Describe the Agile Methodology.

You know that traditional project management methods aren’t enough to keep your company up-to-date with the constantly changing environment. Many companies keep up with the competition by using more lean, faster and experimental methods of production.

Agile is a new methodology.

Agile methodology is not defined in a single way. Agile methodology is more of a way to approach a project or a mindset. Agile breaks down the development process into smaller iterative steps. This allows for more flexibility, testing and changes throughout the lifecycle.

Discover what Agile is and how to apply it in your team.

What is Agile Methodology?

Agile methodology does not follow sequential phases, but instead relies on concurrent work by different departments. Sprints are usually divided into two-week time chunks. The team can change directions as necessary by using various checkpoints. You can improve the final product by constantly monitoring the progress of the project.

Why use Agile management instead of the Waterfall or other management methods?

Scott Sehlhorst explains it best:

There are three contexts where being agile is a significant benefit. Each context has its own benefits. The team members receive feedback on their work, and they understand how what was created has an impact. This provides intrinsic value to them as individuals. The engineering organizations become more efficient and effective at delivering value. Companies as a whole become more adaptive to changes in their markets and therefore more competitive — leveraging both the increased effectiveness and their newfound responsiveness.”

What is Agile?

Agile methodology is easy to implement, and even if it’s not something you are familiar with, you might already be using a version of it. To-do lists are commonplace. People prioritize items and work hard to complete them. Agile is a detailed, organized list of tasks.

Step 1: Create a list with features and must-haves. The client or other key stakeholders will need to sit down and discuss the features and priority of the project. Many groups, for example in software development use the MoSCoW Rule to determine what features and items to include in the initial phase of development.

• Must Have
• Should Have
• Could have
• You won’t have the time to do it now, but you can do it later

Step 2: Estimate the time it will take for each feature or item to be completed. The team will also set priorities during this step so that the most critical items are completed first.

Step Four: Create a timeline to incorporate feedback into iterations. The team will adjust the plan as they work and determine if it is comfortable for everyone to continue the project at the current pace.

Agile’s core values

There are several types of Agile methodologies frameworks. However, there are a few principles that apply to all. There are twelve principles from the Agile manifesto.

1. Early and continuous software delivery can improve customer satisfaction
2. Adapt to changing requirements during the development process
3. Delivery of working software on a regular basis
4. Collaboration between business stakeholders and developers during the entire project
5. Support, motivate, and trust the people involved
6. Face-to-face interaction is possible
7. Working software is a primary indicator of progress
8. Agile processes support a consistent pace of development
9. The attention to detail in the design and technical details enhances agility
10. Simplicity
11. Self-organizing groups encourage the creation of great architectures and requirements
12. Reflections on how to be more effective

Agile’s four core values inform these 12 principles.

Processes and tools and the interaction of individuals

Agile methods are based on small teams working together and independently to finish a project. The team will value face-to-face communication over passive methods of communication. Individual participants can make decisions without relying on top down guidance or instruction.

Working software over comprehensive documentation

The best research, fact-finding mission, or study in the world cannot compete with a working product. The team can respond in real-time to problems by releasing several iterations and testing them continuously.

Adapting to changes after a plan

A scope of work is a set of agreed upon deliverables that forms the basis of almost every project. The scope of the work is a guideline and context for the entire project. However, it should not limit communication between stakeholders. Agile is characterized by an open dialogue, and a willingness to make adjustments as necessary throughout the development process. This leads to a higher-quality product.

Collaboration with customers on contract negotiations

Agile gives you the flexibility to change course as feedback or challenges are encountered. Teams don’t wait until the launch date to fix bugs. They release new versions of their products, test them with real users and fix issues as they arise.

Types of Agile Methodologies

You can choose from a variety of Agile frameworks for project management and development. Here’s a high-level overview of the different types of Agile frameworks.

Scrum method

Scrum is a methodology that emphasizes constant feedback, self management, small teams and the division of work into sprints or two-week periods focused on work.

The sprint begins with a meeting where the team decides what they will do during the two-week period. The sprint starts with a planning meeting where the team decides what tasks they will accomplish during the two weeks.

Kanban method

The Kanban method was originally developed in Japan to help communicate project instructions. It is a method that displays work items within a context so the team knows which tasks are most important and can avoid taking on too many at once.

Extreme programming (XP), a method of extreme programming

This Agile framework, also known as XP Method, emphasizes customer satisfaction. You deliver features as customers need them rather than delivering all updates at a date in the distant future. To achieve this goal, XP also emphasizes the following:

• Communication with team members and customers is essential
• Releases in short cycles
• Checklist for Customer Testing and Feedback
• Simple software design

Crystal method

Crystal is an Agile method that can be scaled based on the team size and priority of a project. The basic flow of the Crystal method includes three phases, each with their own smaller tasks.

• Chartering Form your team of developers, decide if the project is feasible, and then solidify a method for development.
• Cycle delivery: You would then build an update and release plan at this stage, integrate the test iterations and deliver the final product to customers.
• Wrap it up: Deploy and perform a post development review.

Dynamic System Development Method

DSDM is user-driven and requires active involvement throughout. Teams are given frequent product delivery and the power to make decisions. The DSDM method consists in these phases:

• Pre-project
• Feasibility Study
• Business studies
• Functional model iteration
• Iterative design and build
• Implementation
• Post-project

FDD (Feature Driven Design)

The FDD method is broken down into short phases and focuses on the building and design of features. The FDD method can be broken down into:

• Domain object modeling
• Development by feature
• Component/class ownership
• Teams of Featured Players
• Inspections
• Configuration management
• Regular Builds
• Progress and results are visible