In the "olden days" (namely, the last decade or so), project management offices (PMO) had to choose between execution methods - with more traditional methods, such as waterfall, taking the lead. But today, it's no longer a debate of "either waterfall or agile". At least, it shouldn't be.
Instead, PMOs are embracing a bimodal approach to programme and project management. "Bimodal IT," as Gartner defines it, is the practice of implementing more than one execution methodology within a PMO in order to support portfolio, programme, and project execution. It's about being able to choose the right execution model based on the nature of the project at hand. It's about combining stability and flexibility.
In this white paper, we discuss some of the challenges of integrating agile methods with traditional methodologies, the fallacies that have arisen around doing so, and how to successfully employ both agile and traditional methods without sacrificing executive visibility or communicating metrics, despite varying units of measure.
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