From Waterfall to Iterative Lifecycle - A Tough Transition for Project Managers
Philippe Kruchten
Rational Software Corp. All Rights Reserved.
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Abstract
In this paper, some of the challenges of iterative development are described
from a project manager's perspective. This document also discusses some of the
common "traps" or pitfalls we've seen through our consulting experience,
and from reports and war stories related by our colleagues.
The waterfall model made it easy on the manager and difficult for the engineering
team. Iterative development is much more aligned with how software engineers
work, but at some cost in management complexity.
Although iterative development is more difficult than traditional approaches
the first time you do it, there's a real long-term payoff. Once you understand
how to do it well, you'll find you've become a much more capable manager, and
you'll find it easier to manage larger, more complex projects. And once you
get an entire team to understand and think iteratively, the method scales are
much better than traditional approaches.
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