Hybrid-Agile projects are different – in fact quite different from the traditional waterfall ones or the Agile ones. It combines both waterfall and Agile, but your thought process, mindset and application will be different.
In fact, going further, I'd say that your mindset and thought process must be different as you manage both traditional and agile parts together in a single project. It's not easy and hence, there is a dedicated certification (CHAMP) for it. See here.
Below are some common mistakes to avoid when tracking Hybrid-Agile projects. In addition, avoidance such mistakes or pitfalls can give you right data and hence reports.
Pitfall – 1: Not Setting the Status Date.
While tracking, setting a status date is a must. Many forget to do it, and I’ve seen it repeatedly. In the CHAMP certification course, I’ve emphasized it frequently.
It takes a matter of seconds to set the status or data date, and that makes tracking systematic.
Pitfall – 2: Not differentiating Traditional and Agile Tasks.
As you proceed with a Hybrid-Agile project, you are likely to have thousands of tasks to be managed by a number of resources—human, physical, asset, material, among others.
It’s always good practice to clearly differentiate and segregate such tasks. Later on, when you manage and report, it’ll prove to be immensely valuable.
Pitfall – 3: Not using the Planning Boards.
If you’re using Scrum to follow Agile in Hybrid-Agile projects, there will definitely be a Sprint Planning Board. If the software tool doesn’t provide it, then don’t use that tool.
Now, when you don’t use the Sprint Planning Board(s) but directly update the tasks in the Gantt Chart view, you’ll face a number of problems. For example, you won’t get the data properly updated, including the Board Status!
Note:For Hybrid-Kanban, the creation, usage, and management of boards will be different.
Pitfall – 4: Not Customizing the Board States.
This is another mistake you must avoid. If you have five workflow states, then use five boards. If you have three, then use three boards. Use them, but don’t overcomplicate it.
Boards have other uses, such as linking states with % Complete values, reporting, and of course, clear visualization.
Pitfall – 5: Not Using the Visual Indicators and Bars.
Visual indicators and bars are given for your benefit. A large number of visual indicators and bars should be available while tracking. MS Project Agile, which is specifically used in CHAMP, has a large number of them. Other software tools such as Primavera P6 also provide them, though P6 doesn’t support Agile.
When you have visual indicators, bars, and boards, use them abundantly.
Pitfall – 6: Not Baselining the Hybrid Project.
Baselining is needed for traditional project management. Without baselining, there is no mathematical way to know the progress. And nobody can really dispute pure mathematics.
However, for the Agile part, you may not need baselining, except when mandated.
Do note that the baselining part is quite tricky. It becomes trickier when multiple baselines are involved. You’ve to be very careful in this regard.
Pitfall – 7: Not Tracking Variances for Traditional Parts.
Variance tracking and analysis are part and parcel of Waterfall projects. You’ve to do it and also do the reporting. This is linked to baselining, which has to be clearly and consciously done.
Agile elements with iterations, however, need not have variance tracking, except where customer or regulatory requirements mandate it.
Pitfall – 8: Not Having the Right Team Structure.
One of the key ingredients of a project’s delivery success is the team structure. The team structure should be clear with little hierarchy. And you must keep in mind the way delivery happens in traditional and Agile approaches.
Pitfall – 9: Not Following the Principles of Hybrid-Agile Management.
Principles are very important to be followed in any approach. The CHAMP course informs this explicitly. In fact, I’ve published two articles in this regard. You can read them here and here.
Pitfall – 10: Not Using a Combined View.
A combined view consisting of both the traditional and Agile parts is a powerful one. But many don’t know how to use it! This view gives a snapshot of the entire project in a quick time. Of course, it requires proficiency to track in such ways.
The CHAMP certification (see here) uses these views frequently and demonstrates them with a large number of practical exercises with solution files, so that you can master them.
The Certified Hybrid-Agile Master Professional (CHAMP) courseis highly practical as informed and written by many successful CHAMPs. It's also highly economical. As a matter of fact, it's world's only Practical Hybrid-Agile certification, where you learn hybrid-agile management with your own hands.
The below unique trailer (1m: 14s) informs more. For the best experience, go full-screen HD mode and plug-in your headphones.
A brief tabular differentiation between CHAMP and other certifications is shown below.
