Introduction
An Agile framework is a specific approach to planning, managing, and executing work. Agile frameworks typically fall into two categories: Frameworks designed for teams, and frameworks designed to help organizations practice Agile at scale, across many teams.
History of Agile Frameworks
Agile, as we now know it, technically began with the writing and release of the Agile Manifesto. The Agile Manifesto was what formally introduced Agile to the world of software development, though many of the ideas contained within it were iterations of prevailing practices in software development at the time.
Many of the principles that we refer to as Agile, or that we consider to be Agile, have deeper roots – for example, Kanban is a visual workflow method that is often used in Agile and is considered an Agile method, however, its roots far predate Agile.
Although Agile was originally designed as an approach to software development, it has since expanded to meet the needs of many team types.
The scaled Agile frameworks even include guidance for traditionally non-Agile functions, such as finance and HR (Human Resources). As the Agile movement continues to expand, and new applications of Agile continue to emerge, Agile frameworks continue to evolve as well.
The Agile Manifesto consists of four key 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.
Value 1: Individuals and interactions
In the past, a lot of software teams would concentrate on having the best possible tools or processes with which to build their software. The Agile Manifesto suggests that while those things are important, the people behind the processes are even more so.
Having the right group of individuals on your software team is vital to success. The best possible tools in the wrong hands are worthless. Perhaps even more important is how these individuals communicate with each other. The interactions between team members are what helps them to collaborate and solve any problems that arise.
Value 2: Working software
Previously, software developers would spend ages creating detailed documentation. That was before they even started writing a single line of code. And while documentation isn’t a bad thing, there comes a point when you should focus on providing your customers with working software.
The Agile Manifesto places shipping software to your customers as one of the highest priorities. You can then gather feedback to help you improve future releases.
Value 3: Customer collaboration
Once upon a time, contracts were king. You would draw up contracts with your customers who would then detail the finished product. As a result, there was often a contrast between what the contract said, what the product did, and what the customer actually required.
According to the Agile Manifesto, the focus should be on continuous development. You need to build a feedback loop with your customers so that you can constantly ensure that your product works for them.
Value 4: Responding to change
Can you imagine a time where you would draw up a roadmap and it would never change? Well, in the past that’s exactly what happened.
The trouble with static roadmaps is that we don’t live in a static world. Needs and requirements are always shifting, and priorities are always changing. That static roadmap will soon grow outdated.
That’s why the Agile Manifesto suggests that a software team should have the ability to pivot and change direction whenever they need to, with a flexible roadmap that reflects that. A dynamic roadmap can change from quarter to quarter, sometimes even month to month, and agile teams are able to keep up with those changes.
The 12 agile principles
Along with the four values of the Agile Manifesto, there are 12 principles you need to be aware of. These principles go into a little more detail and expand upon the four values.
Let’s take a look:
Agile Principle 1
“Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of valuable software.”
It’s always been important to keep your customers satisfied. With SaaS products, that’s even more true. It’s easy for your customers to churn and find another product if they aren’t happy.
This agile principle encourages teams to shorten the gap between initial ideation and releasing a working product. The sooner customers can use your product, the sooner you can collect feedback and make the appropriate improvements.
Agile Principle 2
“Welcome changing requirements, even late in development. Agile processes harness change for the customer’s competitive advantage.”
The SaaS seas are always chopping and changing. The only way to keep your head above water is to adapt.
To do so, you need to constantly monitor any changing requirements no matter when they occur. You need to welcome the chance to further improve your product based on shifting market and customer needs.
Agile Principle 3
“Deliver working software frequently, from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, with a preference to the shorter timescale.”
The agile philosophy says consistently shipping new releases is a far better alternative to packaging all the releases up and releasing them at once. These smaller releases are often the result of sprints, and they enable teams to validate ideas and gather feedback. They also help keep your customers satisfied.
Agile Principle 4
“Business people and developers must work together daily throughout the project.”
Building a product in a silo is a surefire way to make sure it misses the mark when it comes to business requirements. As product leader Marty Cagan puts it, a product is about customers, business objectives, and technology, not just one of the three. If any piece is overlooked, a business will not be aligned and all functions will suffer as a result.
