As agile software development methods increase in use, confusion arises due to the apparent mismatch between underlying project management principles and techniques of agile methods. IT leaders employing agile methods for the first time must understand how the phases of iterative development map to the Project Management Institute's (PMI) Project Management Book of Knowledge (PMBOK) to avoid project management pitfalls.

The Project Management Book of Knowledge

While traditional project management approaches are widely used within organizations, the processes for running agile projects are quite different from traditional approaches. Agile goes beyond development team activities, and changes the way project sponsors, users and stakeholders are engaged.

The PMI is the world leader in the project management profession.  With over 200,000 members worldwide, the PMI's PMBOK is widely accepted by organizations and professionals alike as best practice within the project management discipline.

The PMBOK Process Group defines the standards for managing projects as...