Top 5 Agile Project Management Styles and Their Benefits

In days gone by, the waterfall methodology was the default when it came to project management.

Waterfall dictates that each step of the project should be tackled in sequence, with each task in the chain completed before the next step is started. While this can still be an effective way to manage projects, its drawbacks paved the way for a new project management style: agile.

Where the waterfall methodology was weak – offering little flexibility and the space to adapt, should the needs of the project change or evolve – agile was strong.

Instead of a linear sequence of tasks (a.k.a. no task is started before the previous is complete) several activities can take place at once. This makes it easier to deviate from the plan and revise the work completed in previous steps.

From the fundamental agile principles, several different project management methodologies evolved – each built on agile values.

Top 5 agile methodologies and their unique advantages:

1. Scrum
   The scrum methodology breaks projects down into ‘sprints’ with clear objectives set at the beginning of each sprint. These objectives direct team members in the tasks that they should perform over the time allotted.

   Sprints are typically short – usually one or two weeks – and are followed by meetings to discuss progress made in the preceding sprint and to set objectives for the next. This is how the project is undertaken until the project is complete.

   Each sprint is assigned an owner who tracks and monitors progress and acts as the point of contact for all team members.

   Key advantage: sprints encourage intense, efficient work which enable teams to change course quickly as the project evolves, thanks to the short-term planning characteristic of the scrum methodology.

    

2. Kanban
   

   While the waterfall method employs a rigid sequence of tasks to complete, the Kanban methodology uses a Kanban board to display tasks so that team members can visualize project progress and see what still needs to be done. There’s less emphasis on the ‘when’.

   A Kanban board typically comprises four columns: to-do, in-progress, review/edit and completed, making it easy to visualize which tasks are underway and which are yet to be started.

   Instead of orders coming from managers and execs in a pre-determined project plan, Kanban boards offer the opportunity for members to take on tasks as and when they have the capacity to do them.

   By shifting a task from ‘to-do’ to ‘in-progress’ a team member can take ownership of a task. Kanban boards make the new task ‘owner’ visible to the rest of the team so that each team member knows who’s doing what.

   Key advantage: maximizes resource usage and efficiency as team members have the autonomy to assign work to themselves.

3. Lean
   While some argue that the Lean methodology is in a league of its own apart from agile, it shares so many of the qualities and values that make a methodology ‘agile’ that we’re in the camp of those that include it.

   Lean is based on 7 key principles:

   • Eliminate waste – by removing any task or process that isn’t vital to the completion of the project
   • Build quality in – to both your processes and products
   • Create knowledge – by documenting key processes so that the knowledge gained in one project can be used in future projects
   • Defer commitment – a.k.a. don’t plan too far ahead, especially before knowing all project needs necessary to plan a step
   • Efficient delivery – by taking these lean measures to streamline processes, you can deliver promptly and quickly to clients
   • Team respect – there’s nothing that can halt efficiency like poor communication and stunted conflict resolution; stellar communication and respect amongst colleagues is essential for Lean
   • Optimize the whole – trim and preen until you have a perfect project process, free from hold-ups, bottlenecks and inefficient processes so that you can create high quality work fast

   Key advantage: a focus on preening project management processes of anything unnecessary and wasteful can increase efficiency and reduce costs.

4. XP
   

   The XP – or extreme programming – methodology is similar to scrum, in that it typically uses ‘sprints’ to complete project phases.

   Used most in software development, XP focuses on creating a usable version of the end-product as quickly as possible in sprints. The XP methodology’s defining characteristic, however, is the involvement of the customer in the early (and late) stages of development, to help indicate where the product needs to be improved and refined.

   With customer acceptance tests, XP spotlights where the product is weak and what additional features the product needs to better support the end user.

   Key advantage: harnesses customer input to make the best possible product for the end-user and focuses on creating a usable product as quickly as possible.

5. Crystal

   Instead of following a specific agile framework to get things done, the Crystal methodology encourages project managers to be agile and adaptable themselves.

   Crystal encourages project managers to use their initiative to judge which methods and processes are best for a specific project. This can result in a project management process with a blend of qualities and characteristics from different agile methodologies.

   It goes without saying, that this can create the ultimate process for completing a project – but can go wrong if carried out by inexperienced project managers.

   Key advantage: experienced project managers can select the optimal processes for completing a project, without feeling obliged to follow a standard framework; creates the potential for greater efficiency through tailored methods for each specific project