flowchart TD
START["🤔 Choosing a delivery approach"]
START --> Q1{"Are requirements
well-defined and stable?"}
Q1 -->|"Yes — clear scope"| Q2{"Is the technology
well-understood?"}
Q1 -->|"No — evolving"| Q3{"Is the customer
available for feedback?"}
Q1 -->|"Partially"| HYBRID
Q2 -->|"Yes"| PRED["📐 PREDICTIVE
(Waterfall)"]
Q2 -->|"No — new tech"| HYBRID["🔀 HYBRID"]
Q3 -->|"Yes — engaged"| AGILE["🏃 AGILE"]
Q3 -->|"No — limited access"| HYBRID
PRED --> P_USE["Use when:
• Construction, manufacturing
• Regulatory/compliance heavy
• Fixed-price contracts
• Clear deliverables"]
AGILE --> A_USE["Use when:
• Software development
• Innovation/R&D
• Rapid market changes
• Customer collaboration"]
HYBRID --> H_USE["Use when:
• Mixed certainty levels
• Some components clear, others not
• Organizational transition to agile
• Large programs with sub-projects"]
style START fill:#fff7ed,stroke:#ea580c
style Q1 fill:#fef3c7,stroke:#b45309
style Q2 fill:#fef3c7,stroke:#b45309
style Q3 fill:#fef3c7,stroke:#b45309
style PRED fill:#dbeafe,stroke:#2563eb
style AGILE fill:#dcfce7,stroke:#16a34a
style HYBRID fill:#ede9fe,stroke:#7c3aed
style P_USE fill:#dbeafe,stroke:#2563eb
style A_USE fill:#dcfce7,stroke:#16a34a
style H_USE fill:#ede9fe,stroke:#7c3aed
| Dimension | 📐 Predictive | 🏃 Agile | 🔀 Hybrid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Requirements | Fixed upfront | Evolving, emergent | Mix of fixed and evolving |
| Planning | Detailed upfront | Just-in-time, iterative | High-level upfront + iterative detail |
| Delivery | Single delivery at end | Incremental every sprint | Phased with incremental components |
| Change | Formal change control | Backlog reprioritization | Both mechanisms |
| Customer involvement | Beginning and end | Continuous | Varies by component |
| Risk approach | Identify early, plan responses | Reduce through short iterations | Both strategies |
| Team structure | Functional, role-based | Cross-functional, self-organizing | Mixed |
| Documentation | Comprehensive | Just enough | Tailored per component |
| Success measure | Scope delivered on time/budget | Value delivered to customer | Both |
| Best for | Construction, compliance, hardware | Software, innovation, R&D | Large programs, transitions |
~50% of the exam involves agile or hybrid. Don't prep waterfall-only.
Tailoring is key. PMI doesn't say one approach is always better — the right answer is "tailor to the project context."
Hybrid is often the "safe" answer when the scenario describes mixed characteristics.
"Iterative" ≠ "Agile". Iterative means repeating cycles. Incremental means delivering in pieces. Agile is both. Predictive can be iterative too (e.g., prototyping).
flowchart LR
subgraph pred ["📐 PREDICTIVE"]
direction LR
P1["Initiate"] --> P2["Plan"] --> P3["Execute"] --> P4["Close"]
end
subgraph iter ["🔁 ITERATIVE"]
direction LR
I1["Cycle 1
Build → Feedback"] --> I2["Cycle 2
Refine → Feedback"] --> I3["Cycle 3
Final → Deliver"]
end
subgraph incr ["📦 INCREMENTAL"]
direction LR
N1["Increment 1
Feature A"] --> N2["Increment 2
Feature B"] --> N3["Increment 3
Feature C"]
end
subgraph agil ["🏃 AGILE (Iterative + Incremental)"]
direction LR
A1["Sprint 1
Build + Deliver"] --> A2["Sprint 2
Build + Deliver"] --> A3["Sprint 3
Build + Deliver"]
end
style pred fill:#dbeafe,stroke:#2563eb
style iter fill:#fef3c7,stroke:#b45309
style incr fill:#fce7f3,stroke:#c026d3
style agil fill:#dcfce7,stroke:#16a34a