Agility in business is about handling uncertainty and adapting, a trait that is needed now more than ever. Read on for our insights and offerings.
What is agile?
Agility, by its definition, means to move with ease and speed. In the context of business, agility is the ability to respond to change and an organization’s ability to adapt to and eventually thrive in an uncertain business environment.
Agile started as a method of software development. It originated as a better way to develop software. The publishing of the Agile manifesto in 2001 marked the beginning of a revolution in software development which found applications far beyond just software development and is an actively pursued objective in major corporations across the globe and across divisions.
Agile puts people first. It breaks away from the web of numbers and makes perfection an ongoing pursuit. With the introduction of newer methodologies to implement Agile principles, at its core, Agile can be considered as an umbrella term that puts the spotlight on feedback and continuous improvement.
Values of the Agile Manifesto:
The original Agile Manifesto puts forth the following values:
“We are uncovering better ways of developing software by doing it and helping others do it. Through this work we have come to value:
Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
Working software over comprehensive documentation
Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
Responding to change over following a plan
That is, while there is value in the items on the right, we value the items on the left more.”
The agile manifesto and the 12 agile principles create the basic foundation for Agile practices. What started as a document created by software engineers has evolved into a highly recognized set of professional practices that have been adopted beyond software development. Agility helps organizations focus on the customer and constantly improve with feedback. Agile practices help organizations eliminate costly delays, adapt to changes and go beyond the restrictions of traditional processes. Agile encourages innovation and continuous improvement, prioritising the customer to create a meaningful product or service.
Scrum:
Scrum is a framework of getting work done. The scrum framework is based on learning and adjusting continuously to fluctuating factors. Scrum helps teams to naturally adapt to changing conditions. The scrum framework follows a series of steps to get results using an empirical and heuristic approach. In scrum, teams work in sprints, which are timeboxed efforts to achieve a sprint goal. The project is effectively broken down into smaller goals that are achieved through each iteration of sprints.
Kanban:
The Kanban methodology is over 50 years old and still has prominence in teams to this day. Kanban uses the Kanban board, a tool that visualizes the workflow and optimize the flow of work in a team. Digital Kanban Boards have seen immensely growing popularity with teams in different industries. Kanban boards are highly customizable, the most common method is dividing the boards into: To do, In progress and Done. Kanban creates greater transparency within a team, and breaks down a project into smaller tasks. With visualization, it is a powerful planning tool that helps teams achieve efficiency and improve communication.
Extreme Programming (XP):
XP is an agile software development framework. Extreme programming is an offshoot of the Agile methodology. Customer satisfaction is emphasised as the driving force for development iteration cycles in extreme programming. Extreme programming is based on a five-step iteration process. Planning, Managing, Designing, Coding, and Testing are the guidelines.
Lean Development:
Lean Software Development, also known as LSD, is a development of lean manufacturing standards and methods. The Toyota Production System was transitioned into LSD. It’s gaining traction thanks to the Agile community’s pro-lean subculture. Lean has a sound strategic structure, standards, and ideals, as well as best practises learned from experience, to help companies become more agile.