Agile Project Management: History, Advantages, and Comparisons

This report provides a comprehensive overview of agile project management, a methodology primarily used in software development. It begins with an executive summary and a table of contents, then introduces the concept of agile, its origins, and its principles. The report traces the history of agile, highlighting its evolution and the key individuals involved. It then delves into the advantages of agile, such as effective handling of change requirements, fault detection, improved performance, iterative product delivery, design flexibility, and quality improvement. The report also acknowledges the disadvantages, including a focus on development over design and potential for increased costs in complex projects. Furthermore, it compares agile with other project methodologies, including traditional models and Scrum. The report also includes success and failure stories and discusses industry applications. The conclusion summarizes the key findings and emphasizes the importance of understanding agile's benefits and drawbacks for effective project management. Finally, the report includes a list of references.

Running head: PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Project Management
Name of Student
Name of University
Author Note

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Executive Summary
The paper aims in discussing the concept of agile project management methodology that is most
commonly used in handling and managing the complex software projects. The paper will provide
a brief overview of the history of origin of this particular system development method and will
try to examine the advantages and disadvantages of using this methodology in management of
the software projects. It is integral to understand the basic feature of methodology to judge the
effectiveness and implementation of the particular methodology in a project. The approach of
agile project management provides the project team to make use of new methods in management
of a project. In the last few years, although there have been a steady increase of the different
project methodologies, the importance of agile methodology has not decreased. This is one
primary reason why hiring managers considered agile certification as a must need requirement
for working in their firm.

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Table of Contents
Introduction..........................................................................................................................3
1. Agile Methodology: Overview........................................................................................3
1.1. General Principle of Agile........................................................................................4
2. History of Agile...............................................................................................................5
3. Advantages......................................................................................................................6
4. Disadvantages..................................................................................................................8
5. Comparison of Agile with other project methodologies................................................10
5.1. Difference between agile and traditional development model...............................10
5.2. Agile vs Scrum.......................................................................................................11
6. Success and Failure Stories/ Application/Industry use..................................................12
Conclusion.........................................................................................................................12
References..........................................................................................................................14

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Introduction
The paper introduces the readers with the concept of agile project management approach
and its use in managing software projects. The market opportunity of agile is quite strong and
therefore, the agile project management methods are being embraced by a number of business
organization across the world. In this paper, the history of origin of this methodology is
discussed and agile methodology is being compared with the other project management
methodology. The agile project management approach makes use of iterative development and
prototyping approach to deliver products as per the requirements of the customers (Conforto et
al., 2014). The paper discusses the advantages of agile along with both positive and negative
impacts of agile project methodology. One of the most significant criticism linked with agile
methodology is that it fails to pay attention to the basic architectural designing issues. Therefore,
it is crucial to identify the impact of agile methodology in development processes of software.
The paper will compare agile approach with other software development methodologies in order
to identify the major advantages and the significant disadvantages of making use of agile project
methodology. One of the main characteristics of agile methodology is that it makes use of short
iterations needed for effective project delivery. Agile is quite different from the traditional
methodologies as the former is quite efficient in management of the rapid change requirements
(Larson & Gray, 2017). The report provides a description of the key benefits of software
development process by making use of agile project methodology (Špundak, 2014). The history,
advantages, disadvantages and the comparison of the methodology with other methodologies are
indicated in the paragraphs below.
1. Agile Methodology: Overview

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Agile methodology is linked with the process of iterative and incremental development of
a software. The most prominent characteristics of agile methodologies include its adaptive
nature, iteration and evolutionary development, rapid and flexible response that promote
effective communication among the project team (Serrador & Pinto, 2015). This approach is
mainly used for projects in software development. Agile methodology as a whole is an umbrella
term for a number of iterative software development approaches. These approaches include
scrum, extreme programming, lean software development and others. The agile methodology
mainly act on the principle of continuous improvement as the methodology aims in making the
software development process more effective. This methodology is known to provide a software
of higher quality in a very less time. Agile project management framework is considered to be a
lightweight methodology in comparison to the other approaches (Layton & Ostermiller, 2017).
The agile method is widely used in all types of software projects mainly because it has a string
focus on empowering the developers to engage in effective collaborations to take necessary
decisions. The main vision of agile methodology is to create applications in small increments so
that each module of the software that is being developed is tested prior to its implementation.
One of the most striking benefits of making use of agile is that this particular approach is
generally utilized by the software development team in responding to the unpredictable nature of
software development. The agile method make use of incremental and iterative model or
sequences, which is generally termed as sprint (Hoda & Murugesan, 2016). A sprint in agile
method, indicates the time allocated for a particular project to be completed. This indicates that
are particular phase is needed to be completed within the set timeframe.
1.1. General Principle of Agile

