Differences in Approaches
Explore the key differences among Agile approaches, focusing on work units, project preparation, estimation strategies, iteration types, role definitions, and deliverable products. This lesson helps you understand how lightweight and middleweight Agile methods vary to adapt to diverse project environments and objectives.
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Besides their aforementioned similarities, the various Agile approaches also differ in many areas.
Unit of work
Agile approaches differ in the unit of work they propose. Extreme Programming and Scrum use user stories. Feature-driven development uses features. Smart uses smart use cases and OpenUP regular use cases. DSDM uses a prioritized requirements list. However, none of the Agile approaches are stuck in a prescribed unit of work. We’ve participated in DSDM and Scrum projects that used smart use cases.
Preparation
In lightweight Agile, a project starts when the backlog is established. Little attention is given to project preparation. Middleweight approaches do focus on this preparation. They use preparatory iterations to determine the objectives, scope, and stakeholders. An inventory is often made of the requirements and work items, a first architecture drafted, estimates calculated, and a project plan written.
Estimating
Estimating happens at ...