QSO 435 Milestone Three Guidelines and Rubric

03/28/2026

Introduction

Agile project management is an emerging technique that could help organizations to present products within a reduced time span and efficiently address change. The vice president of its operations is concerned with adopting the Agile model of operation, as opposed to the conventional waterfall model. Agile has been argued in favor of in this paper through the comparison with waterfall and the impact it has on the scope of the project, role, and responsibility, besides how the business requirements are captured.

Against the side criticism of the Agile Approach.

Agile is more focused on flexibility, the improvement of a continuous nature, and the constant delivery of the outcome. According to Brasen et al. (2025), Agile teams work under small cycles, which are called sprints, rather than waiting until the end of a project to develop a complete product. With each sprint, a work product increment that can be reviewed and improved is created. This is to reduce risk in the project as the problems are recognized at an early stage and solved before they become costly. Another way through which Agile will improve customer satisfaction is that the stakeholders are included in the process and can provide feedback at a frequent rate. In addition, Agile improves cooperation since communication is consistently upheld and progress is discussed regularly.

Differences between Agile and Waterfall.

Waterfall is a more conventional method that is concerned with a chronological approach. The other stages must not commence before the planning, design, development, testing, and implementation stages are completed. According to Layton et al. (2025), the initial requirements are usually gathered at the first stage, and the changes introduced at a later stage can be difficult and expensive. A waterfall is appropriate when there are defined requirements that are constant.

Agile is an iterative process. Reporting is done at regular intervals, and the work is done in small parts. Agile is more adaptable as the changes may be brought up in the project, and the technique may be applied in such environments where business requirements can be altered.

The Effect of Agile on Scope, Roles, and Responsibilities.

With waterfall, the scope is determined early on, and any changes have to be formally approved. Agile has a flexible scope, and the work is prioritized according to business value. This makes sure that the organization gets to concentrate on the most critical features first.

Roles also differ. Waterfall is a project that made use of the project manager to exercise control over planning and decision-making. In Agile/Scrum, there is a sharing of responsibilities. The Product Owner prioritizes, the Scrum Master facilitates the process and clears the way, and the development team coordinates the work on how the work is going to be accomplished.

Modeling Business Requirements.

Conventional project management embodies the requirements in documents prepared at the onset, in elaborate documentation. According to Layton et al. (2025), Agile records the requirements in a product backlog in the form of user stories. These requirements are reassessed and revised during the project development, and they are put in line with the business requirements.

Conclusion

Agile is a desirable method, as it promotes flexibility, quicker delivery, and constant feedback from stakeholders. Agile is more effective in dealing with change, enhancing collaboration, and making sure that the project will bring maximum business value as compared to the waterfall model.

References

Brasen, L. P. H., & Tambo, T. (2025). Agile and asset management: Efficiency in decision-making for operational life-cycle projects in transmission system operators. Energy Research & Social Science, 129, 104383.

Layton, M. C., Ostermiller, S. J., & Kynaston, D. J. (2025). Agile project management for dummies. John Wiley & Sons.

Roy, K., & Dacre, N. (2026). Digital Transformation in Automotive Manufacturing: A Hybrid Project Management Approach.