AGILE DEVELOPMENT & AGILE SCRUM FRAMEWORK SOLUTIONS

Agile is an iterative approach to project management that helps teams deliver high-quality products faster and with fewer roadblocks. Rather than pushing for a single huge release, products are delivered in small, incremental pieces so customers can test functionality and provide feedback as development progresses.

The Agile Manifesto was drafted and established by 17 technologists in 2001 with the goal of developing and delivering better software. The four major principles for Agile project management are:

• Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
• Working software over comprehensive documentation
• Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
• Responding to change over following a plan

Agile methodology is an approach to project management that aligns with the principles and values put forth in the Agile Manifesto. The idea is to deliver small, functionally independent chunks of a larger project developed by self-organizing teams. The Agile scrum solutions methodology provides a way for ongoing feedback to impact the development of the project as it grows, allowing for greater flexibility and course correction, when necessary.

Agile is meant to address the common challenges faced by traditional “waterfall” methodologies of delivering very large projects over a long period of time, during which time, customer and user requirements change. These changes often result in the wrong product being developed and delivered.

Agile development, also known as scrum software development, is the process of building and improving software by utilizing an Agile framework, such as Scrum. An Agile development project begins by defining the users and creating a vision statement with problem scopes, opportunities and values the product will address. Small, self-managing teams then produce small, usable components of the larger project so ongoing feedback and usage can help guide the development process.

Agile development’s biggest benefit is flexibility. Solutions aren’t necessarily defined at the onset of a project as is typical of other development methodologies. Instead, problems are broken down into smaller components that are produced and tested as the project evolves, often revealing solutions that were previously impossible to predict.

Another benefit is that Agile development encourages ongoing improvement. Software requires constant updates, support and enhancement. Agile processes, by their very nature of being iterative, foster processes and mindsets that nurture continuous improvements.

Lastly, Agile development promotes more productivity and engagement from those involved. Product owners get to see, test and provide feedback on their projects often and regularly. This means changes can be implemented based on a continuous flow of insights gained from using the product as it grows. And engineers are happy and proud to share the results of their work and receive regular feedback as the project grows.

An Agile team is a group responsible for delivering an Agile product. These teams are often co-located, and they’re typically dedicated completely to the project, without other obligations to outside projects.

An Agile team requires every team member to produce the final project. Teams are usually cross-functional, and their roles vary depending on each project’s requirements and the specific type of Agile framework used.

For example, projects utilizing an Agile scrum framework have a Scrum Master, product owner and all the team members required to complete the project. The Scrum Master is typically in a project management role and organizes daily stand-up meetings with their team. The product owner is responsible for interfacing with the client or customer to ensure the product adheres to their requirements.

While other parties — such as outside experts and stakeholders — may contribute to the project, they’re usually not considered a part of the Agile team.

Agile works on the premise that smaller projects have a higher success rate. The process works by breaking down a large, complex project into several smaller projects, which are developed or produced in iterations. This iterative approach is what differentiates Agile from other management methods.

Each iteration consists of the initial planning as well as the development, and they’re usually a week long. During each iteration, both the customer team and the production team collaborate to determine what gets added to the iteration. After each iteration, customers can test functionality and collaborate with production to determine what changes need to be made, if any.

Given this approach, releases are frequent at an Agile software company throughout the development of the project, allowing greater flexibility in developing and evolving a project as it’s built. The team continues collaborating and iterating on releases until the completion of the project.

Scrum is a framework that enables better collaboration between teams. The framework encourages teams to self-organize, learn from their experiences and continuously reflect on their success and failures to facilitate regular improvement.

Scrum is typically used in software development, however, the framework is applicable to nearly any project or team. At its core, it describes a set of tools, meetings and work roles that help teams better manage and structure their work.

The primary unit of Scrum is a small team consisting of a product owner, a Scrum Master and the professionals working on the project. There are no hierarchies or sub-teams — it’s a cohesive unit focused on a single objective at a time.