Agile refers to how a project management methodology could fit with respect to value delivery in the short term with flexibility and collaboration. From software development and marketing to education, understanding the mind-set of agility and its fundamental methodologies can do wonders for making teams more adaptable, possibly better communicators, and even to a level of more effective resultant performances. This beginner's guide will take you through what Agile is all about, its core principles, and how it is indeed reinventing work across different industries.
What is Agile?
Agile refers to a group of approaches originally created for software development but that are today widely used in other ways. Agile has become the very backbone of many famous project management methodologies. In itself, it could even be applied to the company's entire modus operandi. That is, agile organisations tend to be flexible rather than rigid, thus being able to better respond to change.
In classic project management, there usually exists a linear progression of tasks through various stages in the project life cycle. One stage needs to be accomplished before the next one can start. Continuous feedback is facilitated within the Agile process so that team members can respond to threats and challenges whenever they arise.
What is Agile methodology?
Agile methodology is a project management framework that usually breaks a project into dynamic phases known as sprints. Strengthen your abilities in Agile with the Agile Project Management course offered by the British Academy for Training and Development. The iterative nature of the Agile framework allows teams to hold a lesson-learnt meeting after every sprint where they reflect on what went well and what did not so that they can adjust their plans for the next sprint.
Benefits of the Agile development methodology
Agile project management is typically utilised in application development or any form of software development. Software is always getting modified; thus, the requirements of the product must change along with it. Because of these reasons, linear project management techniques, such as the waterfall model, do not function well. Here are several additional reasons as to why the teams embrace Agile:
1. Agile methods are adaptable.
For an obvious reason, it is called Agile methodology. An important advantage of Agile development methodology in software development is adjusting the process quickly without hindering the project flow.
In the case of waterfall, since the phases smoothly flow into one another, changing strategies is a difficult task that often leads to disruptions in subsequent effects on the project roadmap. Here lies the fact that changing this software project within a project management setting is so much more flexible. Hence the reason why Agile project management wins in software development.
2. Agile encourages teamwork and collaboration.
Another one of the guiding principles of Agile says that face-to-face conversation is by far the most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a development team. Joining this with the value that calls for breaking down project silos creates a tremendous advantage for collaborative teamwork. While technology has changed since the first days of Agile and work has shifted toward more remote-friendly policies, the spirit of face-to-face collaboration has never died.
3. Agile methods focus on customer needs.
This is something different in software development compared with other industries: that teams can work with the needs of the customer much closer. Cloud-based software now provides quick feedback from actual customers.
Customer satisfaction is a key driver for software development. Hence, it is easy to consider this in the Agile process. Working with the customers enables Agile teams to prioritise features that have to do with customer needs. When those needs change, then teams need to be agile and switch to a different project.
Types of Agile methodologies
This continues into different patterns such that though the umbrella term is the Agile framework, its variations include the following examples.
1. Scrum
Scrum is perhaps the most common Agile methodology and is mainly used by small teams and also involves sprints. The team is headed by a Scrum master whose main job is to clear all obstacles for others executing the day-to-day work. Scrum teams set up a daily scrummage where they get to discuss everything about the active tasks, blockages, and anything else that may affect the development team.
Sprint planning: This really is the event that kicks off the sprint. It defines what is to be delivered in a sprint (as well as how).Sprint retrospective: It is a recurring meeting that acts as the sprint review for iterating over learnings from a previous sprint to improve and streamline the next sprint.2. Adaptive Project Framework (APF)
Adaptive project management, or APM, is an adaptive project framework based on what is termed "unknown unknowns". Whenever something expected happens in a project, it can turn its head into completely unexpected kinds of events. Most IT projects whose needs aren't met by adapted project management techniques require this technique.
This framework postulates about possibilities of changes in project resources at any time. An example is budgets possibly changing, timelines shifting, or team members under a project transitioning to another team. Rather, the focus of the APF is the resources that a project has and not the target resources that a project needs.
3. Extreme Project Management (XPM)
XPM goes beyond that – it could be understood as the management of very complex projects with uncertainty. Under this vision of project management, methodologies must undergo an iterative adaptation until they converge with that desired state. This kind of project could often be called spontaneous change, and in fact, it is not unusual for the teams to switch strategies quite often from one week to the next.
XPM is characterised by an increasing demand for flexibility. This is one of the reasons why sprints are so short – the longest last only a few weeks. It allows for frequent swings, trial-and-error approaches to problems, and many iterations of self-correcting.
4. Adaptive Software Development (ASD)
This Agile methodology enables teams to quickly adapt to changing requirements. The main focus of this process is continuous adaptation. The phases of this project type – speculate, collaborate, and learn – allow for continuous learning as the project progresses.
It’s not uncommon for teams running ASD to be in all three phases of ASD at once. Because of its non-linear structure, it’s common for the phases to overlap. Because of the fluidity of this type of management, there’s a higher likelihood that the constant repetition of the three phases helps team members identify and solve problems much quicker than standard project management methods.
Agile Project Management PrinciplesEarly and continuous delivery of software to customer satisfaction.It is believed that customers are more satisfied when they are able to receive software regularly without having to hold on for long periods.Accommodate changing requirements throughout the course of development.This principle aims to eliminate delays after express requests for feature changes.Frequent delivery of working software.This becomes possible because of the software sprints and iterations under which the team works. This way, it makes possible the delivery of functional software on a regular basis.Collaboration between the business stakeholders and developers throughout the project.This principle points out that collaboration is more possible if the business and the technical domain come together.Support, trust, and motivate the people involved: motivation is the key to delivering quality work. Teams that are trusted and motivated perform better than teams that lack trust, motivation, and overall support.Interaction between individuals: Face-to-face interaction is the heart of successful team development.The most important measure of progress is considered to be the product fully functional. Ultimately, the progress is measured by how much functionally working software can be delivered to the customer.Rules of Agile Methodology
There are also the five rules of Agile project management. The following five rules apply to any Agile methodology, summing up the four core values and twelve basic principles of the Agile Manifesto:
Development is focused on the customer.The team is self-organised.The pace of development is sustainable.The development stems from basic functionalities and products.Changes during development are acceptable and accepted.