Agile vs Traditional Project Management: Which One Is Right for You?

Quick Overview: Planning, communicating, organizing, adapting, and managing resources are all parts of the project management process. There are two different methods of project management: Agile and Traditional. The project managers keep an eye on the project using both agile and traditional management techniques. They make decisions to keep the projects on course and enable them to achieve their objectives. This blog will discuss the differences and compare agile and traditional project management.

As a business, it is crucial to ensure that the project is moving in the absolute right direction, right? And to provide the same, you’ll do all that it takes. In such cases, the aspect of project management falls into the picture. When it comes down to project management, it is essential to investigate the budget, project scope, and dynamics and pick up the right fundamental methodology to ensure that your projects are heading in the right direction.

The two main categories that professional's debate on when it comes to putting into practice an efficient project management approach are agile and traditional project management. Both systems have advantages and downsides, and the discussion between them has existed for some time. Now let's walk you through their comparison so that you can make the right decision for your software development, and if in case you struggle with anything, you can rely on software development services.

What is Project Management?

As the name suggests, project management uses particular knowledge, skills, tools, and techniques to deliver something of value to people. Simply put, it involves overseeing all the tasks, resources, and objectives necessary to complete a project. The work is planned and organized, deadlines are established, progress is monitored, and stakeholder communication is maintained.

Project management enables more effective resource usage, aids in ensuring that project deadlines are fulfilled, and aids teams in organizing and focusing their goals in the best possible ways.

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What is Traditional Project Management?

Traditional project management, the waterfall method, is linear and sequential. In other words, it adheres to a rigid methodology in which each project phase, such as planning, designing, developing, and testing, must be finished before going on to the next.

Projects with clear requirements and predictable results are best managed using the conventional way. In addition, the model consists of several phases, such as;

• Gathering and Analysis
• Design
• Development
• Testing
• Deployment
• Maintenance

The primary focus on planning and design is a defining characteristic of conventional project management. It involves developing a thorough project plan, defining its scope, and assessing the resources required to complete the project. The project plan is then utilized by all parties involved in the project as a guide and resource.

Another feature that comes along with traditional project management is that it focuses on the completion and deliverables. This indicates that the project manager is in charge of making sure the job gets done on time and on budget.

If you're wondering how this is done, you should know that a stringent change management procedure is established, and it's made sure that everyone involved follows the project plan.

Furthermore, the team's and each member's job is predetermined, especially in traditional project management. This straightforward method facilitates accessible communication and a transparent chain of command but can also limit the team's flexibility as the project develops.

What is Agile Project Management?

Agile methodology in project management emphasizes and pays attention to cooperation, communication, timeboxing, and flexibility to react fast to change. The emphasis of agile project management is on flexibility, teamwork, and customer collaboration. Customer feedback is taken into consideration, and frequent updates are released.

In fact, agile project management offers greater flexibility compared to traditional methodology. It emphasizes the importance of team members and interactions, giving stakeholders more control over the project. Agile utilizes smaller teams and focuses on iterative releases throughout the project’s lifecycle.

Agile project management's fundamental Tenet, based on the DevOps as a Service approach, incorporates modifications and cooperative efforts to produce more and better results than a predefined method. The most extensively used agile frameworks are Scrum and Kanban. They have a reputation for promoting decision-making and reducing time spent on variables likely to change.

You must have noticed that the organization prioritizes client satisfaction throughout the entire software development process and makes the most of the team to improve the development process. To stay ahead with the project’s success, ensure that you pay attention to the agile manifesto, as it’ll help you to enhance your work process.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Traditional Project Management

Well, several developers use traditional project management for several reasons. Now let us walk you through the list of advantages and disadvantages simultaneously to help you better understand the same.

Advantages of Traditional Project Management

1. Clear Expectations

Planning and analysis are two of the most critical aspects of conventional project management. You must be wondering why this is the case. In any case, it makes it simpler to predict expenses, timetables, and resource requirements. Both team members and stakeholders may readily comprehend the schedules and the expected results of the same with the help of clear expectations.

2. Clear Responsibilities

Everyone has a responsibility and a part in a successful project, which goes without saying. The project manager's two primary responsibilities are giving each person a specific task and ensuring that the team is operating as effectively as possible.

3. Documentation

Every action that begins with preparation unquestionably requires precise, concise documentation. This is because project documentation can readily act as a manual for all parties participating in the project. Furthermore, future project managers can also consult these for direction. Simply put, the documentation does a superb job of informing management and other stakeholders about new developments.

4. Accountability

In conventional project management, the manager frequently ensures everyone can attain their goal and that the project is finished on schedule and within the predetermined budget. The concept enables stakeholders and other team members to quickly approach the project manager with any questions or requests for updates. In addition, the project manager is ultimately accountable for the project's success.

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Disadvantages of Traditional Project Management

Well, with the benefits, there also comes a list of cons you cannot overlook, especially when working and looking forward to making the most of the approach.

1. First things first: typical project management is linear, which limits its ability to evolve.
2. The method is not flexible in terms of flexibility due to the requirement that the project manager authorize changes. Additionally, it is considered unsuited for complicated and extensive projects because it prevents the team from returning. Consequently, keeping up with the shifting requirements for more significant projects can be challenging.
3. Additionally, because every stage of the process is planned, traditional project management does not leave much room for originality and innovation.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Agile Project Management

Agile project management is a relatively adaptable method of managing projects. Organizations love to adapt to agile, and the core reason behind the same is the adaptability of agile. Let us now go over some of the advantages of agile project management.

Advantages of Agile Project Management

1. Enhanced Flexibility

The method is not flexible in terms of flexibility due to the requirement that the project manager authorize changes. Additionally, it is considered unsuited for complicated and extensive projects because it prevents the team from returning. Consequently, keeping up with the shifting requirements for more significant projects can be challenging.

2. Transparency

Unlike the previous approach, the team under this technique is aware of progress. Simply defined, the group decides the strategy and takes joint responsibility for the project. These factors provide the best ways to increase openness.

3. Consistent Delivery

A corporation can quickly gain the trust of its customers by providing frequent updates to them. Many agile projects finish their iteration or deploy new software in 2-4 weeks. If done appropriately, it can aid to the most significant degree in validating the clients' assumptions.

4. Collaboration

People who may not be involved in project management can easily be added to the agile team. Clients, team members from other departments, and even consultants outside the company can be integrated. This factor helps in making software systems and procedures better in a way that reflects the actual preferences of the end users.

Disadvantages of Agile Project Management

Just like a coin has two phases, so does everything. Now that we have had a look at the benefits that come along with agile project management, let us walk you through the disadvantages of the same.

1. Large and complex projects are not a good fit for agile project management. The reason is that the method relies heavily on interactive releases in small groups throughout the project.
2. When it comes to agile, it is to be noted that documentation is done during the project. The same can be time-consuming and tedious tasks. It could merely lengthen the project's completion time.
3. Agile project management ignores preliminary planning. It means several other factors, like cost, scope, and time are unimportant.

Differences Between Traditional vs Agile Project Management

Choosing between both, i.e., waterfall vs. agile, entirely depends on the project's specific needs and constraints. Agile is considered the best when it comes down to working with projects with high uncertainty levels; on the other hand, traditional project management is best suited for projects with stable conditions.

Let us understand the difference between project management approaches.

• Agile project management uses short sprints and self-organizing teams to prioritize flexibility, customer satisfaction, and functional software, whereas traditional project management uses longer project phases, structured teams, and comprehensive documentation with a focus on planning and predictability.

• Agile project management is more flexible and scalable based on customer feedback, while traditional project management is less adaptable and responsive to changing customer needs.

• Agile project management is feasible for smaller teams with high skill levels, whereas the traditional approach works well for complex projects with larger teams.

• Agile approach is more effective when it comes to new technologies, whereas the traditional approach works better in more stable environments where there’s little usage of new technologies or tools.

• Traditional project management provides comprehensive documentation, whereas Agile works well even if requirements are unclear.

• Agile approach works well when requirements or things keep changing as it helps the team to adjust to new requirements, whereas the traditional method works well when requirements and other things are set and not changing.

• Agile approach aims to have a project control decentralized, with teams making decisions collectively, whereas the traditional method follows the centralized approach with decisions made by project managers.

For a more detailed comparison, read on.

1. Flexibility

If you look at the aspect of flexibility for traditional project management, you must understand that it is comparatively more rigid. As with this approach, everyone must follow a schedule and set guidelines immediately after initiating the project. The mapping for budget, time, and all the other resources must be accounted for in a very rigid manner. The approach requires upfront planning. Moreover, if any sudden changes or requirements arise in the middle, recognizing and adapting takes a lot of time.

On the latter, when it comes to agile project management, there is a lot more flexibility than the former. The team goes through the feedback and makes immediate changes if need be. So, there is a lot more creativity, communication, and flow of ideas is encouraged. The project managers use their expertise to enhance the project processes and methods.

2. Complexity

Traditional project management can deal with small and less complexity. Also, as the project is known to follow a linear approach, the chances of it facing sudden changes are rare.

On the latter, large, complicated projects are best suited for agile project management. These projects have multiple phases, and each step is connected. There are chances for sudden changes in the project, and with such a project, things like creativity, flexibility, adaptability, and quick decision-making might be required.

3. Transparency

In the traditional approach, the project is not transparent. Each person has a task that needs to be completed. The client or clients are not a part of the project's processes. On the other side, an agile strategy involves customers fully and the project is completely transparent.

4. Feedback and Changes

With the traditional approach, the process is detailed, defined, and set, and there is no room for change. Moreover, if any sudden changes are required, the project usually starts from square one in such a case scenario.

In agile methodology, there is space for changes. The feedback is accepted and encouraged. One of the prominent differences between both approaches is that agile offers more freedom than traditional approaches.

5. Ownership

In a traditional project, the project manager is in complete control. The manager is in charge of organizing, carrying out, and overseeing the operation. The manager's sole duty is to set deadlines, delegate work, set targets, and make schedules.

In agile, the team members are involved in the project entirely. The team members are held accountable for their parts, and they own their areas of work completely. The team members are encouraged to collaborate, exchange ideas, give input, and make changes.

The Similarity Between Agile vs Traditional Project Management

Now that we have just looked at the differences between the project management approaches, many of you must be wondering how both can have similarities, right? Well, well, let us not overlook the fact that both approaches anyway have a single motto! And that is to deliver the project on time, especially when it comes down to software product development.

Both approaches have a straightforward process to monitor, track, report progress, and a manager to manage everything smoothly. Now let us walk you through some similarities between both project management approaches.

1. Both approaches require a project manager to oversee the project.
2. The approaches require risk management.
3. Quality management is another crucial element for both methodologies.
4. Both traditional and agile aim to deliver the project on time.
5. The satisfaction of the stakeholders is crucial for both approaches.
6. The methods make the best use of the methodology, tools, technologies, and procedures that are unique to the approach.

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What Should You Choose Between Traditional vs Agile Project Management?

By now, you must have clarity and an understanding of the advantages and disadvantages of both project management approaches, right? So now you must understand that the choice between both processes depends on a project's specific needs and constraints, specifically when you wish to have successful product development and management.

Projects with a lot of ambiguity or shifting needs benefit from agile project management. The traditional approach is appropriate where there are no changes required, to put it simply, for projects with stable or well-defined conditions.

In addition, it is essential to look into the project constraints, such as the budget, timeline, and resources, as it’ll help you better decide which model to opt for. In some instances, there are times when the project team opts for a hybrid approach that integrates the element of agile and traditional project management to help you strike a balance between predictability and flexibility.

ConclusionAgile and traditional are two utterly different project management methodologies that work in the best possible ways to help organizations organize and complete projects. Each approach has advantages and disadvantages of its own. The choice between both depends on the need for the tasks at hand.It is of utmost importance to consider and investigate the project's requirements, the team's experience, and the resources required when deciding which approach to use. In some cases, the project team can opt for the hybrid approach, which combines the elements of both agile and traditional to balance flexibility and predictability.If you need professional help choosing a suitable model for your software product development, then Radixweb can help you. Our professionals can help you bring your software vision to life by using the latest technologies.