# Waterfall, agile and hybrid delivery methodologies

*Platform Development Lifecycle and Deployment Architect Study Guide · Application Lifecycle Management · Last updated October 26, 2026 · https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/platform-development-lifecycle-and-deployment-architect/application-lifecycle-management/waterfall-agile-and-hybrid-delivery-methodologies*

How to pick waterfall, Scrum, Kanban or a per-workstream mix from what is known when work starts, what the Agile Manifesto and lean principles change about planning, documentation and quality, and how definition of ready and definition of done govern a team's work.

- Certification: Salesforce Platform Development Lifecycle and Deployment Architect
- Exam section: Application Lifecycle Management
- Study guide: https://www.certifyforce.com/study-guide/platform-development-lifecycle-and-deployment-architect

**Official exam objective:**

> Given the project risk and customer requirements, explain how to assess the benefits and risks of the different development methodologies and recommend the appropriate governance strategies based on the customer maturity.

## What the exam expects

- Assess a project with the standard questions (what is known, clarity of objectives, requirements and solution, team and stakeholder experience, complexity) and recommend waterfall, agile or a mix per workstream.
- Choose between Scrum, Kanban and Scrumban from how plannable and interruption-driven the work is.
- Apply the four Agile Manifesto values and tell "being agile" from "doing agile".
- Separate a definition of ready (when work may start) from a definition of done (when work is finished).
- Recommend lean practices, including quality owned by the people who build the change, and scale governance to the customer's maturity.

Key terms: **waterfall** (everything planned up front, each step finished before the next); **agile** (deliverables built incrementally from the start); **Scrum** (defined roles, meetings and deliverables in short sprints); **Kanban** (continuous flow limited by work-in-progress limits); **definition of done** (everything required before work counts as done); **definition of ready** (what a work item needs before anyone starts it).

## Key facts

| Fact | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Waterfall vs agile | Waterfall for simple or complicated predictable work; agile for complex work based on feedback, risk and innovation | [Why Salesforce Adopted Agile](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/salesforce-agile-basics/understand-why-salesforce-adopted-agile) |
| No single mandated process | Each team defines its own from lean principles and continuous improvement | [Lean Principles](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/salesforce-agile-basics/learn-to-use-lean-principles) |
| Kanban signal | At least 25% of work changing mid-sprint suggests Kanban | [Choose the Best Workflow](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/scrum-and-kanban-at-salesforce/choose-the-best-workflow) |
| Manifesto values | Four "X over Y" values; the right-hand items still have value | [Agile Basics](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/salesforce-agile-basics/learn-the-basics-of-agile) |
| Being agile | People focus, continuous learning, frequent value and delight | [Agile Basics](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/salesforce-agile-basics/learn-the-basics-of-agile) |
| Definition of done | Everything required before work is truly done | [Why Salesforce Adopted Agile](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/salesforce-agile-basics/understand-why-salesforce-adopted-agile) |
| Definition of ready | What a work item needs before anyone starts it | [Lean Principles](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/salesforce-agile-basics/learn-to-use-lean-principles) |
| Build Quality In | Hybrid engineers cover coding and testing; no separate quality engineer title | [Lean Principles](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/salesforce-agile-basics/learn-to-use-lean-principles) |

## Check yourself

- Why do some teams combine Scrum and Kanban as Scrumban?
- When does urgent incoming work fail to justify a switch from Scrum to Kanban?
- Which four examples of waste does Salesforce's Eliminate Waste principle list?
- When is Scrum the better choice than Kanban?

## Sources

- [Understand Why Salesforce Adopted Agile](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/salesforce-agile-basics/understand-why-salesforce-adopted-agile)
- [Learn the Basics of Agile](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/salesforce-agile-basics/learn-the-basics-of-agile)
- [Learn to Use Lean Principles](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/salesforce-agile-basics/learn-to-use-lean-principles)
- [Choose the Best Workflow](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/scrum-and-kanban-at-salesforce/choose-the-best-workflow)
- [Learn About Scrum](https://trailhead.salesforce.com/content/learn/modules/scrum-and-kanban-at-salesforce/learn-about-scrum)
- [Operational Excellence (Well-Architected)](https://architect.salesforce.com/docs/architect/well-architected/guide/operational-excellence.html)

## About the full unit

The "Core concepts", "Exam traps" and "Worked scenario" sections of this unit, its 9 linked practice questions, and unlimited timed mock exams are included with the Platform Development Lifecycle and Deployment Architect pack (USD $19): https://www.certifyforce.com/practice-exams