Waterfall v Agile. Really?!?!

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"Project management isn’t defined by a lifecycle. However, lifecycles shape how projects play out sometimes. 

Waterfall? One way through. No backtracking. Structure rules. It’s influenced traditional PM for decades.

Agile? Not just a lifecycle. It’s a mindset. Fast and Iterative." 

Really? Really!! My reply was"

Sorry mate. But the only way Waterfall is "No Backtracking" is due to the effects of "linear time" which applies to all humans no matter what "method" we use. 

Agile is just the application of PDCA cycles, it didn't invent them and PDCA has existed in projects since day dot. 

IF a PM is not checking/adjusting his schedule forecast often then they are not suffering from using "Waterfall", they are suffering from being crap at managing his planned work against changing circumstances. 

The idea that a project plan and schedule is bolted down to a ten ton lead weight once constructed is one of the most ridiculous ideas that "Agile" mindset proponents make.

Most plans with a cascading set of activities presented in a Gantt chart, what some think is "Waterfall", will need to adjust forecast activities (based on tracked Actuals) almost immediately.

The same adjustments to be made on scope changes, budget changes... et al.

This review process uses the oldest "trick" in the book. Plan - Do - Check - Act (PDCA).

AND its not a once off activity. Good PMs constantly check their plan. Constantly adjust the plan, over and over, and over.

So please, if you have no understanding how to manage a very standard project schedule in the real world, stop claiming "Waterfall" is what it is not and that somehow "Agile" holds a unique position in adjusting on the fly.