Choosing Work
One of the most challenging parts of leading an Agile team is developing a work plan without a formal project plan. For Agile and Scrum, all work is pulled from the product backlog, a giant list of To Do items. This is a hard transition for most people to make. Out of habit, people are used to doing project plans in MS Project. That method isn't necessarily bad on an Agile team. Let's compare the two methodologies:
Formal Task Hierarchy
After the problem to be solved is identified, the scope, work breakdown structure and project plan are developed. The work to be done is divided into components and further decomposed into small, discrete tasks and assign dates and deadlines.
Iterative Tasks
General goals for the product are developed in terms of what people need to do. The first few steps are identified and team members work on each task, reporting the work done.
When to Use Each
Like assigning work, the method of choosing work should be applied appropriately.
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Formal Task Hierarchy |
Iterative Tasks |
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The software project also has a material component, like a hardware device, printed materials, or other item that uses up real-world goods. |
The majority of the project is software-based. |