Adaptive (agile) approach

Adaptive approaches (Scrum, Kanban, XP, SAFe — the family commonly called 'agile') iterate scope around fixed time-and-cost boxes. Plans evolve constantly; the product backlog is reprioritised every iteration; customer/users provide regular feedback that shapes what's built next. The trade is predictability of *scope* for predictability of *cadence* and *learning*.

PMBOK 8e situates adaptive as the right fit when requirements are uncertain or evolving, when frequent feedback delivers genuine value, when fixed end-dates dominate over fixed-scope contracts, and when teams are small enough to self-organise (PMBOK references the classic 'three-to-nine' team size from adaptive frameworks). Adaptive depends on Build an Empowered Culture.

Common adaptive artefacts: product backlog (prioritised list of work), increment (the produced output of one iteration), definition of done (the criterion for accepting an increment), retrospective (structured reflection at iteration end). The PM role transforms: more facilitation and servant-leadership, less directive control.