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Discussion on: Mockery of agile

 
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Jason C. McDonald • Edited

Waterfall is never done right, though.

Once again, I must disagree. If this were the case, we would have never shipped a single usable software project prior to the invention of Agile. In fact, not only was software shipped, but some of that same software is still in use, and sometimes is more stable and reliable than some of its modern equivalents. So, Waterfall cannot be unilaterally altogether incompatible with completing a project.

It assumes infinite foresight and precision planning that must never fail or falter.

The way it is usually done, yes. Waterfall has issues, many of which Agile attempted to address.

That said, I've seen many of the same assumptions and mistakes made with Agile.

In reality: both methods would theoretically work well, but for human folly. I've used both successfully, and (more often), I've cherry-picked from both techniques (and others besides) to tailor the exact methodology needed for a single project.

When it comes to methodologies, anytime anyone says "X always works" or "X never works", that demonstrates they have failed to understand the vast majority of components in the problem they're trying to solve. (That's not a personal attack; I just find that to be universally true.)