What is agile?

Agile is an approach that can help a team deliver value to their customers faster and with less worry.

What is Agile?

Agile is an approach within project management and software development. This can help a team deliver value to their customers faster. Because instead of focusing all energy on an impactful launch, an agile team delivers work in small steps. Throughout the process, the team constantly evaluates requirements, plans and results. In this way, a team goes through a gradual process. During this process, it is possible to react quickly to changes. In addition, it is not an isolated concept. This is because there is often reference to Agile Project Management. Agile Project Management can consist of different types, including Kanban and SCRUM. SCRUM is the most well-known and the most used. This is recognizable by the many sprints that the system uses.

Agile Manifesto by Patrick O’Malley

When agile was born, it was drawn up with an Agile Manifesto. This consists of 4 values ​​and 12 principles.

4 values

​​The 4 values ​​stated in the Agile Manifesto consist of the following:

• Individuals and interactions take precedence over processes and tools.
• Working software takes precedence over extensive documentation.
• Collaboration with customers takes precedence over contract negotiation.
• Responding to change is more important than following a plan.

12 principles

In addition, Patrick O’Malley also mentions the following 12 principles:

• The highest priority within agile management is to satisfy the customer. You do this by delivering valuable software to them in an early and constant manner.
• Implement changing requirement even when late in development. Agile processes invest in change to take advantage of the customer’s competitive advantage.
• Deliver working software regularly. This can be done within a few weeks or months, but the preference is for a shorter period of time.
• It is the intention that the entrepreneurs and developers work together on a daily basis during the project.
• Projects should be built around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need.
• Having a face-to-face meeting is the most efficient and effective method of communicating and sharing information within a development team.
• The most important measure of progress is the working software.
• Agile processes also promote sustainable development. The sponsors, developers and users must be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely.
• Constant attention to technical excellence and good design increases how agile the project is.
• Simplicity – the art of maximizing the amount of work that was not done – is essential.
• The best architectures, requirements and designs come from self-organizing teams.
• During agreed meetings, the team thinks about how it can work more effectively. They then align the project and behavior with the decisions.

Why is agile management important?

Many teams opt for agile management because it allows them to easily implement changes in the market. It also helps teams immediately implement customer feedback without completely derailing the project. Agile management ensures adequate planning and dispatch in small and frequent steps. This ensures constant feedback is collected on every change and integrated into future plans at minimal cost.

It’s not just a numbers game, because it’s primarily about people. The values ​​of the Agile Manifesto dictate that individuals and interactions are much more important than processes and tools. Collaborating with customers and teammates is also more important than pre-determined agreements. Delivering a working solution to the customer’s problem is more important than extensive documentation.

Ultimately, an agile team unites with a shared vision. This vision is brought to life in a way they know is the best. Each individual team also has their own standards in terms of quality, usability and completeness. They create their own definition of the word ‘done’, which tells how quickly they see the work as finished. The implementation of agile management can be very scary, especially in the beginning. Yet there are many teams that work with agile management on a daily basis. It also gives business leaders more confidence in their team through a greater sense of ownership. In addition, it provides an increase to meet or exceed management expectations.