Effective Software Project Management

Traditional Versus Agile Teams

The traditional projects can work with distributed teams of specialists and junior technical staff. The junior technical team members work under the direct supervision of the more senior members of the team. Because of this relationship, it is not necessary for the traditional team members to be co-located. That is always the desirable situation, but in the traditional project it is not a necessity. These teams can be effective if they are dealing with a well-defined project and can proceed on the basis of functional requirements documents.

Agile projects should have co-located teams of senior technical staff. As you move out to the adaptive and extreme projects, the team composition becomes more senior and in less need for supervision. Co-location is an important factor in the success of the agile project. That is not always possible in today’s organization but should be sought whenever practical. These teams can be effective if they have really committed to the project and are willing to work in the absence of detailed documentation. They are forced to draw upon their own creativity and interact with their fellow team members. They are called upon to have a commitment to the project that goes beyond any commitment asked of the traditional team members.

The differences between the two types of teams are considerable.