Agile project management is a unique option among other methodologies whose main feature is an iterative approach.
It differentiates the production cycle into smaller segments known as sprints. The agile approach encourages being highly adaptive and responsive to changes that may appear at any time during the project.
Agile is client-centric in its focus. It places a higher value on getting results than it does on strictly adhering to contracts.
The agile framework was created in the software sector. To enhance speed to market, a team of dedicated software developers would employ agile methods by assembling cross-disciplinary teams that worked in short sprints. It was discovered that agile teams were able to decide independently more quickly than conventional methodologies.
It’s a more complex way of managing than a simple following a straight line. However, it has proven its effectiveness. The key reason for its success is that while overall project planning establishes the tone and scope of the endeavor, the iterative approach is responsible for each element’s completion.
Agile Manifesto
The Manifesto for Agile Software Development, which described the foundations of agile project management, was written by a team of 17 software developers who met and published it in 2001. They created 12 principles that are still popular among agile development teams in the software business.
- Customer happiness through the delivery of value regularly and at the appropriate moment.
- Embracing innovation, no matter how it emerges during the manufacturing process, and utilizing it to the customer’s benefit.
- Creating and shipping products frequently while at the same time ensuring that the shortest amount of time possible is spent on each project.
- Everyday collaboration among all necessary parties, customer participation, is essential.
- Individuals must feel supported and trust that their ideas will be taken seriously to maintain their commitment to creating initiatives.
- Face-to-face discussion is the most efficient and effective way to share information with and among a development team.
- The ultimate working product or software is what counts as a success.
- Agile methods promote long-term growth. Project investors, developers, and other stakeholders should be able to maintain a constant rate of progress indefinitely.
- Agile development is aided by continuous attention to technical excellence and good design.
- It is critical to maximize efficiency and minimize effort.
- Self-organizing teams produce the finest structures, needs, and designs.
- Teams require frequent self-reflection on how to be more efficient, as well as behavioral adjustments.
Key Components of Agile
The agile project management method relies on five core elements to safeguard that clients are involved, and stakeholders are prioritized:
User stories: Agile uses a brief outline written from the perspective of a customer to estimate the project development timeline and how much work is required to complete the task of the project according to the needs.
Sprints: Development work is carried out in short cycles known as sprints, which often last one to three weeks. Teams prepare the activities to be completed during each Sprint at the end of each cycle.
Agile board: A tool that can be a physical board or a project management program used to keep track of team development.
Backlogs: Deliverables in the system are outstanding. These items are placed in the sprint during the sprint planning procedure, often known as the product backlog.
The Five Phases of Agile Project Management
There are five distinct phases to a project or product’s development by the agile methodology:
1. Envision
In the first stage of agile project management, the project is planned. Customer and stakeholder expectations, as well as team members, are determined.
2. Speculate
The project’s goal and objectives are then described. The primary aspects of the finished product, as well as project activities and deadlines, will be determined by teams throughout this stage.
3. Explore
As teams work on single goals, the process continues. Teams are encouraged to experiment with different methods to meet project criteria more efficiently as they iterate and explore new options.
4. Adapt
In this phase, the team takes feedback into account while they are adapting their project. They also break down their projects into smaller tasks that can be worked on more often to increase productivity.
5. Close
As work continues, results are re-examined. Any modifications in this phase are compared to objectives and new project requirements. Team members exchange expertise to apply it to future activities.
Popular Agile Methodologies
There are more than 50 agile strategies. The following are some of the most popular agile methods:
1. Kanban
The Kanban approach is based on the kanban board to display current activities, future tasks, and completed tasks. The visual representation’s main benefit is that it aids agile team members in not only seeing where their assignments are but also other project-related work.
2. Scrum
The methodology is an agile framework for project management. Its main goal is to address different phases or a set amount of work for a project’s life cycle by using sprints and daily gatherings. The Scrum framework has three key roles: the Scrum Master, the product owner, and the scrum team members.
3. Lean
This development method tries to keep your project lean by eliminating wasteful practices.
This aids in the removal of system clutter while also enhancing the value flow.
Who uses the agile methods?
Agile is the most popular method of software development, with almost 86% of 101,5 international surveyed software creators using it in their job. There are lots of examples among the big companies using this approach: Amazon, Google, and Netflix. However, this way of project managing is suitable for any company.
While the agile managing process was inspired by software development, It’s being used by lots of developers around the world. MLSDev company is one of the examples which successfully provides app building services mentioned here: https://mlsdev.com/services/mobile-app-development, using the agile methodology.
Author’s bio: Anastasiia Lastovetska is a technology writer at MLSDev, a software development company that builds web & mobile app solutions from scratch. She researches the area of technology to create great content about app development, UX/UI design, tech & business consulting.