Agile started as a lightweight development method compared to heavyweight software development, which is the core paradigm of the previous decades of software development. By 2001 the Manifesto for Agile Software Development was born as a set of principles that defined the new paradigm for software development as a continuous iteration. This would also influence the way of doing business.
| Aspect | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Concept Overview | Agile Methodology is an iterative and flexible approach to software development and project management. It emphasizes collaboration, adaptability, and customer feedback throughout the development process. Agile methodologies, such as Scrum, Kanban, and Extreme Programming (XP), were developed as alternatives to traditional, rigid project management methodologies. The Agile Manifesto, introduced in 2001, outlines the core principles and values that guide Agile development practices. Key principles include delivering working software in short iterations, welcoming changing requirements, and fostering frequent communication among team members and stakeholders. Agile aims to enhance product quality, reduce development time, and increase customer satisfaction. |
| Core Principles | Agile methodologies are guided by several core principles: 1. Customer Collaboration: Encouraging continuous customer involvement and feedback to ensure the delivered product meets their needs. 2. Responding to Change: Embracing changing requirements, even late in the development process, to provide the best possible outcome. 3. Delivering Working Software: Prioritizing the delivery of functional, tested software in short, iterative cycles. 4. Collaboration and Communication: Promoting collaboration among cross-functional teams and maintaining open and frequent communication. 5. Individuals and Interactions: Valuing individuals and their interactions over processes and tools. 6. Self-Organizing Teams: Trusting and empowering teams to make decisions and manage their work. |
| Methodologies | Agile encompasses various methodologies, including: 1. Scrum: A framework that divides work into time-bound iterations (sprints), with a focus on roles, ceremonies, and artifacts. 2. Kanban: A visual management method that emphasizes continuous flow and limits work in progress (WIP). 3. Extreme Programming (XP): Emphasizes coding standards, continuous integration, and test-driven development (TDD). 4. Lean Software Development: Adapts lean manufacturing principles to software development, aiming to eliminate waste and optimize value delivery. 5. Crystal: Offers a flexible approach with different flavors (e.g., Crystal Clear, Crystal Orange) based on project complexity. |
| Key Practices | Agile methodologies include various key practices: 1. Daily Stand-Up (Scrum): Short daily meetings to discuss progress and plan the day’s work. 2. Backlog Prioritization: Maintaining a backlog of tasks and prioritizing them based on customer and business value. 3. Iterative Development: Breaking the project into small iterations or increments, delivering functional software at the end of each iteration. 4. Retrospectives: Regularly reflecting on the team’s performance and identifying areas for improvement. 5. Continuous Integration: Integrating code changes into the main branch frequently to detect and resolve issues early. 6. User Stories (Scrum): Describing features from a user’s perspective to define requirements. 7. Test-Driven Development (TDD): Writing tests before coding to ensure code quality and functionality. |
| Applications | Agile methodologies have applications beyond software development, including: 1. Project Management: Agile principles can be applied to manage various projects, not just software development. 2. Product Development: Used in designing and developing physical products. 3. Marketing: Agile marketing involves iterative campaigns and responding to changing market conditions. 4. Education: Agile principles are applied in educational settings to adapt curriculum and teaching methods. 5. Healthcare: Agile is used for managing healthcare projects and improving patient care. 6. Research and Development: Agile practices can enhance innovation and research projects. |
| Benefits and Impact | Agile methodologies offer several benefits and have a significant impact: 1. Improved Quality: Frequent testing and continuous integration lead to higher software quality. 2. Flexibility: Agile allows for changing requirements, which is crucial in dynamic environments. 3. Faster Time to Market: Short iterations lead to quicker delivery of valuable features. 4. Enhanced Collaboration: Agile fosters teamwork and communication among team members and stakeholders. 5. Customer Satisfaction: Continuous customer involvement ensures the delivered product meets expectations. 6. Adaptability: Agile practices enable organizations to adapt to evolving market conditions and customer needs. |
| Challenges and Critiques | Challenges in implementing Agile include resistance to change, difficulty in estimating project timelines, and potential conflicts in self-organizing teams. Critics argue that Agile may not be suitable for all project types and that it can lead to scope creep and a lack of documentation. However, proponents emphasize that proper implementation, training, and adaptation to project requirements are essential for Agile’s success. |
Quick Intro to the Agile Methodology
In 2001, a group of seventeen software developers met to discuss these lightweight development methods, with the aim of challenging the old assumption of heavyweight software development.
They forged “The Agile Alliance,” as a group of independent thinkers about software development, which agreed on the Manifesto for Agile Software Development.
Together they published the Manifesto for Agile Software Development. It comprises twelve guiding principles from which many applications (comprising Scrum) were born.
- Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through the early and continuous delivery of valuable software.
- Welcome changing requirements, even late in development. Agile processes harness change for the customer’s competitive advantage.
- Deliver working software frequently, from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, with a preference to the shorter timescale.
- Business people and developers must work together daily throughout the project.
- Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need, and trust them to get the job done.
- The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a development team is face-to-face conversation.
- Working software is the primary measure of progress.
- Agile processes promote sustainable development. The sponsors, developers, and users should be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely.
- Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design enhances agility.
- Simplicity–the art of maximizing the amount of work not done–is essential.
- The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams.
- At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly.
Agile in Project Management
The APM framework is based on the Agile Manifesto, which was originally written to guide software development.
However, the four critical values listed in the manifesto can be applied to almost any industry that meets consumer needs.
They are:
Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
In the face of advanced technology, the APM framework still recognizes the importance of human input.
Working software over comprehensive documentation
When project teams avoid being bogged down by small, insignificant details, they can focus on delivering results.
Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
Traditionally, customers are only involved at the beginning and end of project management.
However, in APM, the customer is involved with every step of the process to ensure their input is incorporated.
Responding to change over following a plan
Agile project management works with change instead of actively trying to resist it.
It emphasizes creating a minimum viable product (MVP) at regular intervals as the process moves from iteration to iteration.
Agile In Software Development And Beyond
The Scrum elements
The Scrum methodology comprises three main components and a set of rules.
The Scrum Team
Within the team, there are three primary roles.
It is important to remark that there is no hierarchy in the Scrum methodology.
But each of the team members will be accountable for a specific part of the project.
- The Product Owner: this person is primarily accountable for managing the completed increments of work.
- The ScrumMaster: this person does anything possible to help the team perform at the highest level.
- The Development Team: There are no titles in the Development Team. The main aim is to break down the product into items that can be incrementally implemented
Scrum Events (so-called Ceremonies)
- The Sprint: 2-4 weeks period in which a specific part of the work is completed
- Sprint Planning: those are meetings to assess which part of the product can be completed
- The Daily Stand-up: it is a short meeting of no more than 15 minutes to evaluate the progress of the project
- The Sprint Review: a demonstration to present the work completed during the sprint
- The Retrospective: final team meeting to assess what worked and what didn’t to improve the process
Scrum Artifacts
- Product Backlog: outlines every requirement for a system, project or product. It can be a to-do list consisting of work items
- Sprint Backlog: list of items to be completed during the sprint
- Increment: is the list of items completed after the last software release
Scrum Rules
The team will define those rules according to the organization’s values and expectations. Thus there isn’t a simple set of rules to follow.
Agile in Business Design
Design sprints are highly collaborative and experimental with a focus on the end-user. The approach is based on design thinking, which advocates a human-centered approach to innovation and rapid prototyping.
A typical design sprint follows this basic structure:
Monday
On the first day, the challenge is clearly identified and a strategy is devised for the rest of the week to overcome it.
Who is the end-user and what are their needs?
Tuesday
The sprint team brainstorms potential solutions and sketches various solutions that may have merit.
Wednesday
From the list of solutions created on Tuesday, the team selects those that have a realistic chance of solving the problem by the end of the week. Then, each sketched solution is turned into a storyboard.
Thursday
Storyboards are turned into working prototypes that are ready for testing.
Friday
On the last day, prototypes are shown to key stakeholders and tested for viability.
Agile for Startups
Beyond Agile and into Lean Methodologies
Tech Business Modeling
When and How to Use Agile Methodology:
Agile methodology can be used in various project scenarios:
- Software Development: Agile is commonly used for software development projects, particularly when requirements are not fully known upfront.
- Product Development: Agile is suitable for developing and refining new products or features, enabling quick adaptation to user feedback.
- Complex Projects: Projects with evolving requirements or a need for rapid response to changes benefit from Agile’s flexibility.
- Cross-Functional Teams: Agile is effective when cross-functional teams with diverse skills collaborate closely.
To implement Agile methodology effectively:
- Scrum or Kanban: Choose an Agile framework like Scrum or Kanban that aligns with your project’s needs and goals.
- User Stories: Define user stories to capture customer requirements and prioritize them based on value.
- Sprints or Iterations: Organize work into time-boxed iterations, typically 2-4 weeks, to deliver incremental value.
- Daily Stand-Ups: Hold daily stand-up meetings to ensure team alignment and address any obstacles.
- Continuous Feedback: Gather feedback from customers or stakeholders at regular intervals to guide development.
Benefits of Agile Methodology:
Agile methodology offers several benefits:
- Flexibility: Agile adapts to changing requirements, reducing the risk of outdated or irrelevant deliverables.