To know more about the CHAMP certification course, see here.
To have the complete course breakdown, check here.
For this course, many FAQs have been answered. See here.
The phrase "shades of grey" usually refers to situations that are not just black or white, right or wrong, left or right. Instead, they exist somewhere in between, where clarity is fuzzy, ambiguity is dominant, and absolutes don't really apply.
Hybrid is one such area. The predictive model of development relies on heavy upfront planning. In some cases, it's absolutely needed. At the other end of the development spectrum, we have adaptive, where there is very little detailed planning. The planning is mostly just-in-time (JIT) and usually happens before the iteration (as in Scrum) or when capacity is available (as in Kanban).
Hybrid development sits in between: between predictive and adaptive. It takes elements of both and delivers.
Understanding this need, the CHAMP certification has been specifically developed when Hybrid-Agile (or simply Hybrid) works best. CHAMP certification is all about hybrid. This certification is valuable because:
It blends rigid and flexible: Traditional Waterfall (predictive) is structured and sequential, while Agile (adaptive) is iterative and incremental. Hybrid-Agile? It weaves together the two. Hence, the term grey.
It's tailored, not textbook: With CHAMP and hence Hybrid-Agile, the project team doesn't follow the book. Rather, the team builds its own strategy based on the project's needs. The decision-making is in the grey zone, where trade-offs are not optional but essential.
It's highly practical with needed theory: The CHAMP certification is the world's only practical Hybrid-Agile certification. It’s also highly economical. See here.
Now, let's see the various Shades of Grey for Hybrid-Agile, as used in the CHAMP certification. Though there are many, I've highlighted a few.
Shade of Grey # 1: Hybrid-Scrum
In the hybrid world, Hybrid-Scrum is not just about stand-ups and retrospectives. It's not about upfront planning, either. It’s about embedding agility (Scrum) into a predictive framework — or predictive elements into an otherwise Agile project.
The CHAMP course teaches how to conduct Sprint Planning alongside Gantt charts; how to align features (or user stories) with a WBS; and how to hold Daily Scrums alongside routine meetings.
Shade of Grey # 2: Hybrid-Kanban
Scrum thrives on Sprints. Kanban thrives on flow. Hybrid-Kanban brings not only the flow, but also visualization with Kanban Boards, identification of work-in-progress (WIP) items, reporting with Cumulative Flow Diagrams, among other tools.
CHAMP doesn't just teach you Hybrid-Kanban management — it teaches you how to work with any type of Hybrid-Kanban project. Like Hybrid-Scrum, real-world projects are used here as well.
Shade of Grey # 3: Hybrid-ScrumBan
This is greyer than the greys! ScrumBan combines both Scrum and Kanban. Hence the name. Hybrid-ScrumBan goes a step further by blending Waterfall, Scrum, and Kanban.
As you progress through the CHAMP certification course, the Hybrid-ScrumBan approach becomes a powerful tool in your strategic toolkit. But how?
As a CHAMP, you learn when to iterate and when to go with flow. In other words, Sprints where needed, flow where it's a must. And once again, you'll master this through real-world, scenario-driven projects.
Shade of Grey # 4: Baselining Hybrid-Projects
Ask any professional, including management, and they’ll know the value of a baseline in a project. In predictive projects, baselining is essential to track progress, identify variances, perform variance analysis, and generate subsequent reports.
In Hybrid-Agile, baselining can still be applied because it includes predictive elements. But how do we apply baselines to the Agile parts? Sometimes, that’s necessary too — especially when regulatory requirements demand it. CHAMP teaches you exactly how to do that.
Shade of Grey # 5: Tracking Hybrid-Projects
Tracking is indispensable in any project. Even in Scrum projects, we use burndown and burnup charts. Once the initial scope is set, the schedule is defined, and cost expectations are established, it's time to track real progress against them.
But then tracking also comes with a shade of grey, as different elements may follow different approaches.
With CHAMP, you learn techniques such as Earned Value Analysis integrated with Agile metrics, and how to use MS Project’s tracking tools to update percent complete, actuals, and forecast variances.
Other Shades of Grey
There are other shades of grey. In the CHAMP course, they are explained, elaborated, and demonstrated hands-on through real-world projects using the practical software tool MS Project Agile. I’ve highlighted a few above.
