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Please note that our syllabus has now moved and can be found on our website here:

https://www.teachingpublicservice.digital/en/syllabus-index

This page is no longer being maintained.

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<aside> 💡 See other units in the syllabus

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Learners vs Planners: Agile vs Waterfall

What is this page?

This is a detailed breakdown of how David Eaves, a Lecturer at the University College London's Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose (UCL IIPP), teaches the contents of Unit 3 of the open access syllabus developed by Teaching Public Service in the Digital Age. Read how part two of Unit 3 is taught here.

This page is part of a series of twenty-five classes that David developed originally for the Harvard Kennedy School's master and executive education programs, where he taught for eight years, and are now taught at UCL's master and applied learning programs.

We believe presenting diverse ways to teach the syllabus will help others adopt and teach the material in various contexts. See here how Konstanz University's Prof Ines Mergel teaches the same unit.

Who is this page for?

This page was developed for university faculty who teach public administrators or master's levels students in public policy and public administration. This material may also be suitable for teaching to upper year undergraduates.

Class Overview

Over the past one to two decades 'agile' project management methodologies have become increasingly popular in the tech sector. These 'agile' approaches take a more adaptive approach to a problem, compelling creators to test their products frequently with users in quick iterations (sometimes called sprints). The idea is based on the assumption that the unknown unknowns of a project are vastly greater than either knowns or known unknowns, meaning it is critical that plans, approaches and even a determination of what will ultimately work should remain flexible.

This approach runs in sharp contrast to how governments prefer to run - with a strong emphasis on planning and the belief that any unknown unknowns can be determined and accounted for before any work begins.

In the first part of this class students engage in group exercises to learn what is particular to each project management methodology and when to use them. The second part focuses on the implications the rise of 'agile' approaches for the public sector.

<aside> 📖 By the end of this class students should be able to:

• Distinguish between waterfall and agile project management practices and describe some of its core features
• Decide when to use each project management practice
• Describe some of the characteristics of 'Fake Agile' projects whereby traditionally managed projects and overall governance appropriate the language of iteration but not its practices or impact
• Describe some of the systemic barriers to agile usage in government

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How this class relates to the Digital Era Competencies

<aside> 💡 This class has a specific focus on **Competency 4 - Iteration.** See all eight Digital Era Competencies here.

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Assigned Reading and Practical Resources

As they work through the readings in advance, students should have in mind the following questions to help them prepare for class:

• Think of projects that you have worked on over the past couple of years. Identify one where a waterfall approach was more appropriate and one where an agile approach was more appropriate.