Is Agile Really What It’s Cracked Up To Be?
Or, are most businesses just doing it wrong?
There are two sides to every story. Some people swear by the agile approach, while others have doubts. But the truth is that successful agile practice depends greatly on how it is implemented by each individual organization.
Which leads to the question — is agile really what it’s cracked up to be?
This isn’t a quick yes or no question, because it really depends on the environment, the people, the project, and the management of its implementation.
What, Exactly, is Agile?
The ideas behind agile started in software development. Back in the early days of software development, everything was approached with a plan. There would always be a clear series of steps to follow when it came to requirement gathering, design, implementation, verifying functionality, and maintenance.
Change or deviation often meant that the entire process was required to begin again from the beginning.
This methodology of working is commonly known as the waterfall method.
But the world moves a lot faster and the waterfall method no longer suits a lot of businesses — especially ones that are trying to match the speed of their competitors.
Implementing agile isn’t about implementing the latest buzzword technology. Rather, it’s about creating a fluid development pipeline that supports the current needs of the business. Features are delivered sooner and generate data based on user feedback. This shortens the wait time for decision making and allows a business to move forward faster.
While all this sounds great, theory sometimes differs from the reality of things when it comes to implementation.
Implementing Agile - From Theory to Reality
The misconception about agile is that the speed of delivery is central. This often results in a condensed version of the waterfall method, which ends up creating unprecedented team stress with agility not really being achieved.
Speed is actually a by-product of agile.
A true agile approach focuses on the size of the feature to be released and works on a flexible backlog system that is able to be reconfigured and respond to market needs, changes in direction, and decisions made.
Unlike the waterfall method, an agile approach favors iterative testing with working prototypes that are further improved on and validated through learning and user responses.
This way of working allows the business to view software as an integral and organic part of operations and growth. This is because software in 2020 is not meant to just be built once and sit in a corner forever.
The Environment and People
The success of agile depends greatly on the environment and the team working on the project.
Agile is a proactive approach to software development and requires the active engagement of the team. However, the environment needs to support this, especially in the realms of communication, such as the willingness to communicate between departments and teams. Management needs to have a clear understanding of what they want — and if they don’t, they need to trust the team to make the decision based on the data that’s currently available.
Unlike the waterfall method, where team members are more like cogs in a systematic approach, each person involved in an agile release acts as a knowledge bridge that contributes to the final release.
No one truly sits in isolation, and the best agile teams are ones with members that are able to communicate and translate their ideas into something that is understandable by others.
Agile teams are mobile in nature, giving them the unique ability to pivot at short notice and change the trajectory of their project delivery.
The architectural process of agile software is that it is continuous in nature, yet complete at the same time. This means that the product can be seen as a completed piece of software that puts functionality first and is also improved upon as more data about the user's needs and wants are uncovered.
Final Words
Agile can be a powerful tool for businesses when it’s implemented correctly. A lot of teams struggle with agile because it is often not facilitated accurately, costing the business time and money.
At SRG, our developers have an intrinsic understanding and experience with agile. We’ve got people with the right balance of skills, meaning that our teams are equipped with the ability to think laterally and deliver products and features as an effective agile team.
As a team, we are capable of working both collaboratively and independently, depending on your business requirements, timelines, and needs.
If you’re interested in working with us or have a project idea that you want to get off the ground, let us help you deliver.
Co-authored by:
Dave Wesley ~ President, SRG
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Aphinya Dechalert ~ Marketing Communications, SRG
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