Which is "better", predictive or Agile approach?

Which is the "better" approach, predictive or Agile?

For some years there has been polarization in the project management area about which approach is more efficient, today less intense, but still present in several planning meetings.

• For defenders of the predictive approach, agile lacks predictability, lacks documentation, does not serve complex or large-scale projects, agile only works in software projects....
• For defenders of Agile, predictive cannot adapt to changes, fails for innovative projects, is too bureaucratic......

When extreme opinions are involved, the debate would last forever.

But the world is VUCA and for projects it could not be different. Thinking about a portfolio, today more than ever it has been becoming hybrid, where adopting only one approach is not a guarantee of success for your projects.

Therefore, Hybrid Portfolios are the best way to plan and execute projects. In some cases the predictive approach will be more efficient, in others Agile, even mixing the approaches. There is no better or worse, night and day for projects; there is the most appropriate approach.

Concept of applying the principles of agility and lean thinking to portfolio management, seeking to add the maximum value to the client in the shortest possible time. It is independent of the project management approach used: predictive, adaptive and hybrid.

First of all, we need to have some principles so that the PMO delivers these values.

1. Define what value is: What are the benefits expected by the personas created; the one who defines it is the client through knowledge of their needs, being what they desire.
2. Map and prioritize the value generation flow: What are the delivery flows to achieve the desired value? Map and prioritize them.
3. Create a continuous flow of value: Optimizing the flow so that it is continuous, not generating bottlenecks and waste.
4. Respond to customer demands: The same bias as pull production; the market and current scenarios are what "drive" it. Pulled implementation has already worked very well with technology.
5. Seek perfection: Simply never stop improving, studying and seeking smarter and more efficient solutions, continuous improvement.

To help in this process, there are some frameworks to scale agility up or down in portfolios.

1. Disciplined Agile ® (DA)
2. SAFe ®
3. AgileSHIFT ®
4. Scrum Scale®
5. Business Agility Management® (BAM).

In short, there is no better or worse, there is what is most appropriate to our needs.