Hybrid Delivery: Busting Myths About Agile and Traditional Methods"

The debate between agile and traditional delivery often feels like a standoff: agile is framed as fast, empowering, and iterative, while traditional methods are dismissed as rigid, hierarchical, and outdated. But this framing creates a false dilemma. The reality? Success comes down to execution, mindset, and behaviour, not the label on your approach.

1. Agile Empowers Teams, Traditional Methods Don’t

It’s easy to romanticise agile as the champion of empowered teams and dismiss traditional methods as command-and-control. But that ignores the reality on the ground:

• Great Project Managers have always looked after their teams, ensuring workloads are manageable, risks are controlled, and people feel supported.

• Bad Scrum Masters, on the other hand, can bully teams into unsustainable practices, hiding behind buzzwords like "sprints" and "velocity."

Empowerment isn’t baked into any framework—it’s driven by leadership and execution. Agile can create space for team autonomy, but only if the people implementing it have the right mindset.

2. Small Batches of Work Are a Revolutionary Agile Idea

One of agile’s selling points is delivering value in small, frequent batches. But phased delivery has been doing this for decades:

• Phased Deployments: Traditional projects have long used minimum feature sets to derisk large-scale initiatives, releasing usable increments early and often.

• Execution Matters: When phased delivery fails, it’s often due to poor benefits realisation or management—not the approach itself.

Agile didn’t invent iterative delivery—it reframed it. The real challenge remains the same: ensuring that every increment of work delivers measurable value.

3. Product Discovery Is a New Agile Concept

Agile champions product discovery as a core practice: gathering feedback, iterating, and refining ideas continuously. But let’s not forget:

• Progressive Elaboration: Traditional delivery frameworks have long embraced this concept, refining scope as more is learned.

• Rolling Wave Planning: Another familiar practice that mirrors agile’s discovery cycles, just under a different name.

The tools are similar; the difference lies in how teams use them. Both approaches can succeed—or fail—depending on how well discovery and planning are executed.

4. Agile Saves Us From Bad Management and Poor Behaviour

Agile is often positioned as a cure-all for dysfunctional organisations. But here’s the truth:

• Bad Management exists in every framework. Poor behaviour—whether micromanagement, unrealistic expectations, or unsustainable work practices—isn’t unique to traditional methods.

• Agile as a Cause: While agile has provided teams with a “cause” to advocate for sustainable practices, it hasn’t eliminated bad behaviours—it’s just given them a new arena to play out in.

The term “sprint” itself can sometimes undermine agile’s goal of sustainable pace, creating unnecessary pressure rather than fostering iterative success.

The Real Difference: Execution and Mindset

The common thread between agile and traditional delivery is that both succeed or fail based on how they’re executed:

• Good Execution: Focuses on people, collaboration, and outcomes, regardless of the framework.

• Poor Execution: Leads to inefficiencies, frustration, and unmet goals—whether it’s under the guise of a Gantt chart or a Kanban board.

The best outcomes come from moving beyond rigid dogma. Instead of debating frameworks, we should focus on:

1. Behaviours: Are teams empowered, supported, and aligned?

2. Outcomes: Is the work delivering real value, regardless of the method?

3. Adaptability: Are we using the right approach for the context, blending techniques when needed?

Final Thought: Bridging the Divide

Agile and traditional delivery aren’t opposites—they’re two sides of the same coin. Concepts like product discovery, phased delivery, and risk management aren’t new—they’re just evolving under different names. The real question isn’t “Agile or Traditional?” but “How can we use what works, when it works, for the people it serves?”

Curious how delivery coaching can help optimise outcomes for your teams, regardless of the framework? Let’s connect to explore how tailored guidance can unlock your delivery potential."
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