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The Project Management Triangle and Agile's Approach

The Project Management Triangle, also known as the "iron triangle" or "triple constraint," illustrates the balance between scope, time, and cost in project management. The triangle suggests that these three elements are interconnected: changing one affects the others. For example, increasing the scope of a project may require more time or resources (cost). Traditionally, project management methodologies often fix the scope and estimate the time and cost needed to achieve it.

Agile project management offers a different approach. Instead of fixing the scope, Agile methodologies fix time and resources (cost) and allow the scope to be flexible. This approach is based on the Agile Manifesto's principle of "responding to change over following a plan."

How Agile Fixes Time and Resources

• Fixed Sprints: Agile projects are divided into short iterations called "sprints," which have a fixed duration (e.g., two weeks). This time-boxed approach ensures that the team delivers working software regularly.

• Fixed Team Size: Agile teams are typically cross-functional and self-organizing, with a consistent team size throughout the project. This helps maintain a stable resource level.

• Flexible Scope: Within each sprint, the team focuses on delivering the highest-priority features from the product backlog. If not all features can be completed within the sprint's fixed time and resources, the lower-priority ones are moved to a future sprint.

Benefits of Agile's Approach

• Delivering Value Early and Often: By fixing time and resources, Agile ensures that the team delivers working software increments at regular intervals, providing value to the customer throughout the project.

• Adapting to Change: Agile's flexibility in scope allows teams to respond to changing requirements and customer feedback effectively.

• Improved Collaboration: Agile emphasizes collaboration between the development team, the product owner, and other stakeholders, ensuring that the project aligns with customer needs.

• Efficient Resource Use: By focusing on delivering the most valuable features within fixed constraints, Agile helps teams use resources efficiently.

In summary, Agile project management addresses the limitations of the traditional project management triangle by prioritizing flexibility and customer value. By fixing time and resources and allowing scope to vary, Agile teams can deliver high-quality products that meet evolving customer needs.

Further reading;

• Manage variables

• Burndown Charts

• Cycle time