Hybrid Project Management

2Choosing a Development Approach

Choosing a development approach for deliverables in your project requires familiarity with the various options (waterfall, iterative, incremental, and Agile), an understanding of the product, and contextual information about the project and organization. While there isn't a neat and precise way to come up with the perfect approach for each deliverable, there are some guidelines that can help you evaluate the right approach for your project.

In this chapter we will look at how product variables, project variables, and the performing organization can influence the selection of a development approach.

PRODUCT VARIABLES

It makes sense to start with the product variables since these relate to the scope and outcomes the project will deliver. We'll review eight product variables to consider when evaluating the best development approach for each deliverable:

• Innovation;
• Scope stability;
• Requirements certainty;
• Ease of change;
• Risk;
• Criticality;
• Safety; and
• Regulatory.

With each variable, I'll describe ways a hybrid approach can be used.

Innovation

Innovation takes into consideration the degree to which the technology and methods you will use on the project are new and untested versus known and standardized. Using methods and processes you are familiar with is conducive to waterfall approaches. Cutting‐edge technology or experimental processes work better with adaptive approaches.

A project to repave eight neighborhoods does not require any innovation. ...