The discussion around agile software development methods being considered Project Management processes brings up a core issue that has been around for a long time.
What do we mean when we say Project Management, when we say Project? Here's one starting point. There are other starting points, but this one is straight forward. It's the PMBOK Process Groups, with the PMBOK Knowledge Areas arranged under them. From the PMBOK Point of View, this is the full coverage set of processes and knowledge areas that are in place when you're managing a project.
Now when we start a conversation about an agile software development method being equivalent to PMBOK's project management framework, maybe it would be useful to ask a few questions.
- Does the proposed software development method have coverage for the elements of this diagram?
- Is this coverage equivalent in the ways PMBOK describe? Beyond just a name?