- Faster Delivery: Incremental development leads to quicker delivery of valuable features or products.
- Customer Satisfaction: Prioritizing customer needs increases satisfaction and loyalty.
- Reduced Risk: Frequent testing and feedback help identify and address issues early in the project.
- Improved Collaboration: Cross-functional teams foster collaboration and knowledge sharing.
Potential Drawbacks of Agile Methodology:
While Agile has many advantages, it also has potential drawbacks:
- Complexity: Agile can be challenging to implement, particularly for large or distributed teams.
- Lack of Structure: Some projects may require more structure and predictability than Agile provides.
- Overemphasis on Customer Input: In some cases, excessive customer input can lead to feature creep or scope changes.
Key Highlights
- Agile Software Development Origins: Agile emerged as a response to the shortcomings of heavyweight software development methodologies, which often led to lengthy and inflexible development cycles. The Agile Manifesto, created in 2001, marked a significant shift in software development philosophy. The manifesto’s authors, a group of software developers, recognized the need for a more flexible, adaptive approach that could accommodate changing requirements and deliver value incrementally.
- Agile Manifesto Principles: Each of the twelve Agile Manifesto principles addresses a core aspect of Agile software development. For example:
- “Satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of valuable software” emphasizes customer-centricity and frequent software releases.
- “Welcome changing requirements, even late in development” underscores the flexibility of Agile processes to adapt to changing needs.
- “Deliver working software frequently” promotes a cadence of regular software releases, ensuring a steady flow of value to customers.
- Agile in Project Management: Agile Project Management (APM) takes the principles of Agile software development and applies them to project management beyond just software projects. By breaking projects into smaller iterations, teams can maintain adaptability and respond to changing circumstances more effectively. The emphasis on collaboration, customer involvement, and responsiveness aligns well with modern project management needs.
- Scrum Methodology: Scrum is one of the most popular Agile methodologies. Its emphasis on self-organizing teams, iterative development, and regular feedback loops enhances project flexibility and accountability. Scrum’s roles (Product Owner, ScrumMaster, Development Team) and ceremonies (Sprint, Planning, Stand-up, Review, Retrospective) provide a structured framework for effective teamwork and communication.
- Agile in Business Design: Design sprints are a practical application of Agile principles in the realm of business design and innovation. These time-boxed workshops help teams rapidly ideate, prototype, and test solutions to business challenges. By involving cross-functional teams, end-users, and stakeholders, design sprints foster collaboration and user-centered design.
- Agile for Startups: The Lean Startup methodology, championed by Eric Ries, emphasizes validating assumptions and learning from customers as quickly as possible. Building a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) enables startups to gather feedback early, iterate based on real-world usage, and pivot if necessary. This approach reduces the risk of building a product that doesn’t meet customer needs.
- Lean Startup Canvas: The Lean Startup Canvas builds upon the Business Model Canvas by focusing on customer problems, proposed solutions, key metrics, unfair advantages, and value proposition. This canvas helps startups deeply understand their target audience, refine their value proposition, and identify the critical metrics that indicate progress and success.
- Tech Business Modeling: A tech business model encompasses multiple dimensions crucial for success:
- Value Model: Clearly defines the value proposition, mission, and vision of the business.
- Technological Model: Focuses on managing research and development to ensure innovation and competitiveness.
- Distribution Model: Outlines how the product or service will be marketed, sold, and delivered to customers.
- Financial Model: Includes revenue modeling, cost structure, profitability analysis, and cash flow management.
