The Agile approach to projects
Agility is an approach to project management and business (business agility) that favors a reduction in time planning towards more collaboration between those who do the work and the customers.
Agile projects are typically those where there is significant uncertainty in terms of the final products (deliverables) and/or in terms of the production methods to be used (eg. by adopting new, unproven technologies).
Working in iterations, short spans of time where a a complete cycle of work is done, waste is reduced to the minimum simply because little or no time is lost moving in the wrong direction.
In Agility, the teams gain central stage and are self-managed, there is no need for a project manager because responsibility is shared among all team members.
Three ideas are key and constitute the base of the Agile Paradigm:
Some agile frameworks and methodologies are: Scrum, Kanban and XP.
In 2001 a group of developers proposed the Agile Manifesto based on 4 values:
Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
Working software over comprehensive documentation
Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
Responding to change over following a plan
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.
