Comparative Analysis of Waterfall, Agile, and Hybrid Delivery Models

Chapter 4: Project Delivery Models

Having explored the principles of Waterfall, Agile, and Hybrid delivery models, it is clear that each approach has unique strengths suited to different projects. Table 7 below compares their defining characteristics and strategic applications to meet diverse project requirements.

Table 7. A Comparative Analysis of Waterfall, Agile, and Hybrid Delivery Models

Characteristic	Waterfall	Agile	Hybrid
Approach	Sequential and linear	Iterative and incremental	Combines sequential and iterative approaches
Flexibility	Low Changes are challenging to incorporate	High Easily accommodates changes	Moderate Allows for some changes
Planning	Extensive upfront planning	Planning is iterative and continuous.	Initial detailed planning with iterative adjustments
Documentation	Comprehensive upfront Challenging to change after the document is baselined	Comprehensive in increments	Comprehensive upfront This may change after the document is baselined.
Stakeholder engagement and feedback	At the beginning, end of phases, and the end	Continuous	Upfront with continuous opportunities
Risk management	Risks identified upfront with ongoing management, less adaptable to new risks that emerge late in the project	Ongoing risk management, adaptable to changes	Combines upfront risk identification with ongoing management, adaptable to new risks that emerge throughout the project
Delivery	At the end of the project cycle	Incremental delivery of components throughout the project	Seeks to deliver early incremental value to the customer while also having defined phases and milestones

Commentary: Documentation in Agile

Agile models emphasise the importance of documentation, prescribing a systematic approach to its creation and maintenance. It prioritises documentation that is directly relevant to components within the scope of the sprint or iteration. This principle of focusing on segment-relevant documentation is often misinterpreted as advocating for less documentation overall. To make matters worse, Agile Cowboys replace documentation with extensive discussions about requirements and solutions, a deliberate misrepresentation to avoid documentation under the guise of adhering to Agile's collaboration principles.

Consider the term Agile cowboy:

An Agile cowboy is an overly enthusiastic advocate of Agile who misinterprets its principles to avoid the necessary rigour in enterprise IT project delivery, particularly in planning and documentation. Typically lacking qualifications in Agile, Agile Cowboys often lack discipline specialisation. They misuse the Agile principle of fluidity in roles to be vague about their responsibilities and the principle of collaboration, substituting structured documentation with informal conversations.