Systematic Review of Performance Metrics in Agile and Traditional Project Management

• Author(s): Ejielo Ogbuefi ; Jeffrey Chidera Ogeawuchi ; Abraham Ayodeji Abayomi ; Andrew Ifesinachi Daraojimba ; Oyinomomo-emi Emmanuel Akpe
• Paper ID: 1708520
• Page: 244-258
• Published Date: 29-02-2020
• Published In: Iconic Research And Engineering Journals
• Publisher: IRE Journals
• e-ISSN: 2456-8880
• Volume/Issue: Volume 3 Issue 8 February-2020

Abstract

The evolving landscape of project management has witnessed the parallel growth of Agile and Traditional methodologies, each offering distinct frameworks, tools, and success criteria. This systematic review aims to explore and evaluate the performance metrics employed in both Agile and Traditional project management practices, with the goal of identifying convergences, divergences, and performance implications across varying project environments. By critically analyzing peer-reviewed literature, empirical studies, and industrial reports published between 2010 and 2020, this review synthesizes insights from over 80 sources using PRISMA guidelines to ensure methodological rigor. The findings reveal that Traditional project management, often associated with Waterfall and other linear models, emphasizes scope, cost, schedule adherence, and quality as primary performance indicators. In contrast, Agile methodologies prioritize velocity, customer satisfaction, team responsiveness, and adaptability to change. While Agile metrics such as sprint burndown charts and lead time enhance flexibility and rapid delivery, Traditional metrics like earned value management and critical path analysis remain instrumental for governance, planning accuracy, and resource control. A significant insight from the review is the emerging trend of hybrid models that integrate metrics from both paradigms to balance flexibility with control. Additionally, the review highlights the contextual relevance of metrics; for instance, Agile metrics perform better in software development and innovation-driven projects, whereas Traditional metrics are more effective in infrastructure and highly regulated environments. The study also identifies gaps in the literature, such as inconsistent definitions of success, limited cross-industry comparative studies, and underrepresentation of stakeholder satisfaction and long-term project impact as performance criteria. This systematic review concludes that no single set of metrics is universally superior. Instead, metric selection should align with organizational goals, project complexity, and stakeholder expectations. Future research is recommended to develop adaptive metric frameworks that can dynamically respond to changing project variables and organizational maturity.

Keywords

Agile Project Management, Traditional Project Management, Performance Metrics, Systematic Review, Hybrid Methodologies, PRISMA, Project Success Criteria, Earned Value, Sprint Velocity, Stakeholder Satisfaction.

Citations

IRE Journals:
Ejielo Ogbuefi , Jeffrey Chidera Ogeawuchi , Abraham Ayodeji Abayomi , Andrew Ifesinachi Daraojimba , Oyinomomo-emi Emmanuel Akpe "Systematic Review of Performance Metrics in Agile and Traditional Project Management" Iconic Research And Engineering Journals Volume 3 Issue 8 2020 Page 244-258

IEEE:
Ejielo Ogbuefi , Jeffrey Chidera Ogeawuchi , Abraham Ayodeji Abayomi , Andrew Ifesinachi Daraojimba , Oyinomomo-emi Emmanuel Akpe "Systematic Review of Performance Metrics in Agile and Traditional Project Management" Iconic Research And Engineering Journals, 3(8)