Software development is often difficult.
The difficulty increases tremendously for larger projects that require larger teams of people to create the product. There are many stories of software projects that were started with good intentions but became challenged or failed with budget overruns, poor quality, bad performance, or lack of meeting the real needs of the customers.
Traditional software development projects are based upon spending time to document requirements and designs. The belief is that the more time you spend “up front”, the better the end product will be. Often the developers take these documents, go off to build the product based on how they interpret the information, and return at the end of the project to demonstrate the end result. The customers may realize then that the original design did not cover exactly their needs, or the final product does not appear or perform as desired. Changes made near the end of a project are more difficult to implement and can be expensive and delay the release schedule for a product.
Agile software development projects are based upon the values and principles described in the Agile Manifesto. The overall concept is to develop the software in short iterations, engage the customer to review the results of each iteration to provide early feedback and welcome change. Customer collaboration and development teams that are empowered provide motivations and commitment to foster successful projects. Progress is based upon providing value to the customer.
Studies have shown that Agile projects have many benefits and are more likely to be successful. Top benefits for adopting Agile are ability to manage changing priorities, improved team motivation and productivity, visibility into the project, and delivering value faster.
Agile methods define roles and processes to build software products using the values and principles of Agile. The two most deployed Agile methods are Scrum and Kanban. Scrum is described in the Scrum Guide and uses empowered teams to develop the product in small time boxed iterations called Sprints. The goal is to focus and deliver the high value items first. Kanban provides transparency into the project by having a visible board to identify the state of all project work items. The goal is to increase the project flow and reduce bottlenecks by limiting the amount of work in progress (WIP).
Agile transformations are happening today within many software development organizations. The promises that Agile leads to a better experience are widely expressed. Unfortunately, many organizations struggle as they try to overcome the transformation challenges. The principles of Agile are simple to describe, but the adoption of a new mindset and behaviors can be difficult. Roles change, old habits persist and there can be general resistance to change. Productivity can actually decrease at first while individuals learn to collaborate together as a team. Buy in and understanding of Agile is essential to a successful transformation.
Agile2Success services can help you overcome Agile transformation challenges. You can give a person a ball and describe the rules of the game, but it takes practice to learn how to play the sport. It takes training and coaching to accelerate the learning. The same is true for organizations adopting Agile.
Our goal is to provide services in training, coaching, mentoring and other support to help you during your journey. Please take time to look at our mission statement, values and services. Then follow our blog to share experiences about transformations from the Agile community.
Living our Agile principles, this site is being developed iteratively, so be sure to check back to view our updates. And please provide feedback via our contact page. Thanks.