Want to know more? Consider becoming a CHAMP. See here.
Conclusion
CHAMP is not a paper tiger course. It’s a hands-on, tool-driven, scenario-based certification.
You don’t just learn theory needed, you also build hybrid plans hands-on, track real metrics hands-on, and generate reports hands-on.
The CHAMP certification exam is not a quiz! It’s a proving ground and practical-driven. The question standard, as reported by CHAMP certified professionals, is high.
The course includes over 100 exercises, two full-length practice Q&A sets, and a 15-day money-back guarantee. The emphasis is on hands-on mastery: from project setup, board configurations, and board management to applying Hybrid-Agile principles and management techniques.
All of these are crucial for both your hybrid-agile certification and real-world application.
But as an aspiring professional wants to know about CHAMP, he or she is uncertain due to factors and has a number of questions.
Other “well-recognized” bodies also provide Hybrid-Agile certification. Why should I go for ManagementYogi’s CHAMP certificate?
I already have Agile certification such as Scrum Master, Product Owner or Agile Practitioner related. How will CHAMP add value to my career?
CHAMP certification is not well-known or well-established. How will I get recognition for my effort?
First and foremost, Agile and Hybrid-Agile are different concepts. The way of delivery is different when you compare Waterfall and Agile. Hybrid-Agile is when you combine waterfall or non-Agile with one or more Agile frameworks.
Hybrid-Agile has seen strong usages in industries and many surveys inform us that usage is on the rise. Learning the concepts and earning a certificate will definitely give a boost to your career and your professional growth prospects.
In this article, I’ll outline 10 top reasons to go for CHAMP certification. There can and will be other reasons as outlined by successfully certified CHAMPs.
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Reason – 1: CHAMP certification is the only certification in the world on Hybrid-Agile Management with strong emphasis on hands-on learning.
Indeed, there are many Hybrid-Agile certifications offered around the world. But not one – not even one – certification emphasizes hands-on learning!
CHAMP is the only certification in the world which takes your learning to the highest level. You can make a search, and you won’t find anyone offering such content.
Reason – 2: As a CHAMP, you will learn both theory and practical. While theory is needed, practical and hands-on applicability is crucial.
Almost all certifications are focused on the theoretical aspects. While theory is needed to learn and understand, practical aspects are very important when you go to the real world.
For example, let’s say you are asked to baseline a Hybrid project. How would you do that without using a software tool or knowing how to do it practically? Take another example of earned value management (EVM), which predictive projects need for regulatory compliance.
Your learning is effective only when you can apply it in the real-world. Otherwise, it’s just plain theory without practical applicability.
Reason – 3: The CHAMP credential is accepted and recognized by management practitioners around the world: North America, Europe and Asia.
This is one of the key questions that I face from aspiring CHAMPs – recognition. Is this certificate recognized? As a CHAMP, will I be accepted at my peer level of other certifications?
To answer directly, the certification is recognized by professionals around the world from North America to Asia to Europe. You will be in a specific group of high-achieving professionals, who actually know the management of Hybrid-Agile projects. Very few, if at all, have this skillset as this CHAMP Success Story informs.
Considering another aspect, as a CHAMP, you can demonstrate live – how Hybrid-Agile management happens with a hands-on software tool. In this case, the MS Project (Agile) software tool is used.
Reason – 4: With CHAMP certification, you will learn in-depth, hands-on Hybrid-Scrum Management. No other certification provides it.
Scrum is one of the popular Lean-Agile frameworks. But then:
How do you apply and employ Scrum within a Hybrid project?
Are the roles and responsibilities different or do they change for the project manager? Is there any separate role for the Scrum part?
How does one create a burnup or burndown chart specifically for the Scrum part of a hybrid project?
The CHAMP certification will teach you all of the above skills in a proficient manner. More importantly, it’s done in a demonstrative manner so that you can learn quickly.
Reason – 5: You will learn in-depth, hands-on Hybrid-Kanban Management. As a CHAMP, you will also learn Hybrid-ScrumBan management.
Kanban is another popular Lean-Agile framework. While Scrum is iteration based, Kanban is an on-demand, pull-based framework. CHAMP certification teaches all aspects of Hybrid-Kanban management.
