What is Agile?

A Comprehensive Guide

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Agile is a term that is often heard in the business world, but what does it actually mean?

Originally designed for software development projects, Agile has become much more than that and can now be applied to any type of project or organisation.

There are many different Agile approaches and several key principles of Agile methodology that we will begin to outline in this article.

It’s important to understand the nuances of Agile and how all the parts work together. It all starts and ends with having an Agile mindset.

So let’s explore what Agile means and why it’s so important for business. 

What is Agile?

Agile refers to creating and reacting to change. It helps to deal with uncertainty and turbulent environments. 

Traditionally, Agile was a popular method of project management and software development. It was adopted by many companies including some that are not in the tech industry. But now it has evolved and become much more than that. 

  • Agile is a change from traditional thinking 
  • Agile is being able to learn and adapt rapidly 
  • It is ideally suited to an environment where the pace of change is fast and where there are many uncertainties ahead

Agile has several main principles, which guide its decisions and planning so that it can be as effective as possible in a constantly changing environment. 

Agile is a different way of thinking, it is a combination of mindset, values and culture

  • It involves forming cross-functional teams (sometimes called squads) which may cross traditional boundaries where people are empowered to collaborate and get work done 
  • It is a way of working which is transparent, partnering with customers and stakeholders to experiment and learn through fast feedback 
  • It is also about being adaptable and course correcting when needed, with a focus on delivering value early through iterative delivery of our output.

What are Agile Frameworks and Concepts?

When we talk about Agile, we talk about many concepts and approaches to work which help people team effectively, focus on the top priority work and reduce waste. What we call Agile is built on proven practices like testing and learning and working incrementally. Some Agile frameworks and concepts include:

  • Scrum – delivers work incrementally in specific periods of time called “Sprints”
  • Kanban –focuses on the flow of work through the system
  • Human-Centred Design – includes the human perspective in all steps of the problem solving and solution design

When an organisation applies agile principles and practices, they use these concepts where they make sense. It is essential to be aware that like any practices, there may be a right way and the wrong way to apply them. For example, just putting Post-It notes on a wall does not make you Agile, however, visualising your team’s work to create transparency and a shared understanding of the progress of what you are working on is a positive Agile practice. 

Why do people prefer agile?

People prefer Agile ways of working as they are engaged with a clear sense of purpose, feel productive and are empowered to deliver outcomes quickly. Agile is not a goal in itself; rather, it helps drive towards three goals.

Employee Engagement:

To keep the best employees: Organisations want to have the best employees so they can deliver the most valuable and innovative products and services; the motivated employees that organisations want to have as part of their team happen to relish in the constant learning, fast-pace and collaboration found in Agile environments; those organisations who don’t adapt will lose out on top talent.

Increased productivity:

With increased autonomy and early resolution of obstacles, teams are more effective. Combined with the Agile practices of continuous improvement and improved delivery processes, agile teams end up spending a higher percentage of their time actually getting things done.

Faster speed to market:

Agile organisations reduce waste by working on the right thing at the right time. Cross-skilled Agile teams also allow for better coordination. These factors enable Agile organisations to test, learn + get products in front of customers faster.

Agile Manifesto outlines a belief that human interaction should be more fundamental than purely just rigid processes and practices. This is why collaborating with customers or colleagues makes it much easier.

So why is it necessary?

Well, it is important to provide a workable solution that solves a customer issue rather than delivering a brief outline via a lengthy description or technical manual. Teams operating with agile ways of working define they prefer it for the reasons outlined in the image below.

Agile is more than a buzzword

Much more than just a buzzword, Agile is a way of thinking and working that has been proven to be successful in many different industries.

Agile is a practical approach to project planning based upon a concrete definition.

Agile project management is the best way to improve your business’ success. If you don’t use Agile, then you’re more likely to lose money and lose customers.

Agile Coaching can help you succeed.

What does agile mean in business?

Now that we understand the definition of Agile, let’s take a look at what it means in business.

