Agile methodology is a well-known process utilised in both project management and product development because of its emphasis on flexibility, collaboration, and focus on customer demands. Agile encourages the project to be divided into shorter, more manageable increments, which are frequently referred to as iterations or sprints, allowing teams to adapt quickly to changes and provide value regularly. As the 17th State of Agile Report states , 70% of IT teams are now utilising agile practices; there has also been a notable level of adoption related to agile practices among teams that have similar implementations, such as product, engineering, and R&D.
This blog will explain the fundamental concepts of agile methodology, its variations and frameworks like Scrum, Kanban, Lean, and Crystal, and give real-world applications of each. It will also explore approaches for using agile practices, discuss the advantages and disadvantages of agile, and introduce the 12 principles of agile. By applying agile methodology, organisations can succeed in achieving their objectives, have positive interactions with team members, and create a better experience for their customers.
Agile methodology is a project management in its entirety is a structured, iterative cycle that creates an environment of flexibility, collaboration, and improved performance. Agile methodology specifically is focused on the delivery of projects in smaller features or increments, in order for teams to adapt to change, promote efficiency, and increase customer satisfaction.
The agile methodology is designed to improve project delivery by breaking the work into more manageable work cycles called sprints, promotes and encourages collaboration between functional teams, provides transparency, and optimises the delivery of the work output through executing sprints. The agile method framework is a plan to improve any organisation's value delivery speed, ensuring risk is minimised and requirements can be changed when necessary.
The agile methodology is highly regarded for its customer satisfaction focus, communication, and faster project delivery. When teams are working in iterations, the sooner they can solicit feedback, the fewer mistakes and less wasted time will occur. Ultimately, projects become more dynamic, flexible, and results oriented.
The agile methodology includes 12 principles developed to help teams focus on value delivery, adapting to change, and continual improvement. These principles serve to keep projects flexible, focused on the customer, and centred around teams.
1. Customer Satisfaction: Provide useful software in the shortest timescale in order to enhance customer satisfaction.
2. Welcoming Change: Request a change, even late in development, to benefit the customer.
3. Frequent Delivery: Deliver working software frequently, from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, with a preference for the shorter timescale.
4. Collaboration: Business people and developers must work together daily throughout the project.
5. Motivated Teams: The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organising teams.
6. In-Person Communication: The best way to deliver information is through direct conversation.
7. Working Software: Progress is mostly measured by working software, not by documentation.
8. Sustainable Pace: Keep a constant pace in development so that it will be sustainable over the long term.
9. Technical Excellence: Always pay attention to technical excellence and good design, as this increases agility.
10. Simplicity: Maximise the work that is not done by keeping the solution simple.
11. Self-Organisation: Self-organising teams deliver the best designs and best solutions.
12. Regular Reflection: Teams periodically reflect and adjust to become more effective over time
The Agile methodology incorporates several frameworks to support teams in facilitating project delivery with improved efficiency. Each type employs its own specific practices, yet they all align with the original Agile values of welcoming changing requirements, working together, and delivering continuously in a working environment . Below are five main types of frameworks:
Scrum incorporates short, time-boxed iterations, called sprints, to deliver a working solution, based on a measurable, defined piece of work. The team reflects on the work done, supporting increased teamwork and accountability, and allows for making changes, as needed, in real time, during and after sprints.
Displays work on boards to visualise your workflow, track progress, and limit work in progress. Kanban offers a great way to help teams effectively manage their workload and improve their workflow to improve quality and deliver consistency in work without overwhelming your team.
Focuses on improving technical practice through a number of practices like pair programming, test-driven development, and continuous integration. Ultimately, providing high-quality software and receiving frequent customer feedback.
This method originated from Lean manufacturing, and it explicitly aims to eliminate wastes, create efficiencies, and deliver value quickly to customers. Lean prides itself on continuous learning, time usage, and resource optimisation. Lean also gives teams the authority to focus on customer satisfaction and delight by eliminating non-value-added activities.
It is a framework that organises and delivers software at a rapid pace. It relies on continuous user involvement to allow for frequent delivery. It also controls for deadlines and budget. DSDM also takes quality into account using stringent governance processes and iterative development.
A software development team creating a mobile app can rely on agile to develop the app in smaller chunks and not all at one time. Each chunk, or sprint, can handle a specific feature such as the login system or messaging feature, and is released to users/stakeholders for comment and feedback.
This process is continuous and allows for adjustments and improvement, depending on user input, and highlights a good portion of the risk for mega bug errors. Continuous feedback is beneficial for progression and adhering to the timeline with a deliverable app. Agile makes for a collaborative development practice between developers and their clients and leaves a final product that is functional, effective for the user, and meets expectations.
To establish agile methodology, one must take a structured approach. The agile methodology process assists organisations in developing iteration cycles, collaboration, and feedback mechanisms effectively. Here's a detailed guide, step by step:
The first act is to establish as much agreement as possible around the project goals and some common understanding of the customer’s needs. This allows teams to identify potential success or failure that aligns with the business objectives and project outcomes. Articulating and documenting vision clearly will help teams stay focused through the project.
Part of creating the agile methodology is building a team that is cross-functional with representatives of developers, testers, and product owners, if you have those. Teaming is different from agile, as the mindset of working together must be established for the agile project to be successful. Every team member should have a clearly defined role to increase collaboration, accountability, and ownership.
A backlog is the list of all the project requirements, tasks, and features grouped. The items in the backlog are prioritised, so the team focuses on getting to the items that have the most value first. Frequent updates to the backlog allow for adjusting to changes as they happen.
You will break the project into smaller increments (sprints), usually lasting 2-4 weeks. Each sprint must produce a working solution that can be reviewed and improved upon. A sprint planning meeting will help the team set realistic goals within its capacity for the sprint.
Hold short cell meetings daily for the team to discuss what they have accomplished, any blockers, and then what they plan to do next. Daily stand-ups ensure transparency and can remediate blockages quickly. Stand-ups also support team accountability and communication.
Like any framework, agile methodology has its strengths and limitations. Understanding both helps organisations decide when and how to implement it effectively for project success. Below is a simple comparison of the pros and cons of agile methodology:
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