Agile Vs. Plan-Driven Development, What are the differences between both

Agile Vs. Plan-Driven Development, What Are the Differences Between Both?

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In Plan-driven development, all the actions are planned, and can easily measure the progress in advance. And always shows the results at the end of the product. So, the term ‘Plan-Driven Development’ focuses on the action plan based on executing specific tasks.

While Agile development is a process where all the activities are planned step by step and can change the plan as per the client’s requirements. So, the term ‘Agile Development is the process-based technique where a person can modify the planning and the other things. And can replace them with the most appropriate ones.

Let’s comprehend both the terms well and their project development in detail.

What is Agile?

Agile is based on the group of software development methodologies set up on iterative development. Where the solutions and requirements improve through the collaboration between the cross-functional and self-organizing teams, it also represents the development process related to the agile platforms. And typically promotes effective project management that ultimately boosts variation and frequent checks. However, from a leadership point of view, Agile development encourages self-organization, liability, teamwork, and much more.

Agile Software Development

The software development works around the iterative development aspect of Agile Software Development. Where the solution and needs revolve through an alliance between cross-functional and self-organizing teams, it also allows teams to offer rapid value with brilliant prediction, quality, and change. Meanwhile, Scrum and Kanban methods are used to implement agile software development effectively.

Below you can find the process of Agile to effectively manage a project.

The Process of Agile Project Management

The agile processes focus on dividing the major projects into more controllable activities, completed in rapid iterations during the project lifecycle. And the teams who implement the agile methodologies can optimize workflow faster and transform project requirements.

Today, marketing agencies and multiple software companies are particularly aware of the tendency to transform the projects. So, the agile process lets the team to be prepared and effectively change the focus and direction. It allows teams to reconsider and adjust their tasks in provided additions to assure that the task and customer focus will change.

However, managing the agile project can be difficult at first because the work cycle begins with planning, executing, and evaluating. But once you are done with these things, you will be on the path to developing a short cycle with standard product releases.

What is Scrum?

Scrum is the most lightweight process framework for agile development and it is a subset of Agile. And the term ‘process framework’ includes a specific set of activities followed to make a consistent framework. It requires the practice of the development cycles called the Sprints and the Extreme programming (XP). While the term ‘light weight’ represents to keeps the process as simple as possible. That maximizes the quality of productive time to make the effective work done.

Today, the Scrums manage complicated product and software development by using incremental and iterative activities. Plus, the benefits of agile and scrum help the software development company to enhance their performance output and provide the estimates to spend less time on developments.

Is Scrums & Agile Are Plan-Driven or Value-Driven?

The scrums are the standard process framework that isn’t only limited to agile software development but plan-driven development also. In Scrums, we use iterative and cyclic practices instead of phase orientation. Because the implementation and planning are parallel, and the team is building for future purposes.

Simultaneously agile development is only the value-driven approach where the actions are already planned. In agile, the schedule and price are supposed to change, but the needs are fixed. And the reporting status depends on the performance of the work.

The Benefits of Agile Development

The benefits of agile development can grasp the difference between both approaches. And makes the teams more reactive to requests, provides high-value features and offers the practices with short and rapid cycles.

· Development Team

Agile can reduces the non-productive work of the development team and makes them more efficient.

· The Vendors

By using agile metrics, vendors can increase work efficiency, decrease wastage, reduce overhead, and provide high-value features.

· Scrum Masters

The scrum masters catch and address the issues rapidly and can plan the daily meetings. Plus, they can be aware of the project state.

· Product Owners

The work of the development team aligns with the product owners’ needs. It also regulates the opportunities to re-consider the work and deliver the maximum value.

· C-Level Executive and Project Management Officers

The visibility of consistent project development regulates the strategies based on the detailed information and plans it effectively with minor speculations.

Plan-Driven Development

The plan-driven development is the software development method used to develop all the features to establish the final product. And determines how all the features are formed. Therefore, it is an action plan that relies on performing a set of specific tasks.

The Process of Plan-Driven Development

The plan-driven development process tries to anticipate and arrange each feature the team wants in the final results. And formulates how effective it is to build these features. So, the plan-driven development uses all the output of software engineering to make all the stages of software development timely. And focus on setting a program that includes work schedule completion, available resources, and the work breakdown. Plus, it can’t only use the model of the waterfall but incremental development as well.

However, the process of plan-driven development organizes team members’ roles, probabilities of arising strategies, prospects, and risk analysis. And allows locating the people to report and monitor the system.

Plan-Driven model in software production?

It is a process where the actions are planned at the beginning, and the progress is measured from the plan. So the planning is simpler and incremental to modify the procedure with minor changes.

To make it more clear, here are a few characteristics of the plan-driven model in software production:

  • In a plan-driven model, you can focus on predictability and repeatability that can be performed through a proper documentation process.
  • It includes some unique resources like process controlling and monitoring.
  • And you can find the detailed workflow, roles, plan, responsibilities, and work descriptions.

The Home Grounds – Agile Vs. Plan-Driven

Parameters

Agile Development

Plan-Driven development

Reliance In agile, the reliance depends on tacit interpersonal knowledge. In plan-driven development, the reliance depends on the customer capability level.
Architected For current requirements only For foreseeable and the current requirement both
Teams Smaller teams Larger teams
Premium On rapid value On high-assurance
Refactoring Inexpensive Expensive

To Recap

To summarize the information mentioned above, agile development focuses on iteration. Where the requirements and designs are made together. While in plan-driven software development, the delivery is possible, and the model is typically incremental.

FAQ’s

What is Agile and why it is used?

The agile methodology involves repeated testing and development in the software development lifecycle process. It focuses on incremental, evolutionary, and iterative development.

What is a scrum in Agile?

Scrum is a sub-set of agile and the process framework for agile software development. It uses to manage complicated product and software development by using incremental and iterative activities.

What are the steps in the agile methodology?

The steps that include in agile methodology is the project planning, roadmap creation, release, sprints, daily stand-ups, and sprint review.