With the CHAMP credential, you will also learn another framework and how to use it in a hands-on manner: Hybrid-ScrumBan. Scrumban combines both Scrum and Kanban. Indeed, a certified CHAMP guarantees it as you read in this CHAMP Success Story.
Reason – 6: Waterfall is here to stay. Agile is also here to stay. A CHAMP will know both and combine them to get the best from both!
The waterfall or predictive mode of development has been there for quite sometime, and it’s here to stay. Some industries can’t follow Agile, e.g., making a movie. Will you release a movie in a theater every two or four weeks in parts? Will customers come to watch such a movie? You know the answer!
Similarly, Agile is also here to stay. Agile is used when there is rapid churn in requirements and high uncertainty in the technology platform being used.
Now, as a CHAMP, you will know both waterfall and Agile and you are going to combine them both. This way, you will get the best of both and apply them in real-world projects. Imagine this skillet and the impact you will have while working with every possible kind of organization.
Reason – 7: From Waterfall to a CHAMP or from Agile to CHAMP is a natural progression. You need not have any previous certification to be a CHAMP. It goes from a beginner to advanced and finally, to expert level.
Hybrid-Agile combines both waterfall and Agile. Hence, if you are coming from a waterfall background or an agile background, it’ll be natural a progression for you.
Though the CHAMP certification is of high-standard, you can easily understand and master this exhaustive course content. The course takes from a beginner level to the level of an expert.
Reason – 8: You will know various Hybrid-Agile management types, principles, roles, responsibilities, team structures, among others.
Hybrid-Agile management comes with a variety of shapes and types. For example, it can be predominantly predictive (waterfall) with parts as adaptive, predominantly adaptive (adaptive) with parts as predictive. It can also be predictive and adaptive parts of a project running concurrently. If you consider the frameworks, then only Scrum, or Kanban can be used in Hybrid-Agile, or both Scrum and Kanban can be used. You will know them all.
As Hybrid-Agile Management is different, there will be different principles compared to traditional or agile management. You will know the distinct principles of this course. And of course, the team structure, roles, responsibilities will be clearly explained to you.
Reason – 9: You will get a large number of hands-on solution files, quizzes, practice questions. These will help you now as well as in the future.
The CHAMP certification has a high practical-orientation with the needed theory. Hence, the way the course is organized and the way the certification test happens is fundamentally different from any other certification in the world.
Because it is practically oriented, you will get numerous solution files. Specifically, these .mpp (Microsoft project plan) files. You will have lesson-end quizzes, practice questions, including full-length practice questions.
Based on practice and experience, you’ll take the final test and will be CHAMP certified, if you have faithfully prepared. You can have one retake, which is free of cost to you.
Reason – 10: If you are a PMP, ACP, SM or PO, the freshly updated CHAMP certification will enhance your resume. You can also apply your earlier learnings.
This is related to reason – 7, but with a different perspective for certified practitioners.
If you are a Project Management Professional (PMP), then you’d know the fundamentals as well as certain advanced aspects of traditional project management. Similarly, as an Agile Certified Practitioner (ACP), Scrum Master (SM) or Product Owner (PO), you’d know Agile management in more depth.
Now, when you pursue CHAMP certification, you can use your earlier learnings on predictive (Waterfall) and/or adaptive (Agile). Because CHAMP combines them both. In other words, your earlier learning will help you know this unique skill of Hybrid-Agile in a hands-on manner.
Video Brief: Top 10 Reasons to Go for PfMP
The below brief video [Duration - 07m: 18s] is in support of this article. You can watch the videos to learn a few more points about the value of ManagementYogi's CHAMP certification.
Conclusion
As noted in the beginning, this is the only hybrid certification in the world with hands-on learning. You can read a number of published articles on hybrid management in this link.
As per a recent PMI report hybrid is considered to be a new standard and many organizations are following it. In fact, usage of Hybrid-Agile management is more compared to the Agile! You can read the report here.
As noted in the above linked report, Hybrid usage (31.5%) is now more than Agile (24.6%) among project professionals! This is depicted below.
