Is the trend turning towards Agile?

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It’s an interesting pointer that can be deliberated but never decided with a Boolean yes/no response. Waterfall is the conventional methodology and given Agile’s merits it’s too attractive to make an immediate shift but one should reason with the ramification by balancing the pros and cons as agile may not be an ideal fitment for every project. Accepted Agile has made great strides but has it replaced waterfall altogether is subjective if we are mindful of the consequences. We learn by experience and the takeaway in the form of teaching is to beware and be cautious of concerns.  Usually technical heads mull over the decision by studying requirements again and again to arrive at a conclusion.

They are both project management methodologies and the applicability rest on many factors.  Just because waterfall has been around for long doesn't make it indispensable and agile emerging much later is the most happening either. That’s why approach adopted should be strictly on merits. It’s a no-brainer the discussion about this subject would entail into PMP®  or PRINCE2 certification.

Waterfall methodology is most easily identified with PMP®  certification program, while PRINCE2 follows Agile. Both these approaches are very different and hence the deliberation before deciding on picking the best suiting the needs.

Waterfall is a typical plan – build – test –deliver stages, where the final version is envisioned in the planning phase rendering the requirement study and scope as very critical and any change addressed through change requirement and the customer gets to have a feel at the UAT stage only, when all is done and set to go.

Agile is very modular, implemented through scrum, wherein the client acts as one of the stakeholders and can know first-hand the output of a phase technically referred as ‘sprint’ and every requirement is detailed as a story card with scrum-master manning the post. The individual accountability is very high. The sprint demo can be shown to client for feedback and changes incorporated and hence the process is iterative. This flexibility is found wanting in waterfall methodology.

Lets study the popular or most searched words using Google Trends, and though a ballpark and not a scientific proposition, it does offer a a bird’s view.perspective as to where the world is heading towards.

The PMP® certification seems to have picked up and peaked and gradually slides down with the forecast trending upwards, while Agile at one stage seems to have spiked over PMP® and continued to ascent, and the forecast too is favorable.

The certification aspect witnessed PMP® on the rise and peaking only to slip down and forecast is forward, while Agile is steady with not much of growth nor stunted and the forecast is trending upwards.

The charts are based on ‘keyword’ search and need not necessarily endorse any claim not be evident of any outcome. Like stressed earlier they present a picture of the trends and such PMP® is still quite popular, and Agile is holding on and growing.

So what do you think is the trend? Do let us know….