Agile Basics

Intro

Agile is a project management concept developed to provide project managers with a more flexible and efficient way to get products to market faster. The meaning of agile is the ability to move quickly and easily. Therefore, an Agile approach enables project teams to adapt faster and easier compared to other project methodologies.

Many of today’s projects have so many unknowns that a traditional project management methodology cannot adequately handle. This makes it difficult to successfully document requirements and adapt to changes throughout the project.

This guide will help you understand the Agile methodology basics so that you can understand which projects will benefit from an Agile approach and how to implement one successfully.

What Is Agile Methodology?

Agile methodology is an approach to project management that uses 4 key pillars and 12 principles to organize projects. Here’s an Agile methodology overview for everything you need to know about this approach.

The 4 key pillars of the Agile Manifesto book are designed for valuing:

1. Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
2. Working software over comprehensive documentation
3. Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
4. Responding to change over following a plan

To define Agile, the method is based on the concept of ongoing waves or sprints of project planning and execution, enabling you to continuously adapt and mature your plan, scope, and design throughout the project.

According to the Agile methodology definition, Agile projects require an iterative approach, which supports incremental, frequent, and consistent deliveries of workable products to your customer or client. This innovative approach ensures your project team can consistently deliver concrete products without being delayed by changes and evolving requirements.  

Agile has a high level of customer involvement and includes frequent reviews of progress with both the project team and the customer.

There are several different frameworks that can be used in order to run an Agile project. Some of the more popular frameworks include:

• Scrum
• Kanban
• Extreme Programming
• DSDM