Differentiating traditional and agile project management approaches

Abstract

The project management (PM) theory has been criticized, resulting in a new approach known as the Agile Project Management (APM) approach. The assessment of these two approaches is challenging due to the lack of parameters that are available to aid in distinguishing them from one another. The objective of this paper is to identify critical differences between project management practices that are capable of revealing the appropriate project management approach to be adopted by a company. First, a project management practices list was developed and classified according to each approach. Comparing practices that have originated from each approach made it possible to identify the difference regarding how the actions are performed, instead of what tools or techniques are used. Additionally, six main characteristics of project management actions were identified that make it possible to differentiate between the traditional or agile approach in use. This result can be very useful in future research as a guide in the development of more confident approach assessment instruments.