How to represent an iterative sprint within your schedule list

Question

In an agile approach we can use tools like kanban to plan, measure and monitor sprints. But when we need to use schedule systems like MS Project or any other online collaboration tool that works like MS Project to show reports or gantt diagrams to our customers (because some of them work like this yet), how do you represent a recursive agile sprint execution within your classic schedule system?

In traditional PM:

1. You create your WBS.
2. You reach the work package level.
3. You define your tasks for that work package in your schedule system.
4. You set up a baseline.
5. You update progress.

Imagine that you are still going from classic to agile and you need to build a classic schedule management purposes. Normally you cannot add activities that are not aligned with your work package and are going over your triple constraint.

Do you normally add blocks of tasks with feature 1 version 1 and later feature 1 version 2 within the same deliverable and so on? How can you know how many iterations can be run in advance for same feature?

Answer 1

If I had to use a project management system like MS Project to manage an agile project, then I would simply represent each iteration as a work package, and if necessary, add the analysis, design, development, testing and release tasks to every iteration.

But I would do all of this with teeth gritted and fists clenched because using a traditional scheduling tool to manage an agile project is the wrong tool for the wrong job.

I'd be concerned that whoever is asking for a classic schedule doesn't understand agile estimating and planning.