If you are considering your career and growth opportunities, this certification provides in-depth understanding and knowledge on Hybrid-Agile management. You also learn with a hands-on software tool and it's a real competency. And as noted in one of the above reasons, a CHAMP certificate surely shines on your resume.
Before getting into CHAMP certification, I had a face-to-face, virtual meet-up with Satya, where I asked what I should pursue first. As per his suggestion, I started my journey by first completing the MS Project Agile course.
The CHAMP certification was a natural progression and I also really wanted the full certification for its credibility as it is a niche skill.
Own Study – CHAMP Certification
To achieve my CHAMP credential, I diligently followed the videos in the order set out and made time whenever I could. They are nice and short; hence it makes it easily digestible.
In the course, all the videos are clearly explained and they are very thorough so you get to repeat the steps in subsequent videos.
Review – CHAMP Certification Course
The course is very niche, extremely detailed and uses MS Project tools. The certification is a unique selling point (USP) in itself. I have not seen anything like this before and it truly gives you all the learnings.
Once you get to grips with adding the data and setting up the Hybrid Agile plan, I found the reporting topics were useful, as you get to slice and dice the data in different ways i.e., how to report on earned value management (EVM), the baselines for the traditional part and resourcing.
Throughout the course, there are lots of opportunities to recap and take the short tests. After completing the whole course, a full set of questions and answers (Q&A) helped me to see how much I learned and what parts I needed to go over again.
CHAMP Exam Experience
After completing the course, I believed I was prepared for the CHAMP exam. I asked Satya to provide me with the online link for the test. The exam has 50 questions to be taken in 1 hour (60 minutes).
For the exam, my strategy was simple. I just made sure I read the questions properly and not rush them. I knew some of the questions straight away. However, for some of the others, I needed to go back and check on them.
After completing, I thought I didn’t clear the exam and thought I have to retake the test. But Satya informed me that I’ve cleared as I have scored 70%, which is needed to be CHAMP certified! I received my certificate afterwards.
Suggestions for CHAMP Aspirants
Dos
If you like this style of learning (hands-on) and also want to get certified in a niche skill, then I would suggest you just go for it.
Don’ts
If you are not managing Agile/Hybrid-Agile projects, you may not need it.
Conclusion
The CHAMP certification is of high standard and to be a CHAMP, you need to be well prepared. The course is so practical! You can apply your learnings in your day-to-day projects in a hands-on manner.
Brief Profile: Ravi O’Reilly, CHAMP, Programme Planning Manager, UK Transport and Govt. related projects.
The Certified Hybrid-Agile Master Professional or CHAMP certification courseis one of the few best courses I have attended. The course provides very detailed, step-by-step examples on how to go about implementing the concepts of Hybrid Project Management. Satya, the creator of the course, is an excellent teacher and very dedicated to what he does.
I enrolled in this course because I wanted to know more about agile project management especially on how we go about incorporating these agile features in MS Project. Most of the infrastructure projects that I have planned during my long career in IT was very much based on the traditional predictive approach. This course gave me the opportunity to fill this missing gap in my understanding.
Why this Certification Course?
The important strength of the CHAMP certification course was it starts from the beginning of planning a project via the traditional waterfall approach which we are all so used to. Then the course slowly guides us on how to incorporate the agile features such as Scrum and Kanban in this project plan, thus ending with a full-blown Hybrid project plan.
This course will give you a broad understanding on how to go about managing a project which takes advantage of the strength of two distinct project management approaches – namely predictive and adaptive.
You will also get the opportunity to clear a lot of your questions and doubts on your understanding on how projects are planned during Satya’s Management Review Sessions.I found these sessions most valuable as it reinforces my understanding and enabled me to gain more insights of the current industry practices.
CHAMP Certification Course – Key Features
After completing the course, you will find that the whole curriculum of CHAMP certification course is well thought of and well planned for you.
In my view, following are the key aspects:
It guides you from the very beginning right up to the final project reports.
The course is structured very methodically, and all videos are short and very precise in showing what is being covered in course content.
A lot of tricks, techniques and tips are shared by Satya to make you more productive as a Hybrid-Agile master practitioner. His instructions are very clear and easy to understand.
You will get answers to any additional queries you may have during the course promptly.
Every module is well guided, and all the instructional videos are clear and easy to follow.