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The agile project method is based on certain principles that outlines the major
characteristics of this methodology. Those principles are indicated as follows-
 Agile methodology is mostly based on ensuring clients’ satisfaction through
continuous development (Dybå, Dingsøyr & Moe, 2014)
 In agile, changing requirements are embraced to increase the competitive
advantage from clients’ side
 The approach is based on continuous release with short delivery timespan
 In agile, the developers and business people are needed to work together till the
completion of the project
 Agile method is linked with effective face to face communication for easier
information transfer
 In agile, the progress is measured by means of delivering a working software
 Agile method is known to promote sustainable development
 This method provides constant attention to a good technical design, technical
assistance to enhance the agility of the process chosen
 Agile method is focused on simplicity as it is the art of maximization of the work
that is to be provided (Stare, 2014)
 Agile methods are mostly based on self-organizing teams as such teams are
known to create best designs
 In agile development process, at regular intervals, it is checked if the team can be
made more productive.
2. History of Agile

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The idea of agile surfaced back in 1970s. In that time, a number of studies were
conducted on agile that provides an explanation of the emergence of agile approaches in project
management. The methodology was developed in the year 1970s and 1980s in response to the
unplanned approaches that are considered for software development in those days. The approach
of software development is however defined by Agile Manifesto. In the year 2001, the members
of manifesto set up an agile software development alliance (Conforto & Amaral, 2016). The
agile method was built with an aim of delivering a method that can help is development of a
software in a quick manner. The pioneers who were behind the invention of the agile methods
include a group of experts, who are kern, Kent Back, Ward Cunningham, Arie Van Bennekum,
Alistair Cockbun and 12 other individuals. Agile proved to be a method of fast delivery of a
software, which was beneficial in a number of aspects (Kerzner & Kerzner, 2017). It helped the
users to realize business benefits in a faster manner and also enabled the software team to collect
rapid feedbacks.
Agile proved to be an effective method of software implementation in comparison to the
critical development methodologies and therefore became famous in no time. The approach
brought a sense of engineering in the software development process, which is its one of the most
significant advantages (Theocharis et al., 2015). The term “agile” for this methodology was
coined in the year 2001 in order to describe the flexible nature of the proposed method of project
execution. Agile method finds its majority of usage in software development process. The basic
advantages and disadvantages are indicated in the following sections.
3. Advantages

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This section of the paper aims in discussing the most significant advantages of using an
agile. Making use of agile approach assists the team in rapid development, which is one
significant advantage of this particular approach. Agile is a light framework that assists team in
maintaining rapid project delivery. The most significant benefits of making use of agile method
is indicated as follows.
Effective handling of Change requirements: Unlike the traditional approach of project
management, the agile methods largely helps the project team in handling the change
requirements of the project, which is one significant advantage of this approach as well. In agile,
the planning phase of the project is improved as the customers for whom the product will be
delivered is directly linked with the development process (Pflügler, Wiesche & Krcmar, 2018).
Apart from that, it is further seen that the customer has a control on the major processes linked
with the project through the technique of onsite interaction. This helps in effective handling of
the major change requirements of the project.
Effective Fault Detection: The agile method is linked with rigorous testing, which is one
significant advantage of this particular project method. In agile, a thorough testing is performed
in each iteration, that enables detection of any faults or bug in the system, way before its severity
increases. Apart from that, the continuous testing process is linked with collection of continuous
feedbacks from the customers, which in turn helps in improving the future iterations.
Improved Performance: Another advantage or benefit of using agile project management
framework is its ability of improving the performance of the product that is being developed.
This is possible as the method is linked with daily standup meetings that enables continuous
improvement. In agile, the complex projects are described to the project team in form of simple

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stories which encourages teamwork and improves the performance of the entire team. Apart from
that, a continuous communication process with the team members helps in development of a
self-organizing team that improves the performance and the productivity of the entire team.
Iterative and Incremental Product Delivery: In agile approach, the process of product
delivery is divided into small releases that helps in management of the major risks in the project.
The design plans are created initially, and is updated in an incremental manner so that the project
team can easily adapt to the changes as specified by the clients (Abrahamsson et al., 2017). Each
release is effectively monitored to ensure that the project is delivered as per the specifications of
the clients.
Design Flexibility: Design flexibility indicates the ability to change and the extent of
handling of a change within a project (Brhel et al., 2015). Flexible designing of the agile projects
helps in delivering effective products in a much less time.
Quality Improvement: The agile method is based on improvement of the quality of the
product delivery. This is possible because of rigorous testing and effective monitoring
throughout the iteration process. Apart from that, effective communication among the agile team
members enforces faster turnaround, which in turn helps easier management of the major bugs in
the system.
The above discussed points indicates the most prominent advantages of making use of
agile approach in software development. However, there are certain disadvantage or limitations
of this approach, which is discussed on the following section.
4. Disadvantages

