What, When, Why, and How? A Comparison between Agile Project Management and Traditional Project Management Methods (Published)
Agile project management (APM) has emerged as a new approach to managing high-risk and time-sensitive projects as it has proven to provide better productivity, higher quality, and more efficient decision making. In addition, APM has proven to result in lower overall project costs and faster time to market, due to its framework that is based on frequent customer interaction and frequent and quick delivery cycles. In spite of its momentum in various industries, a great deal of ambiguity exists in defining the details of APM methodology, processes, tools, and approach, especially when being compared with traditional project management (TPM) methods and processes. This confusion is amplified when software-related practices and specific artefacts are used to describe the APM because its method was influenced by agile software-development practices. This research study compares and contrasts the APM with TPM in the five process groups and 10 knowledge areas defined in the Project Management Institute PMBOK (2013). Moreover, it compares the two methods in key management disciplines related to leadership style, communication, change, scope, and risk management.
Keywords: Agile Management, Change Management, Project Risk, Traditional Project Management