that neither approach offers a “free pass”—both require diligent management of scope, stakeholders, schedule, cost, and quality.

Starting a Project: Waterfall

In a Waterfall project, the process begins with creating a business case to weigh the pros and cons of starting or delivering a new product. This is followed by the development of a project charter, which officially kicks off the project with resources and funding from the project sponsor. Early planning documents in Waterfall projects include a change control plan, configuration management plan for version control, benefits management plan, and a comprehensive project management plan covering scope, schedule, cost, and quality.

Starting a Project: Agile

Agile projects, on the other hand, kick off with a team charter and a high-level model of the system, such as a sequence or architecture diagram. Agile methodologies can also use a walking skeleton, a basic version of the system to which features are gradually added. Other planning tools in Agile include the business model canvas or lean canvas, which outline customer problems, proposed solutions, value delivery methods, and competitive advantages.

Gathering Stakeholders: Waterfall

Waterfall projects involve extensive stakeholder planning. A stakeholder register is created to list all stakeholders, classify them by influence and impact, and outline engagement strategies. This detailed planning helps ensure effective communication and stakeholder management throughout the project.

Gathering Stakeholders: Agile

Agile projects also require stakeholder engagement but typically involve less documentation. A team charter outlines the project’s vision, mission, background, team roles, stakeholders, values, and communication and decision-making processes. Agile projects often feature small, co-located teams, typically around nine members, to facilitate quick communication and collaboration.

Gathering Requirements: Waterfall and Agile

Requirement gathering in Waterfall projects involves creating detailed documentation and a requirements traceability matrix to track requirements through to completion.

Agile projects, being more customer-focused, offer various methods for gathering requirements, such as the business model canvas, lean canvas, prototypes, mockups, storyboards, test cases, and acceptance criteria. Agile emphasizes iterative feedback and adaptation to meet customer needs.

Scope and Deliverables

In Waterfall projects, scope and deliverables are defined by a high-level scope description, prioritized features, a work breakdown structure (WBS), and a WBS dictionary detailing resources, costs, dependencies, and durations. The goal is to plan everything upfront, ensuring all work packages are defined before execution.

Agile projects use a product backlog, consisting of high-level epics and detailed user stories. Similar to a WBS, user stories are broken down into manageable tasks for each Sprint. Agile scope management includes mockups, storyboards, user story mapping, and prioritization methods like cost-benefit analysis. Scope is accepted through Sprint reviews, providing regular customer feedback.

Project Schedules

Waterfall schedules involve breaking down the scope into an activity list, sequencing activities, estimating durations, and creating a detailed schedule, often visualized in a Gantt chart.

Agile projects utilize a product roadmap, which can resemble a Gantt chart, to outline feature delivery timelines. Sprint planning determines the work for each Sprint based on team velocity and capacity. Progress is tracked using burn-up and burn-down charts.

Cost Management

Waterfall projects estimate costs for each work package, including contingencies for risks and management reserves for unforeseen scope changes, resulting in an approved baseline budget.

Agile projects typically operate on a fixed-cost model, with a stable, small team working within a set budget and timeframe. The product backlog is prioritized to deliver the highest value items within the fixed budget.

Quality Management

Quality in Waterfall projects is managed through a test and inspection plan, usually conducted at the end of the project.

Agile projects integrate testing throughout development, using techniques like test-driven development (TDD), code inspections, unit testing, and continuous delivery. Quality is verified through Sprint reviews and ongoing customer feedback.

Resource Management

Both methodologies require resource management. Waterfall projects estimate resource needs, create a resource breakdown structure, and assign roles and responsibilities using a responsibility assignment matrix (RAM).

Agile projects emphasize a whole-team approach, with co-located teams of T-shaped individuals possessing a broad skill set and deep expertise in one area. Agile teams use visual management tools and pair programming to enhance collaboration.

Procurement Management

Waterfall projects involve detailed procurement processes, including make-or-buy analysis, source selection criteria, and vendor management.

Agile projects prefer integrating necessary skills within the team but may use fixed-cost, variable-scope contracts to accommodate changing requirements.

Communication Management

Waterfall projects use communication management plans and communication styles assessments to tailor communication methods to stakeholder preferences.

Agile projects prioritize open communication with daily standups, Sprint planning, Sprint reviews, and retrospectives. Visual management tools and open team areas facilitate ongoing communication and collaboration.

Different, But the Same

While Agile and Waterfall project management methodologies differ in their approach, both aim to deliver successful projects. Waterfall focuses on extensive upfront planning and documentation, while Agile emphasizes flexibility, customer feedback, and iterative development. Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of each methodology helps project managers choose the best approach for their specific project needs.

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