Why use Agile Methodology?

Why Agile?

Agile is a method for getting the work done that really matters. For example, instead of spending hours of days building out a detailed project plan that may not match the project execution, an Agile team would begin with a small portion of work, assess progress, then continue down the path once enough feedback has been gathered to indicate they are on the right path.

Agile, in a nutshell, is an iterative and incremental approach to project management that helps team keep up with the demands of the modern workplace, it consists of methodology that are based on the concepts of flexibility, transparency, quality and continuous improvement.

Improved Communication: Agile development helps improve communication between development team and the product owner. Because of this, there is a greater focus on collaboration and feedback.

Reduced Risk: Agile development can help to reduce the risks associated with complex projects.

Agile teams are known to be highly efficient at getting work done. Because Agile teams share a collaborative culture, efficiencies tend to have a ripple effect.

When everyone agrees on what the most important work is, and when each person can focus on the important work, the entire team moves forward in unison, falling into steady cycle of work production and product release, which contributes to predictability of Agile projects.

As you can see by the relationship between efficiency, collaboration and predictability, the characteristics of an Agile team are interconnected so that one characteristics, feeds into the next, forming an holistic set of habits that can be described as Agile. Productivity analyses can help teams understand how the same amount of people can work smarter and produce more without investing in additional resources. Instead of evaluating whether their team member are focusing on the work that holds the most value, some companies skirt the issue by requiring team members to work longer hours.

Here is the 12 fundamental principles:

1) Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of valuable software.

2) Welcome changing requirements, even late in development. Agile processes harness change for the customer's competitive advantage.

3)Deliver working software frequently, from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, with a preference for shorter timescale.

4)Business people and developers must work together daily throughout the project.

5)Build project around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need and trust them to get the job done.

6)The most efficient and effective methods of conveying information to and within a development team is face-to-face conversation.

7) Working software is the primary measure of progress.

8) Agile processes promote sustainable development. The sponsors, developers and users should be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely.

9) Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design enhances agility.

10)Simplicity - the art of maximizing the amount of work not done - is essential.

11) The best architecture, requirements and design emerge from self organizing teams.

12) The team regularly reflects on becoming more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly.

Some of the most popular frameworks for implementing Agile project management include Scrum, Kanban, Extreme Programming and Adaptive Project Framework.