In business, agility refers to the ability to quickly adapt to changes in the market or environment. This can be done by reacting quickly to customer feedback to impact prioritisation or making changes to the product or service.

Agile also refers to the ability to be flexible and respond quickly to changes in priorities or requirements.

The benefits of agile in business

There are several benefits of using agile in business. These include:

  • Improved communication and collaboration between team members
  • Quicker response to customer feedback and changes in the market
  • Faster time to market for products and services
  • Improved quality of products and services
  • Improved morale and motivation of team members

Agile can be adopted in any part of a business operating model including customer service delivery, human resources, marketing and finance.

In Agile, contrary to popular belief, planning increases to ensure that we are adjusting to the changing market environment. Agile demands frequently revisiting our plans to ensure we are prioritising to match market demands. We assess our progress against our plan frequently and adjust rather than planning a full year’s work only to discover too late that the market and our customer have moved on.

So, as you can see, there are many benefits to using agile in business.

Find out more about our Agile Consulting services and how we can help benefit your business.

What are the principles of an agile way of working?

Agile philosophy is focused on empowerment in human interactions early and consistently providing value to the organisation.

Agile project management is a process that aims to deliver maximum value against strategic priorities with resources funded consistently to optimum capacity.


Read more about the Agile Manifesto and the 12 principles here.


The Agile Manifesto created in 2001 includes a set of principles and outlines what is valued in development, initially focused on software development. It states what is valued in development is:

  • Individuals and Interactions Over Processes and Tools
  • Working Output Over Comprehensive Documentation
  • Customer Collaboration Over Contract Negotiation
  • Responding to Change Over Following a Plan

Twenty one years later, what is valued and the principles still hold true. However, they have also evolved and gained more clarity to allow many organisations to successfully apply them to their environments within software and also in all parts of business, product and service development.

 

It’s important to know that these approaches on the bottom row are not necessarily bad—they are, in fact, quite necessary at times. What this visual shows us is that as much as possible we should strive for the approaches on the top row, as they will allow teams to deliver more value, faster.

Let us think about what each of these initial comparisons, pulled from The Agile Manifesto, is really telling us to emphasise.

Agile organisations value and prioritise the following:

Empowerment

Highlights that people get work done. Processes and tools help them achieve the outcomes, not the other way around.

Output orientation

Reminds us that in order to realise value, we must get our actual output out to customers. Documentation serves to support the product or service, not the other way around. An example of this would be that a washing machine user guide has no value without the physical washing machine.

Customer Focus

Is vital to understand what customers really need and want. We must collaborate with them, most commonly through getting feedback. While terms, conditions and other agreements are important, their purpose is to facilitate discussion.

Adaptability

Reminds us that even though we plan regularly in Agile, it is important to react when circumstances change. We plan using assumptions based on current expectations. As we get new information, we adapt those plans to be increasingly more reflective of reality.

12 principles of agile working

These principles form the basis of the Agile Manifesto written in 2001. As the Agile Manifesto was written by software developers, the initial principles relate mostly to software development. The Agile Manifesto states “We are uncovering better ways of developing software by doing it and helping others to do it”.

 

Where software is mentioned in these principles, organisations now understand that any product, service or user experience can be developed or improved by adopting these guiding principles.

The principles are:

  1. Customer satisfaction is the highest priority
  2. Change is welcome
  3. Working software is delivered frequently
  4. Close, daily cooperation between business people and developers
  5. Projects are built around motivated individuals
  6. Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design
  7. Regular adaptation to changing circumstances
  8. Simplicity–the art of maximising the amount of work not done–is essential
  9. Self-organising teams deliver the best results
  10. At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behaviour accordingly
  11. The team continuously improves its development process
  12. Agile processes promote sustainable development

Agile Methodology

Agile Methodologies are methods of dividing a strategic initiative being delivered or project into three parts.

This ensures continuous cooperation and continuously improved processes throughout the project or program of work lifecycle.

After the project has begun, teamwork cycles through planning, execution and evaluation.

