Week 1 · Adaptive Planning Program

1. The Evolution of Planning: From Waterfall to Agile

30 min

The traditional “Waterfall” model assumes we live in a predictable world where input A leads to output B, but modern public health crises are rarely that linear. In this lesson, we shift paradigms from rigid multi-year planning to the iterative, adaptive cycles of Agile methodology.

We explore Public Health 3.0, the necessity of cross-sector collaboration, and why you must learn to view your program plan as a hypothesis to be tested rather than a script to be followed.

Practice quiz

Question 1
According to the lesson, which mindset shift best captures the move from Waterfall to Agile in public health planning?
- Treating the program plan as a fixed multi-year script that staff must execute precisely.
- Treating the program plan as a hypothesis to be tested through iterative, adaptive cycles.
- Treating the program plan as a budget document optimized once and locked for the funding period.
- Treating the program plan as a compliance checklist driven by federal reporting deadlines.
Question 2
Why does the lesson argue that the Waterfall model struggles with modern public health crises?
- Because Waterfall requires too many staff members to operate effectively.
- Because Waterfall does not produce documentation suitable for grant reporting.
- Because Waterfall assumes a predictable world where input A reliably leads to output B, while modern crises are rarely linear.
- Because Waterfall is incompatible with electronic health record systems.
Reflection 3
In your own words, explain what Public Health 3.0 implies about cross-sector collaboration and why that matters for adaptive planning.

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