16 / 08 / 2023

What is Agile methodology and what are its principles?

It is a system that facilitates the co-creation of projects and collaboration between business and development teams.

In software development it is essential to work hand in hand with customers in the co-creation of solutions that allow to bring the maximum possible value to Business and to implement their requests quickly, reducing the Time to Market. Communication between the customer and the development team becomes fundamental and can occur in many different ways, including opting for work methodologies that facilitate the flow of information. One of the best known is Agile and now we will discover how it works.  

 

The objective of Agile methodologies is to develop an idea between the business departments and the technical teams, looking for the best way to materialize it. Mainly, Agile proposes the division of the project in several fragments of time, called "sprints", usually of about two weeks. During these periods of time, all team members work on their part of the project in a coordinated manner and every two weeks they review the overall status. If at that time any conflict or disagreement is detected, it is rectified from there, without compromising the project completely. 

IN ADDITION, THIS METHODOLOGY ALLOWS THE BUSINESS POINT OF VIEW TO BE ALWAYS PRESENT IN THESE SPRINTS THROUGH THE FIGURE OF THE PRODUCT OWNER, WHO, TOGETHER WITH THE WORK TEAM, WILL ENSURE THAT THE REQUIREMENTS OF THE BUSINESS DEPARTMENT ARE MET.

By verifying the work by parts, it is easier to change course or correct it, if necessary. These improvements will be of higher quality and will not compromise the project as a whole, thus helping the project to progress steadily. 

Before applying this methodology, it is necessary to analyze some aspects such as the company's co-market objectives, its culture, the impact of its implementation on customers and the available resources. The needs of the project itself must also be taken into account, since in a well-defined project with clear and concrete objectives, a classic project management methodology may be more suitable. 

Principles of the Agile methodology

The 10 basic principles of the Agile methodology are based on the four core values of this system, which are: processes and tools, software that works, response to change by following a plan, collaboration with the customer and contractual negotiation. 

These are the 10 basic principles of the Safe Agile methodology, according to its manifesto: 

  1. Adopt an economic perspective
  2. Apply systems thinking 
  3. Assumes variability and preserves alternatives
  4. Builds incrementally, with rapid, integrated learning cycles
  5. Bases milestones on objective evaluation of working systems
  6. Visualizes and limits WIP, reduces batch sizes and manages queue lengths 
  7. Enforces cadence, synchronizes scheduling across domains 
  8. Unlock intrinsic motivation in workers' knowledge
  9. Decentralize decision making
  10. Organize around value 
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