Page 148 - Straight Talk On Project Management IV

processes. This is however not the case, teams must follow the tasks that are prescribed to them in
order to ensure their project is a success.

Clarity Can Be An Issue - Agile is extremely dependent on the clarity given by the client. When a
client is clear in terms of their intended outcome your team will have a clear goal to work towards.
However, when a client is less clear agile projects may go off at a tangent quicker than other
methodologies, if left unchecked. Again, this can be solved by ensuring that your team has
experienced members! Experienced individuals will know when further consultation is needed to
fully understand the client’s desired outcome and expectations. These consultations gift you the
chance to ask any potential questions whilst also gaining feedback from the client and should be
carried out at each phase of the programme. Do this and an agile project will remain on track in
terms of reaching your client's desired outcome.

There’s Danger of Excessive Risk-Taking - Agile's detractors believe that within inexperienced teams
there is a risk of trying to complete too many tasks within one phase of the project, therefore placing
an increased amount of pressure on the team. We have all seen over-ambition fuelled by the
apparent simplicity and organisation of Agile processes and this is another area where experience is
key in Agile teams. Experience teaches you what your limits are and the discipline to plan each phase
accordingly.

In conclusion, on balance, I think Agile is the methodology most suited to most project types and
probably the best foundation for a hybrid approach. Agile comes with more demands but with
proper training and execution, the rewards can be much greater.