Agile methodology is a group of principles and practices that support faster execution of new software through increased collaboration and visibility.
It enables teams to respond more rapidly to change by focusing on continuous process improvement, cross-functional team collaboration, and iterative design.
While it may seem like just another fad or framework, the adoption of agile methodologies is here to stay and is impacting how software gets developed today.
Agile methodology is a group of principles and practices that support faster execution of new software through increased collaboration and visibility.
It enables teams to respond more rapidly to change by focusing on continuous process improvement, cross-functional team collaboration, and iterative design. While it may seem like just another fad or framework, the adoption of agile methodologies is here to stay and is impacting how software gets developed today.
What is Agile Methodology?
Agile methodology is a group of principles and practices that support faster execution of new software through increased collaboration and visibility.
It enables teams to respond more rapidly to change by focusing on continuous process improvement, cross-functional team collaboration, and iterative design.
It provides a framework for managing software development projects that emphasizes flexibility, collaboration and “responding to change over following a plan”.
The Agile Manifesto 10 principles include: – Individuals and interactions over processes and tools – Working software over comprehensive documentation – Customer collaboration over contract negotiation – Responding to change over following a plan – Sustainable development over exhaustive planning – Teamwork across boundaries over individuals working in isolation – Regular adaptation to change over following a plan – Honoring people’s work over managing people – Courage over compliance – Simplicity over complexity
Key Practices in Agile Software Development
Individuals and interactions over processes and tools – This is one of the core tenants of Agile. In Agile, the team members work together to create the product, without much documentation.
This is to ensure that the team members are constantly collaborating and getting feedback from each other.
It also ensures that the team doesn’t get bogged down in documentation and other similar tasks.
Working software over comprehensive documentation – Agile teams look to have working software at the end of each iteration, instead of documentation.
This is because if something exists in the documentation, it means that it doesn’t exist in the software. Customer collaboration over contract negotiation – In Agile, the team works closely with the customer to understand the product requirements. The customer is also involved in the development process.
This is done so that there is no miscommunication between the customer and the team. Responding to change over following a plan – As the name suggests, Agile expects you to respond to the changes in the software requirements.
This is instead of following the plan and following whatever is written in the plan. Sustainable development over exhaustive planning – Agile expects you to plan for the next few iterations, but not for the entire project.
This is because the project requirements keep on changing, and you should be ready for such changes. Teamwork across boundaries over individuals working in isolation – In Agile, the team members work together across various disciplines.
This is because each team member has his/her own expertise and insights that can help bring about a better product. Regular adaptation to change over following a plan – This is a continuation of “responding to change over following a plan”.
Agile expects you to be ready to change the plan, if needed. This is because the project requirements keep on changing, and you should be ready for such changes. Honoring people’s work over managing people – In Agile, the team members are managed through coaching and helping them grow.
The managers don’t have a controlling role but one that helps the team members grow. Simplicity over complexity – Complexity leads to problems, and simplicity means all the stakeholders understand what is going on. In Agile, the team members are expected to keep things simple.
Why Agile?
Agile was implemented in the software development industry to address some of the common issues in developing software. Commonly, software development projects are behind schedule and over budget.
They also miss their deadlines and fail to deliver the intended functionality. The agile methodology consists of a set of practices that help to address these issues.
It is a way of managing a project that emphasizes working software over documentation and iteration over meticulous up-front planning. In agile, the team works together to develop the product with frequent feedback and close collaboration.
Disadvantages of Agile
Agile is a very popular software development methodology. It is easy to understand, follow and implement.
It also encourages smooth collaboration between different departments. However, it also has several limitations. – There are no defined roles or responsibilities – In Agile, every team member is responsible for everything.
While this may be great in theory, it doesn’t work well in reality. There have been several documented cases where certain team members failed to do what they were supposed to do because they were also supposed to do other things. – Lack of governance – Every organization has its own governance policies and standards. However, Agile doesn’t take these into account.
This can lead to issues when the Agile team has to work with another team or when another team has to work with the Agile team. – Lack of control over quality – Agile teams are expected to deliver high-quality software.
However, there are no ways to measure and ensure such quality. There are no methods to test the functionality or see if it works as intended.
Conclusion
Agile methodology is a group of principles and practices that support faster execution of new software through increased collaboration and visibility.
It enables teams to respond more rapidly to change by focusing on continuous process improvement, cross-functional team collaboration, and iterative design. Agile is a very popular software development methodology. It is easy to understand, follow and implement. It also encourages smooth collaboration between different departments. However, it also has several limitations.
