Agile

In general, when we talk about the Agile method, it implies an iterative and incremental method of management. It focuses on helping teams in an evolving landscape and maintaining a focus on the rapid delivery of business value. The methodologies used in Agile project management (Scrum, XP, Kanban, and others) all follow the Agile Manifesto that is based on continuous improvement, flexibility, input of the team, and the delivery of results with high quality.

In software development, we often talk about the “traditional model” which refers to the Waterfall Model. Very different to Agile method specially because it’s not iterative, Waterfall is more about a process where you can see the progress “flowing” through the difference phases. In fact it’s a sequential model usually going from requirement analysis, design, implementation, testing and maintenance. The image below illustrates the difference regarding the value proposition of both methodologies and how agile development tends to deliver visibility, adaptability and value in the beginning of the process and reduces a lot the risks during the project.

Agile methodologies address perfectly customer’s needs. During the whole cycle, user involvement is encouraged, providing visibility & transparency, showing the actual progress of projects. As mentioned earlier, Agile method is all about iterative planning, making it very easy to adapt when some requirements change (if you work in the software development industry, I am sure you know how much they can change!). The fact that there is continuous planning and feedback through the process means that we start delivering business value from the beginning of the project. Again, the idea is to deliver business value early in the process, making it easier to lower risks associated with development.

Benefits of agile project management

High product quality

In Agile development, testing is integrated during the cycle, which means that there are regular checkups to see that the product is working during the development. This enables the product owner to make changes if needed and the team is aware if there are any issues.

• Defining and elaborating requirements just in time so that the knowledge of the product features is as relevant as possible.
• Incorporating continuous integration and daily testing into the development process, allowing the development team to address issues while they’re still fresh.
• Taking advantage of automated testing tools.
• Conducting sprint retrospectives, allowing the scrum team to continuously improve processes and work.
• Completing work using the definition of done: developed, tested, integrated, and documented.
• Software is developed in incremental, rapid cycles. This results in small incremental releases with each release building on previous functionality. Each release is thoroughly tested to ensure software quality is maintained.

Higher customer satisfaction

The product owner is always involved, the progress of development has high visibility and flexibility to change is highly important. This implies engagement and customer satisfaction.

• Demonstrating working functionalities to customers in every sprint review.
• Delivering products to market quicker and more often with every release. The clients get early access to the product during the life cycle.
• Keeping customers involved and engaged throughout projects.

Increased project control

• Sprint meetings.
• Transparency.

Reduced risks

• Agile methodologies virtually eliminate the chances of absolute project failure.
• Always having a working product, starting with the very first sprint, so that no agile project fails completely.
• Developing in sprints, ensuring a short time between initial project investment and either failing fast or knowing that a product or an approach will work.
• Generating revenue early with self-funding projects, allowing organisations to pay for a project with little up-front expense.
• Agile gives freedom when new changes need to be implemented. They can be implemented at very little cost because of the frequency of new increments that are produced.
• Adaptation to the client’s needs and preferences through the development process. Agile commonly uses user stories with business-focused acceptance criteria to define product features. By focusing features on the needs of real customers, each feature incrementally delivers value, not just an IT component. This also provides the opportunity to beta test software after each iteration, gaining valuable feedback early in the project and providing the ability to make changes as needed.

Faster ROI

The fact that agile development is iterative means that the features are delivered incrementally, therefore benefits are realised early while the product is in development process.

• Development starts early.
• A functional ‘ready to market’ product after few iterations.
• First Mover Advantage.
• Long delivery cycles are often a problem for businesses, particularly those in fast-moving markets.
• Agile means fast product releases and ability to gauge customer reaction and alter accordingly, keeping you ahead of the competition.
• Focusing on Business value. By allowing the client to determine the priority of features, the team understands what’s most important to the client’s business, and can deliver features in the most valuable order.