3 key elements of Agile methodology

The three key factors that make a successful Agile development plan are:

  1. Collaboration
  2. Constant focus on business value
  3. Adequate quality

Regardless of the methodology we adopt, to allow for both alignment and autonomy, we need to change what we do to adapt to changing market environments and increasing consumer demands.

 

To ‘go agile’ means letting go of some dearly held illusions we have established over many years of traditional ways of working.

Illusion of progress

We need to recognize that starting work does not mean we are making progress. A focus on completing work is more likely to create progress

Illusion of Power

Broad groups of people forming committees tend to diffuse effort. Having the right people in a team with a clearly defined decision-maker, at the right level of the organisation speeds up progress

Illusion of Predictability

Incrementally delivering work provides predictability early on in a project . Having a plan but no output means that you are guessing how reliable your projections are

Illusion of Efficiency

Having people moving between teams, switching their work context often means time spent learning how to collaborate with new people again and again. This is not efficient compared to having stable teams which learn how to work productively on whatever is given to them.

Illusion of Understanding

Letting go of the belief that a document is the same as understanding is achieved by valuing conversation more than a bulky document alone

Frameworks and models

Frameworks and models are important in agile methodology as they provide a structure for the project. This helps to ensure that the project is completed in a timely and efficient manner.

There are a number of different frameworks and models that can be used, each of which has its own benefits.

Some of the most popular Agile frameworks and models include Scrum and Kanban.

Each framework has its own set of principles and guidelines that help to ensure the project is completed in a timely and efficient manner.


Scrum

Agile Scrum is a popular project management methodology that helps teams to be more flexible and responsive to change.

It is based on the principle of continuous collaboration between team members, with regular feedback and updates to ensure that the project is moving in the right direction.

Kanban

Kanban is a visual, lean system for managing work. It’s designed to help limit the amount of unfinished work and reduce delays in delivery by providing transparency into the process.

Kanban boards are usually set up as columns with three lists: To Do, Doing and Done. The Kanban board provides real-time information about what tasks need to be done, who is working on them and when they are likely to be completed.

Scrumban

Scrumban is a hybrid of scrum and Kanban that combines the best features of both systems. It is designed to help teams be more flexible and responsive to change

The main difference between Scrumban and other agile methodologies is that it does not have a set time frame for each sprint. This means that the team can adapt their work to the changing needs of the project, without being limited by time.

Why is Agile Development important?

Agile development is an important methodology because it helps teams to be more flexible and responsive to change. It is based on the principle of continuous collaboration between team members, with regular feedback and updates to ensure that the project is moving in the right direction.

Agile Project Management

Project management is the process of planning, organising, and managing resources to bring about the successful completion of specific project goals and objectives.

A project manager must be able to handle changes in order to ensure that the final product meets the customer’s expectations.

Agile project management is a newer approach to project management that allows for greater flexibility and faster adaptation to change. It relies on regular feedback from team members and customers in order to make changes as needed.

Agile Software Development

Agile software development is a way to manage software projects. It’s based on the idea that you should work closely with the people who will be using the software including those who can provide direct customer insights or those who are primary stakeholders for your product (e.g. the user experience designers, the data analysts who assess its performance, the teams who market or sell the software and those who determine its pricing), and that you should constantly be adapting to changing circumstances. This means that the project is always moving forward and that it’s easier to make changes as needed.

Agile Transformation

An Agile Transformation changes the way a company is run.

It’s steeped in changing the way people think it should be run and how they operate within their business.

While every Agile Transformation is different, based on a needs analysis – broadly speaking it’s about adopting a new approach.

Our Agile services allow you to transform the way you and your team work. Find out more about Agile Transformation and what it could mean for your business.

How Agile is your team?

Agile project management is the best method for your team to achieve good results by adapting to change.

It is always evolving and changing. So If you ask a few different leaders how they define agile, they will all give you a different response.

How can you implement Agile at the individual team level?

We cover all your bases with our Agile at Scale services. There is a range of tools and resources we have to benefit your team, so get in touch to discuss your needs.

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In order to understand the world around us and make informed decisions, it is important to have a global perspective.

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