For years, project delivery has often been framed as a choice between Waterfall or Agile—predictive or adaptive, structure or flexibility. In reality, most organizations operate somewhere in between. Different types of work require different levels of certainty, control, and responsiveness. This is where hybrid delivery becomes not just useful, but essential.
As complexity increases, timelines tighten, and regulatory and stakeholder expectations grow, a single delivery approach is rarely enough. Different types of work demand different levels of certainty, control, and adaptability. This is where hybrid delivery moves from theory into practice.
The following examples show how organizations intentionally combine Waterfall and Agile across different contexts—applying structure where it’s required, and flexibility where it creates the most value.
Waterfall + Agile
A common example of hybrid delivery is the intentional combination of traditional predictive (Waterfall) and adaptive (Agile) approaches within the same initiative. Rather than treating them as competing methods, hybrid delivery applies each where it adds the most value. Waterfall is typically used upfront to establish structure through planning, governance, budgets, timelines, and approvals. Within this framework, Agile supports iterative execution, enabling teams to deliver incrementally, gather feedback, and adapt as work progresses. In this model, Waterfall defines what must be delivered, while Agile defines how the work is done—balancing predictability with flexibility.
This principle applies across a wide range of environments.
IT Projects
In IT projects, different components naturally carry different levels of risk and certainty. Predictive planning is often used upfront for infrastructure, hardware, security, and integration dependencies, providing clarity and governance. Once this foundation is in place, Agile practices support software development and configuration, allowing teams to deliver iteratively and respond to feedback. The result is controlled yet responsive technology delivery that aligns structure with adaptability.
Construction Projects
Construction projects also benefit from hybrid delivery. Core structural work—such as design approvals, permits, foundations, and major installations—relies on detailed upfront planning where safety and compliance are critical. At the same time, elements like interior finishes, layouts, landscaping, and technology integrations often evolve based on client preferences. A hybrid approach uses Waterfall to define scope, schedule, budget, and milestones, while Agile supports how selected components are refined, maintaining predictability while allowing flexibility where change adds value.
Compliance-drive Projects
In compliance‑driven projects, strong governance is non‑negotiable, but delivery momentum still matters. Waterfall is typically used upfront to define mandatory requirements, documentation, approvals, and compliance milestones, ensuring traceability and audit readiness. Once these boundaries are established, Agile practices support iterative delivery within those constraints. In this context, Waterfall defines what must be complied with, while Agile defines how solutions are delivered—balancing regulatory control with adaptability and incremental value.
Agile Stage Gates
Governance itself can be hybridized through the use of Agile stage gates. In hybrid approaches, stage gates introduce formal oversight without undermining iterative delivery. Waterfall principles define the gate structure, approval criteria, and compliance expectations, while Agile teams work iteratively between gates, delivering value in short cycles and presenting outcomes for review at key milestones. These gates focus on results rather than activities, allowing leadership to maintain oversight while teams retain flexibility.
Parallel Hybrid Approach
At the organizational level, hybrid delivery often operates in parallel across portfolios. A parallel hybrid approach recognizes that organizations rarely run a single initiative at a time. Some projects may use Waterfall, others Agile, and some a hybrid of both—running concurrently across the portfolio. With shared governance and coordinated planning, predictive approaches provide control where needed, while adaptive approaches enable innovation where flexibility adds value.
Marketing Campaigns
Marketing campaigns present a different challenge. They often combine fixed timelines and committed budgets with the need to respond quickly to market feedback. A hybrid approach applies Waterfall principles upfront to define campaign objectives, budgets, timelines, and approval checkpoints, providing alignment and control. During execution, Agile practices support iterative content creation, testing, and optimization based on performance data. Waterfall defines what the campaign must deliver, while Agile defines how it is executed—balancing control with creativity and responsiveness.
Cognitive AI Projects
Hybrid delivery is also particularly effective for cognitive AI projects, which combine high uncertainty and experimentation with strong requirements for governance and ethics. Waterfall principles are applied upfront to define business objectives, data governance rules, ethical constraints, and approval checkpoints. Within these boundaries, Agile practices support iterative model development, experimentation, and learning. In this model, Waterfall defines what must be achieved and governed, while Agile defines how learning and improvement occur—enabling innovation without losing control.
Summary
Hybrid delivery is not about blending methods for the sake of it—it is about intentional application. By aligning delivery approaches to the nature of the work, organizations gain the structure they need without losing the adaptability they value. In increasingly complex environments, hybrid delivery reflects how work actually gets done—and why it continues to grow as the dominant delivery model.
What these examples have in common is not a specific framework or methodology, but a mindset. Hybrid delivery is not about blending Waterfall and Agile indiscriminately—it is about intentional choice.
When organizations align delivery approaches to risk, uncertainty, and business need, they gain both control and adaptability. Structure supports clarity and accountability. Flexibility enables learning and responsiveness. Together, they reflect how work actually gets done.
Hybrid delivery is no longer an exception—it’s becoming the norm for organizations navigating complexity at scale.
Where could a more intentional hybrid approach improve outcomes in your organization?
Hope you can catch one of my upcoming PMI Training Hybrid Project Management courses.
