Pros, cons and myths of Agile project management

This article looks at the three pros, cons and myths of Agile project management to help determine if it’s right for your project lifecycles. With recent changes to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK) to include more methodologies and industries, agile project management is undoubtedly in the spotlight today. So here are three pros, cons and myths about the agile project methodology and applications to web development.

Pros

1. The first pro of Agile project management is that if your client has the capacity, you can deliver more frequent deliverables to get feedback on before going too far.
2. The second pro of Agile is moving your Quality Control process up further along in the project lifecycle. Earlier Quality Control is generally more efficient rather than running things Waterfall with development since you find errors in the foundation before getting too far
3. The last pro of Agile project management is that it embraces change. Customers are generally more satisfied with their products since their requirements can change throughout a long project lifecycle. Agile can incorporate those changes!

Cons

1. Agile methodology often requires a healthy or flexible budget. Fast delivery and high quality by the triangle of constraints by Project Management means the budget will generally be higher.
2. Agile is often more involved and requires a more mature organizational project environment. Your organization needs to be project oriented.
3. Agile methodology can be challenging to implement since it is a mindset change. Changing a mindset can often encounter resistance from a variety of stakeholders.

Myths

1. Agile means you do not need any project artifacts. This is false, in many cases, your designated Project Manager for agile projects may have fewer project artifacts, but they are updating those more constantly, such as a project backlog.
2. Agile is better. This is also false. Agile is not necessarily always better. Organizations with many dependent tasks might not make sense for Agile implementation. However, elements of the Agile mindset may help improve efficiencies.
3. An agile project lifecycle is the same as an agile development lifecycle. These two things are entirely different. Frequently, an organization might select an agile project lifecycle if many of the project requirements are uncertain. The development lifecycle is only one phase of your project lifecycle.

Consider these points if you are considering Agile methodologies in your web development lifecycle. The full implementation of Agile methodologies may or may not be suitable for you, but the mindset might be. Constantly look for improvement and always want to deliver more value to your customers.