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Although agile is one of the mostly used methods of software development, there are
quite a number of disadvantages linked with this method as well. These disadvantages are
indicated as follows-
 In agile method, the main emphasis is known to be put at the development of the
software and not on its design, which is a disadvantage of this approach (Turk,
France & Rumpe, 2014).
 Although periodic testing helps in easier detection of the bugs, high testing lead
time linked with agile can delay the completion of the project
 It is often observed that in agile method, too much time is devoted even for a
small feature, which in turns increases the cost of complex and large projects
 For large and complex projects, it is quite difficult to assess the actual effort
required to complete the project at the beginning of the project.
 Since customers’ feedback is considered to be an important requirement of this
approach, there is a risk of the project going off-track if the customer
representative is not clear about the requirements of the system (Rigby,
Sutherland & Takeuchi, 2016).
 Agile approach can only be controlled by senior programmers, which is one
significant disadvantage of this approach
The above discussed points provides an idea of the most significant disadvantages of
using agile approach. The points indicate the limitation of this particular approach in complex
and large projects. It the client executive is not clear about the requirements, it can significantly
lead to unforeseen delays in project execution.

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5. Comparison of Agile with other project methodologies
5.1. Difference between agile and traditional development model
There are certain fundamental differences between the traditional model and the agile
approach. This section of the paper will discuss the major differences between the agile approach
and the traditional development approach.
Characteristics Traditional Approach Agile approach
Basic characteristic The traditional approach of
system development is
generally predictable and
fully specifiable
(Karagiannis, 2015). This
method further involves
meticulous and extensive
preplanning prior to the start
of the project.
The agile method is mostly a
high quality, adaptive
software development
method that is based on the
principle of continuous
improvement in design and
testing.
Control Process Centric People Centric
Knowledge Management Explicit Tacit
Management Style Command and Control Leadership and collaboration
Role Assignment It favors individual team
development as per the
specifications
It encourages development of
the self-organizing teams
Communication Approach Formal Informal

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followed
Customer’s role in the project Important Critical
Project Cycle The project cycle in
traditional method is mainly
guided by different tasks and
activities
The project cycle in agile
method is mainly guided by
product features
Development Model Waterfall, spiral Evolutionary delivery Model
Desired organization
Structure
Mechanistic Organic
Technology No restriction Agile method mainly prefers
the use of object oriented
technology.
The above table provides an idea of the major differences of the agile approach with the
traditional approach.
5.2. Agile vs Scrum
Agile and scrum are mostly similar in a number of aspects, yet there are certain
fundamental differences between these two approaches (Dingsøyr & Moe, 2014,). Agile follows
a set of principles as outlined by agile manifesto while scrum follow a set of rules while
practicing the agile software development. Agile can be described as a technique or philosophy
while scrum is mostly a development methodology. However, scrum is an approach of
implementation of agile and therefore, certain significant similarities are there between the two

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approaches (Larson & Chang, 2016). Both the approach encourage transparency and continuous
improvement in software development
6. Success and Failure Stories/ Application/Industry use
Agile is being used by the project teams across all industries. However, most of the
application of agile is related to development and deployment of new products. Apart from that,
the agile approach is mostly used in marketing campaigns and in design engineering as well
(Moran, 2016). Nowadays, agile approach is being used in construction industry as well to
deliver a project with high quality.
Agile finds majority of its usage in the software development industry. Software
development process that make use of iterative approach of developing and deploying a product
is linked with agile software development method (Stettina & Hörz, 2015). Software industry is
largely benefited by the use of agile, as, it is lined with the development of self-organizing and
cross-functional teams, which in turn increases the efficiency of the entire process. The agile
philosophy generally promoted a disciplined team which may not be possible in construction
industry and therefore, this approach is not widely used in that industry (Dikert, Paasivaara &
Lassenius, 2016). However, one of the most significant disadvantage of the approach is that if
the process is not properly monitored, the project can be delayed leading to its failure.
Conclusion
The paper provides a brief idea of the agile technique and gives an overview of the
method that is most significantly used in development and deployment of a software. The paper
provides the detailed history of origin of the agile methodology and further discusses the
advantages of the approach. One significant advantage of agile method is that it focuses on

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continuous improvement as per the feedback of the clients, which in turn helps in delivery of an
improved product as per the specifications. Apart from that, another advantage of agile is that it
focuses on effective change management. The paper further provides an idea of the major
limitations of the agile approach. Delay in completion of the project is one significant issue
linked with agile method. A comparison of agile with traditional method and scrum is shown in
the paper. Agile differs from that of the traditional approach in a number of aspects, while it is
quite similar to scrum. The paper further provides an idea of the use of agile in industry lined
with development and deployment of software.

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References
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Dikert, K., Paasivaara, M., & Lassenius, C. (2016). Challenges and success factors for large-
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