Frequent communication between cross-functional teams ensures trust, transparency, and, as a result, better and more relevant products.
Agile Principle 5
“Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need, and trust them to get the job done.”
An agile team is only as good as its members. Take the time to build up a team of people you can trust to complete work of the highest quality.
If you have the right team in place, all you need to do is give them the right working environment and any support or resources they need. This removes the need for hand-holding and micromanagement.
Agile Principle 6
“The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a development team is face-to-face conversation.”
Communicating in real-time is essential when it comes to the fast pace of software development.
Tools like Slack and email come very close to offering real-time interaction. However, there’s nothing quite as effective as talking face-to-face. Even in remote teams, video calling makes this easier than ever.
Agile Principle 7
“Working software is the primary measure of progress.”
Don’t get distracted by detailed documentation or other vanity projects. Essentially, software teams have one job: to build and release working software.
Focusing on this one measure of progress enables agile teams to work efficiently at shipping new releases.
Agile Principle 8
“Agile processes promote sustainable development. The sponsors, developers, and users should be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely.”
Though the fast pace of an agile team might suggest the opposite, this Agile Manifesto principle explains that sustainable development is important.
This means ensuring a good work-life balance and maintaining high morale throughout the team. Doing so leads to output that is consistently high-quality.
Agile Principle 9
“Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design enhances agility.”
The Agile Manifesto encourages teams to constantly release new features and updates to the product. Despite this, it also acknowledges the importance of maintaining quality in releases.
In other words, making sure that code is neat and tidy and that the product design allows for seamless development in the future. This keeps the development process running smoothly as time goes on.
Agile Principle 10
“Simplicity — the art of maximizing the amount of work not done — is essential.”
Don’t juggle development time across a wide range of irrelevant activities. The Agile Manifesto suggests that teams should spend the majority of their time on the few most important things.
To do this, teams need to think strategically and ruthlessly prioritize the features they work on.
Agile Principle 11
“The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams.”
In traditional hierarchical teams, there will generally be somebody at the top of the chain making the final decisions. The Agile Manifesto encourages a less rigid chain of command. A flatter hierarchy, where everyone gets an equal say, can lead to more effective software development.
Agile Principle 12
“At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly.”
One of the core tenets of the Agile Manifesto is that teams should always develop their products based on feedback. The same applies to the team’s processes and methodologies. As time goes on, teams should consider how they can become even more efficient and agile. It’s all about continuous improvement.
Advantages of the agile methodology
Agile is perfect for SMBs since the fewer people, the easier it is to keep up the pace and embrace change. It also works great for project management for startups that work on the fail-fast mantra. The agile methodology delivers the value sooner to a customer through quick software deployments. The wastage of resources is less since the tasks are always up-to-date.
Since the cost is low, there is more room for experimentation. As an agile approach detects and patches up the issues faster, it has a faster turnaround time. Best of all, the huge community following comes in as a great help when you hit a wall or run into any trouble in your project.
Not sure if Agile is the right choice for your project? Take a look at the questionnaire given below. If your answer is ‘yes’ for the majority of these questions, then agile might be a perfect choice for you!
- Do you intend to capture the market before the competition picks up?
- Are your customers/clients available for extensive involvement?
- Can you afford iterations?
- Do you have no need to deliver fully functional software immediately?
- Do your clients have a flexible budget or schedule?
- Are you free from the complex bureaucracy that delays decisions?
- Would you like to map out the design through trial and error?
Agile is not for everyone
While agile’s highly flexible approach makes it seem alluring, it doesn’t work well with all projects. For instance, a marketing agency could never adopt the agile method since the clients may not be interested in half-baked marketing ideas that need too many iterations and revisions. In this case, working increments don’t exist, only deliverables matter.
While the agile methodology has a number of advantages, it has its fair share of drawbacks as well. As this approach doesn’t place much importance on documentation, it is extremely difficult to bring new team members up to speed. As progress happens over a number of cycles, measuring it is much harder when compared to the waterfall approach.
The need for constant communication in project management demands more time and energy from everyone. Since there is no clear end, projects can go on forever and ever. There is a high chance for scope creep and experience riot.