Traditional project management, also known as Waterfall Management, is the process of planning, guiding and controlling a project from beginning to completion using more rigid processes and strict adherence to plans. With traditional methods, projects are laid out with each milestone carefully pre-planned and task-oriented.

Agile project management follows a different dynamic. The core idea of agile is to work small tasks within a larger framework of goals that may change over time. It allows for collaboration between teams and has an emphasis placed on customer feedback and incremental improvement. Agile works best when there are short deadlines and rapidly changing requirements. It is suitable for tackling complex problems or those which cannot be planned in advance.