When I began working, it felt like everyone used this magic word: agile as a way of working. I did not understand much back then, and it took me a couple of years of studying and then practicing to get a grasp of what it actually means.
Lately, it felt as if it became the it word: it is everywhere, and even companies that I learned are not doing agile love to promote that they do. Also, I learned again on my own skin that some companies use the word agile to describe a disorganised way of working.
What does it mean?
Through Agile, we can build software incrementally, and not deliver it all at once.
It uses time boxed increments, in an iterative approach.
Agile way of working can be work that follows the principles defined in the Agile Manifesto.
Short History
Although for decades now, people in software technology proceeded on improving the ways of working, but in the early 2000s we got the Agile Manifesto: https://agilemanifesto.org/
Values
The Agile Manifesto describes some values that summarise the essentials of agile thinking.
Although agile is adaptable, we can adjust depending on our team needs, but we should still follow some basics:
- Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
- Working software over comprehensive documentation
- Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
- Responding to change over following a plan
When we read through it, we can notice the importance agile puts on good stakeholders collaboration (within the development team and with the customer), as well as on adaptability and a working product.
Characteristics
For a more detailed understanding of what the Agile initiators had in mind, we can take a quick look over the Principles in the Agile Manifesto:
- Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through 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.
While reviewing the principles, we see the importance agile gives to customer-centricity. The best way we can satisfy the customer is by delivering early an frequently.
Also, having the customer in focus, and its needs means to also be adaptable and accept changes in requirements.
In addition to the customer-centricity, we see focus on having collaborative self-organizing cross-functional teams. Having trust in each team member abilities and knowledge brings out motivation and their best work: best designs and architectures.
As part of cross-functional team, communication is of utmost importance, and regular sync-ups and reflections are recommended.
Projects Applicability
Although I prefer an agile way of working, especially as based on my experience, requirements tend to change regularly, I will admit that it cannot apply to all projects.
Below are a few examples of projects where agile can be applied to and a few where we could not.
Types of projects Agile is applicable to:
- Projects with fast changing needs
- Projects where work can be delivered iteratively
Types of projects Agile is not applicable to or recommended:
- Bureaucratic organisations
- Projects with fixed budget
- Projects with clear requirements
Read Also:
You might be interested to read more technical posts – check out my posts here
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silvana comanici-stoianov 