Concepts are clearly explained, and tips and techniques are also shown along the way enable you to be more productive in your Hybrid-Agile planning.
Most of us are familiar with waterfall planning using MS Project but are unsure of how to include the agile features in the same project plan. I found the topics/lessons Hybrid Project with MS Project, Hybrid Scrum Project and Hybrid Scrum Project Reporting the most interesting and informative.
I guarantee that after going through these topics you will not have any apprehension on how to plan a hybrid project using MS Project.
CHAMP Certification Course – Lessons and Coverage
There are 11 lessons in this course (see main webpage for details). At the end of each lesson you get a chance to test your understanding on well-crafted situational scenarios of hybrid-project management issues.
The other strong point is that this being a video based instructional course you can replay the instructional videos as many times as you wish until you are satisfied with the understanding before moving on to the next lesson.
Each lesson’s video is short, self-contained, and well organized and you able to achieve the objective of the lesson very quickly.
The quality of the video and audio are excellent and understanding Satya’s instructions and accent is not an issue. You can grasp all the technical concepts very easily.
Conclusion
If you are someone who is in the software development area or managing software projects this course is a must attend. It will empower you to be an effective project manager and enhance your career path in this field of project management.
You will gain a lot of insights from Satya from his vast experience in this field that will enrich your understanding in this area of project management.
The investment you put for this certification course is money and time well spent.
Brief Profile: Dr Kish Ranai, CHAMP is a management professional, based out of Singapore.
In the earlier post, I informed on the first four principles of a Hybrid-Agile Management and emphasized on the need and importance of management principles. As the practitioner of Hybrid approaches, you need to not only be familiar with these principles, but also always align your practices with these principles.
Note: When you subcribe to CHAMP certification course (or PMP, RMP, ACP, CAPM or any other video course), you can join my regular Management Review Sessions, whenever applicable. It'll be completely free of cost to you.
Now, let’s see the next set of principles in Hybrid-Agile Management: Principle 5, Principle 6 and Principle 7.
Principle – 5: Value delivered is the ultimate measure of progress and success.
It’s always about value delivery, be it Waterfall or Agile. Without value being delivered, your project won’t last long.
In waterfall, value is delivered by various desired artefacts, milestones being completed with deliverables, and of course the deliverables itself. In Agile, value is checked by the customer at the end of short iterations (Scrum) or on-demand (Kanban).
Value is in the eyes of the beholder; in this case, the eyes of the customer.
Imagine going to a film with your family. Value delivered will different for most members of your family. It's not always the end result or product, i.e., movie! Ask them and you will be surprised what different members actually found to be valuable in the entire trip.
Principle – 6: Visualize the flow of work for adaptive. Contextualize the work with respect to phases in predictive.
Adaptive work should be visualized, because they are derived from Lean, which says visualize the flow. This shows the progress and bottleneck.
Visualization in Hybrid-Agile projects can happen with various board views. For example, below is a Backlog Board view for a Hybrid-Kanban project. There are 4 workflow states or columns with which we can visualize the flow.
Predictive work should be contextualized to phases. Instead of having a long waterfall project, break the project into various phases.
Contextualization and breaking of project work into various phases can be done with the Gantt Chart view. For example, the view below shows the possible phases of a Hybrid-Agile project.
As shown, we have a number of contextualized phases: Start-up, Planning, Development, Test, Deploy and Close.
Principle – 7: Have frequent integration points between predictive and adaptive elements to reduce risks.
It’s important that you have frequent integration points between predictive and adaptive work.
This can be achieved through integration work and integration testing. The integration points are shown in the below figure with black lines between two value-delivery elements: Waterfall/Sequential and Agile.
This way the risk of unsuccessful delivery doesn’t happen.
Again, do note that much detailed explanation has been given in the course.
To recap, the principles are shown in the below figure. With this, you can quickly remember and recall the principles.
You can also watch the below video to have a brief recap on the seven principles of Hybrid-Agile Management [Duration: 7m:29s].
Throughout the CHAMP certification course, these principles are applied – be it Hybrid-Scrum, Hybrid-Kanban or Hybrid-ScrumBan management. As you appear for the exam, prepare and practice them in the real-world, these pricinciples will be equally important.
Principles are important in life and learning, because principles don’t change; rather, the underlying practices change. Principles, by its very nature, are like natural laws, e.g., gravity, daily sunrise. Natural laws don’t change. Rather, practices underlying the principles change, e.g., waking up before sunrise or after sunrise.
As the well-known saying goes: Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; but teach a man how to fish, and feed him for a life time.
Effectively, principle does that – teach a person to fish. The surroundings can change, the weather can change, the water torrent can change, but still the person can fish if the person knows the principles of fishing.
With these basics, let’s understand briefly the principles of Hybrid-Agile Management. These principles are taken from the Certified Hybrid-Agile Master Professional (CHAMP) course. I believe you will be seeing these principles for the first time. Hence, take your time to go through and understand. As I've seen many projects use Hybrid-Agile approaches and in such cases, you can apply these principles.
Note: When you subcribe to the CHAMP certification course (or PMP, RMP, ACP, CAPM or any other video course), you can join my regular Management Review Sessions, whenever applicable. It'll be completely free of cost to you.
In the first part of this series, I’ve outlined the first four principles of Hybrid-Agile Management. These are brief explanations. In-depth explanations with videos are available in the CHAMP course.
Principle – 1: Customize the approach according to the need.
There is no point in debating unnecessarily on waterfall and avoiding it completely. A lot of time is wasted thinking what aspects of waterfall should or should not be taken in. Teams debate and discuss it for long. However, a phase-based sequential (waterfall) model does work when you have clarity in design and requirements. There is no point reinventing the wheel.
On the other hand, Agile works when you have high churn in requirements and technology. This is where an iterative and incremental model fits in.
Hence, it’s wise to combine and customize your approach according to the needs of your customer.
As shown above, when you customize, you can take a set of approaches together such as Waterfall/sequential, Scrum, Kanban, XP (engineering practices) etc.
Principle – 2: Keep your team close, keep your customer closer.
Team delivers the work; customer uses that work. Team success is important. Customer success is more important. Without customers, there is no product, team or project.
Customers’ perspectives will be different than yours (and team). Understand what the customer wants and needs. This also reflects the first principle, which says “Customize the approach…”.
But why is it a principle? Because in Hybrid-Agile the team structure will be different compared to traditional waterfall or plain Agile. If you have work in such a project, you’ll understand both the importance of such a structure, team and more importantly, the involvement of customers.
Principle – 3: Adapt your mindset to the approach being used.
Customizing the approach is needed, but it's not enough. You also need to couple and complement it with a mindset change. Without mindset change, you can’t produce the deliverables properly. You and your team will struggle.
Waterfall/traditional approach usually follows a detailed, up-front and plan-driven mindset. And you deliver at the end of the project or at phase gates for a multi-phase project. However, do note that even in waterfall, changes are taken not only via change control, but totally new requirements are also accepted in other ways such as progressive elaboration and rolling wave planning.Many won't tell you that! Rolling wave planning is briefly explained in the next principle (Principle - 4).
Agile, on the other hand, follows a change-driven mindset and you deliver incrementally as well as sometimes iteratively as in Scrum (or no iteration as in Kanban, but it’s incremental).
Principle – 4: Welcome and embrace change in requirements.
The idea is not to accept change, or just adapt to changes. But welcome change. Embrace change.
Change can happen for both waterfall and Agile. Change is accepted in both approaches, though the way differs.
A number of management practitioners think that change in waterfall is always tightly controlled. It’s not always the case. Change in waterfall/sequential can also happen with rolling wave planning, which is a form of iterative planning technique. Iterative planning is one of the cornerstones of Agile.
Agile, as I’ve informed in many articles and specifically in this article of Why and When to Go for Agile Lifecycle, is both iterative and incremental. As it’s iterative the focus remains on requirement fine-tuning or correctness of solution. It’s also incremental, which increases the speed of delivery.
As you go through the course and sit in the CHAMP certification exam, you need to be aware of these principles. Throughout the course, these principles are applied – be it Hybrid-Scrum, Hybrid-Kanban or Hybrid-ScrumBan management. In the next part, we will see the final set of principles.
If you have any feedback, comments or suggestions on these principles, please put them below in the comment section. I'll respond and I'll learn from you.
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