Week 3: Waterfall vs Agile

Question 1

Project Manager’s Role:
Waterfall vs. Agile

Answer 1

W: Project manager serves as an active leader by prioritizing and assigning tasks to team members.

A: Agile project manager (or Scrum Master) acts primarily as a facilitator, removing any barriers the team faces.

Team shares more responsibility in managing their own work.

Question 2

Scope:
Waterfall vs. Agile

Answer 2

W: Project deliverables and plans are well-established and documented in the early stages of initiating and planning.

Changes go through a formal change request process.

A: Planning happens in shorter iterations and focuses on delivering value quickly.

Subsequent iterations are adjusted in response to feedback or unforeseen issues.

Question 3

Schedule:
Waterfall vs. Agile

Answer 3

W: Follows a mostly linear path through the initiating, planning, executing, and closing phases of the project.

A: Time is organized into phases called Sprints. Each Sprint has a defined duration, with a set list of deliverables planned at the start of the Sprint.

Question 4

Cost:
Waterfall vs. Agile

Answer 4

W: Costs are kept under control by careful estimation up front and close monitoring throughout the life cycle of the project.

A: Costs and schedule could change with each iteration.

Question 5

Quality:
Waterfall vs. Agile

Answer 5

W: Project manager makes plans and clearly defines criteria to measure quality at the beginning of the project.

A: Team solicits ongoing stakeholder input and user feedback by testing products in the field and regularly implementing improvements.

Question 6

Communication:
Waterfall vs. Agile

Answer 6

W: Project manager continually communicates progress toward milestones and other key indicators to stakeholders, ensuring that the project is on track to meet the customer’s expectations.

A: Team is customer-focused, with consistent communication between users and the project team.