Agile is an iterative process, meaning that the timeline of development is separated into many smaller parts, referred to as sprints. Planning in an Agile work environment doesn’t attempt to detail a project’s development from start to finish. This is one of the main differences between Agile vs. traditional project management, also referred to as Waterfall.
The pros of planning under Agile are that there is always room for change. Depending on the scope of a project, development can be a long-term process and the more time that passes during development, the more likely it is you will need to adjust to new circumstances and demands.
But there is one downside to planning using iterations from Agile. You cannot set an exact budget or end date like you can with close scope planning, where everything is determined from the outset of development. Planning under Agile is more flexible, making it far less risky in the rapidly changing world of technology.
When working under Agile, the teams and practices put in place encourage flexibility in many ways. An Agile workplace typically has regular and frequent meetings like a daily scrum, backlog grooming, sprint reviews, or sprint retrospectives. Each of these meetings is short but frequent, ensuring that everyone on the team knows what the others are doing.
Having a mutual understanding of each other’s progress and responsibilities allows for the freedom to adapt when someone can no longer work on development or is unexpectedly interrupted by other factors. The organization of teams also encourages a robust system of flexibility.
Teams can be organized in varying ways based on the clients technological needs, but generally, each team has a PO. The PO is responsible for communicating the needs and priorities of clients to the development team and ensuring that the deliverables and commitment are met by the determined due date.
Many companies that implement Agile project management hesitate to use the word “methodology” when describing Agile. This is because it implies a system with set methods for doing something correctly. Instead, you can think of Agile methodologies as an Agile Framework. Although the Agile Framework follows several of the values within other methodologies, like SCRUM, they ultimately must follow the core principles meant to facilitate flexibility in development.
Agile’s core values strive towards the primary goals of working with the ongoing needs of a client, moving at a desired speed, and demonstrating commitment to the project with regular demos and progress updates. This is where Agile differs greatly from traditional project management.
Agile also measures success through building trust with the client. Trust allows the client to listen to the development team’s recommendations, recognizing the effort they put towards accomplishing the initiative and ultimately coming out of it with a better product.
Agile team facilitators shouldn’t be confused as team managers. This would go against some of the core principles of Agile work environments. An Agile team facilitator leads meetings, checks their team’s progress, and provides solutions to impediments along the way. They play an essential role in Agile work environments, helping their team remain flexible and able to adapt to new requirements.
Managing would be to direct specific tasks for each member of a team. This is not what an Agile team facilitator does. Instead, they encourage the team to make their own decisions while passively leading them towards success, making sure to meet the agreed-upon goals from the beginning of a sprint. It’s important not to give your development team hard directions because it doesn’t give them the freedom to make their own decisions and provide their professional insights into the specifics.
At Tekton Labs, we use the SCRUM approach to create innovative digital solutions and follow our clients’ ongoing needs. SCRUM is a highly effective Agile Framework proven to increase the quality of projects.
We offer our clients services in product discovery, digital consulting, UX/UI design, software development, and training, using the Agile Framework to remain flexible and attentive to our rapidly changing world. Start building your idea with us today.