| Framework | Description | When to Apply |
|---|---|---|
| Scrum | – Scrum is an Agile framework that emphasizes iterative development, with small, cross-functional teams working in short cycles called sprints. – It includes roles like Product Owner, Scrum Master, and Development Team, as well as ceremonies such as Sprint Planning, Daily Standups, Sprint Review, and Sprint Retrospective. | – When developing complex products or solutions where requirements may evolve, using Scrum to manage iterative development, foster collaboration among team members, and deliver incremental value to stakeholders. |
| Kanban | – Kanban is an Agile framework focused on visualizing work, limiting work in progress (WIP), and maximizing flow. – It uses a Kanban board to represent work items and their progress through different stages, helping teams identify bottlenecks and optimize their workflow. | – When managing workflows with a focus on continuous improvement and minimizing waste, implementing Kanban to visualize work, limit WIP, and optimize flow through the system. |
| Lean Software Development | – Lean Software Development applies principles from Lean manufacturing to software development, aiming to eliminate waste, amplify learning, and empower teams. – It emphasizes customer value, optimizing the whole system, and relentless improvement. | – When seeking to deliver value to customers quickly, reducing waste in the development process, and continuously improving efficiency and effectiveness, applying Lean principles to software development practices. |
| Extreme Programming (XP) | – Extreme Programming (XP) is an Agile framework focused on engineering practices that enable rapid and high-quality software development. – It emphasizes practices such as test-driven development (TDD), pair programming, continuous integration, and frequent releases to ensure code quality and responsiveness to changing requirements. | – When prioritizing technical excellence and rapid feedback in software development, adopting XP practices to improve code quality, promote collaboration among team members, and deliver working software incrementally. |
| Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) | – Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe) is a framework for scaling Agile across large enterprises, providing guidance on roles, responsibilities, and ceremonies at the team, program, and portfolio levels. – It offers various configurations for different organizational contexts, including Essential SAFe, Large Solution SAFe, and Full SAFe. | – When scaling Agile practices across large organizations with multiple teams and dependencies, implementing SAFe to align teams, synchronize delivery, and ensure consistency and transparency across the enterprise. |
| Disciplined Agile (DA) | – Disciplined Agile (DA) is a toolkit that provides guidance on Agile and Lean practices, offering options for tailoring Agile approaches to various contexts. – It includes strategies for choosing the right Agile lifecycle, selecting appropriate practices, and optimizing workflows based on the organization’s goals and constraints. | – When navigating complex organizational environments or regulatory constraints, leveraging the flexibility of DA to tailor Agile practices to specific contexts and optimize processes for delivery success. |
| Feature-Driven Development (FDD) | – Feature-Driven Development (FDD) is an Agile framework that emphasizes iterative and incremental development through feature-driven iterations. – It focuses on building features incrementally, with a strong emphasis on domain modeling, feature ownership, and frequent integration to ensure rapid delivery of high-quality software. | – When developing large-scale software systems with complex requirements, applying FDD to break down features into manageable chunks, promote collaboration among team members, and deliver working features iteratively. |
| Crystal | – Crystal is a family of Agile methodologies that adapt to the specific characteristics of a project and team. – It includes different methodologies such as Crystal Clear, Crystal Orange, and Crystal Yellow, each tailored to different project sizes, criticalities, and team sizes. | – When working on projects with varying levels of complexity and team dynamics, selecting the appropriate Crystal methodology to match the project’s characteristics and optimize the team’s productivity and collaboration. |
| Dynamic Systems Development Method (DSDM) | – Dynamic Systems Development Method (DSDM) is an Agile framework that provides a structured approach to project delivery, focusing on frequent delivery of business value and collaboration between stakeholders and developers. – It emphasizes user involvement, iterative development, and prioritization of requirements based on business need. | – When delivering projects within fixed timeframes and budgets, utilizing DSDM to prioritize requirements based on business value, involve stakeholders throughout the development process, and ensure that the delivered solution meets customer needs and expectations. |
| Agile Unified Process (AUP) | – Agile Unified Process (AUP) is a simplified version of the Rational Unified Process (RUP) adapted to Agile principles. – It provides a framework for iterative and incremental development, focusing on producing high-quality software in a cost-effective and timely manner. | – When seeking a lightweight and adaptable process for software development, applying AUP to guide iterative development, manage project risks, and ensure that the software meets stakeholder expectations. |
Read Next: Lean Canvas, Agile Project Management, Scrum, MVP, VTDF.
What are the principles of Agile?
What is Agile methodology example?
Some of the most popular agile frameworks comprise:
What are the 12 Principles of Agile?
The 12 principles of Agile, as highlighted in the Agile Manifesto, officially drafted in 2001 are:
- Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through the early and continuous delivery of valuable software.
- Welcome changing requirements, even late in development. Agile processes harness change for the customer’s competitive advantage.
- Deliver working software frequently, from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, with a preference to the shorter timescale.
- Business people and developers must work together daily throughout the project.
- Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need, and trust them to get the job done.
- The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a development team is face-to-face conversation.
- Working software is the primary measure of progress.
- Agile processes promote sustainable development. The sponsors, developers, and users should be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely.
- Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design enhances agility.
- Simplicity–the art of maximizing the amount of work not done–is essential.
- The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams.
- At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly.
Connected Agile & Lean Frameworks
Read Also: Continuous Innovation, Agile Methodology, Lean Startup, Business Model Innovation, Project Management.
Read Next: Agile Methodology, Lean Methodology, Agile Project Management, Scrum, Kanban, Six Sigma.
Main Guides:
- Business Models
- Business Strategy
- Business Development
- Distribution Channels
- Marketing Strategy
- Platform Business Models
- Network Effects
Main Case Studies:
