When it comes to choosing either an agile or a traditional project management methodology, we don’t necessarily have to pick either one. Hybrid project management is a better answer, because it combines the best of both worlds and it allows a smoother transition from traditional to agile as compared to making the transition in one leap.
Many organizations that use waterfall methods do want to transition to agile but organizational change does not happen overnight. There is always a warming-up period during which stakeholders adapt to the agile mindset. They may start new projects in the agile way while existing projects still continue in waterfall or in a combination of waterfall and agile.
In my experience, waterfall continues to be used for high level planning, budgeting, defining milestones and setting expectations. It is the safe and known way of doing business as compared to agile which is new and less known to the organization. Using the waterfall approach is fine when requirements are well known and understood by the developers. Agile is also frowned upon in projects that must adhere to regulatory and compliance requirements so in this case it might make sense to use waterfall.
Agile is most often used for development, for example to complete a project milestone by doing agile sprints. Development teams are quick to adapt agile because it empowers the team members to take responsibility for the deliverables. Close collaboration between the development team and the business users ensures that the outcome fulfills user expectations and this is where agile is most useful.
Blending the two methodologies is quite common in big data projects where we might define the high-level milestones in a waterfall approach at the beginning and then deliver in agile iterations. We typically don’t integrate data from all data sources at the same time, but implement each one individually which would represent a milestone deliverable. This can be planned ahead so that stakeholders know when they will receive what. Then each integration effort is accomplished with agile sprints.
Project management role in hybrid
In a hybrid environment, where we are blending traditional and agile methodologies, we can be anywhere on the spectrum between the two extremes, for example we could be quite traditional with only a touch of agile or we could be almost agile, with some traditional. The question then becomes, what is the project manager’s role and is there even a need for a project manager?
Appointing a project manager to a scrum master role is not always a good idea, because the project manager and the team might continue to work in a command and control mode despite doing sprints and believing that they are agile. Team members who are used to following orders might struggle when suddenly faced with the empowerment that comes with a self-organizing agile team. To overcome these transition effects, it is a good idea to bring in an experienced agile coach who would help the team along the way to agility.
Due to more flattened organizational structures that are common in agile, many project managers feel threatened out of their command and control way of working. Those who had their sights set on climbing up the hierarchical ladder might find that many positions on the organizational chart no longer exist. Project managers will have to find new roles. One such role may be scrum master, as long as they understand that they would no longer command and control, instead they would coach and mentor. Another role may be product owner for those project managers who are inclined towards the business side and have a good understanding of the requirements.
Many soft skills that project managers already possess, such as communication skills, ability to resolve conflict, and dealing with difficult stakeholders are transferable to an agile environment where these skills manifest through servant leadership. Project managers should not have difficulties in finding a new role in the new hybrid organization.
Last but not least, agile will only be adopted successfully in organizations where the management embraces it as a way of doing business faster and more efficiently. Hybrid project management methodologies are a step forward in this transition.