What is AGILE method ?

In a few words, the AGILE method consists in a project management methodology which is characterized by building products using short cycles of work. That allows rapid production and constant revision.

For an AGILE project to be possible, it is necessary for the stakeholders to work together constantly to improve at each stage of the project. At each stage, each team goes through a process of planning, execution and evaluation.

Agile practices include improving solutions through the collaborative effort of teams with their end-users, adaptive planning, evolutionary development, early delivery, continuous improvement and flexible responses to changes in requirements, capacity and understanding of the problems to be solved.

What are the 4 core principles of Agile methodology ?

The AGILE methodology was put forward by the Manifesto for Agile Software Development at its creation in 2001. This manifesto highlighted the 4 core principles of Agile methodology :

• individuals and interactions over processes and tools ; 
• working software over comprehensive documentation ; 
• customer collaboration over contract negotiation ;
• responding to change over following a plan.

What are the 12 principles of Agile methodology ?

The Manifesto for Agile Software Development is based on twelve principles:

1. Customer satisfaction through the rapid and continuous delivery of valuable software.
2. Welcome changing requirements, even at the end of development.
3. Deliver working software frequently (weeks rather than months)
4. Close, day-to-day cooperation between business people and developers
5. Projects are built around motivated individuals, who must be trusted
6. Face-to-face conversation is the best form of communication (co-location)
7. Work software is the main measure of progress
8. Sustainable development, able to maintain a steady pace
9. Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design
10. Simplicity – the art of maximising the amount of work not done – is essential
11. The best architectures, requirements and designs emerge from self-organising teams
12. Regularly, the team reflects on how to become more efficient and adjusts accordingly

What are the steps ?

The AGILE method is based on 5 cyclical phases that follow each other :

In phases, the agile method is based on the following scheme :

On the whole, it could be described by the following scheme :

What are the 5 advantages of using an agile methodology ?

Improved quality

By working together, the teams can deliver high quality results. This method avoids problems related to cost management, project drift and missed deadlines. The different phases allow problems to be identified and resolved quickly in order to avoid any negative consequences in the long term.

Speed and flexibility

The second benefit of using agile is its speed and flexibility thanks to a Scrum framework.
This is one of the most used agile methods because it can be set up very quickly. Furthermore, it is based on an empirical approach, allowing organizations to make room for changes as the project grows.

Complete visibility of the progress of each project in real-time

Another advantage of using an agile approach is the transparency of each project thanks to frequent exchanges with clients. This allows them to feel more involved and ask for changes throughout the project. This builds trust between the team and the customer and can lead to greater customer satisfaction.

Stakeholders engagement

A key part of using an agile method is the involvement of stakeholders when completing projects. This sets up a dynamic system that increases relationships within the teams.

Cost control

An agile method can also be used to improve cost control. After each stage, the team reviews the budget for future decisions, to decide whether to continue, suspend or cancel tasks or the project itself. This provides a considerable advantage, especially in the face of different strategic decisions made by the organisation.

What are the 4 disadvantages of using an agile methodology ?

• it can be difficult to predict efforts such as cost, time, and resources at the beginning of the project
• it can be difficult to measure progress since agile methods deliver in increments
• it can be difficult to implement since people naturally resist changes
• teams can get sidetracked if they don’t see any progress

Written by Bande Organisée