What is a Hybrid Approach?
A hybrid approach mixes predictive and adaptive methods within one project: typically predictive where scope is stable and regulated (hardware, construction, compliance) and agile where it's uncertain and fast-moving (software, UX). It's tailoring applied to the development approach itself.
Roughly half the 2026 PMP exam assumes agile or hybrid contexts, so the skill isn't choosing a camp — it's matching the method to each component's uncertainty. Hybrid done badly is "waterfall with standups"; done well, each stream uses the governance it actually needs.
Worked example
A medical-device project runs the hardware stream predictively — fixed milestones, formal design reviews, FDA documentation — while the companion app iterates in two-week sprints against user feedback. One steering committee, two cadences, and an integration milestone where the streams must meet.