Agile methodology has been around for years, and it’s still evolving. In this article, we’ll take a look at what it is and why you should care about it.
What is the agile manifesto?
The agile manifesto is a set of principles that guide the development of software. It was created in 2001 by 17 software developers and it has been translated into many languages. The agile manifesto contains 10 principles:
- Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
- Working software over comprehensive documentation
- Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
- Responding to change over following a plan
Why is it called agile?
- Agile is a term that refers to the ability to respond quickly to change.
- It’s an umbrella term for a range of software development methodologies.
- Agile is a set of values and principles, like flexibility, collaboration, and simplicity.
- There are many agile methodologies–some focus on short sprints; others emphasize customer collaboration over documentation; still others use test-driven development (TDD) as their primary methodology.
Agile & Scrum
- Agile is a set of principles and values.
- Scrum is a specific agile methodology that can be used to develop any product and that has been proven to work well in software development projects. Scrum provides a framework for developing and sustaining complex products, including new systems, by allowing the organization to adapt to changing requirements, priorities and resources over time.
What is Extreme Programming (XP)?
Extreme Programming (XP) is a set of practices for software development that emphasizes communication and collaboration, as well as frequent releases. It was created bypair programming with the goal of delivering working software every couple weeks.
The agile manifesto states that we should value:
- Individuals and interactions over processes and tools (XP is based on this principle)
- Working software over comprehensive documentation (XP also emphasizes this)
What’s the difference between Agile & Waterfall?
The first step to understanding the difference between Agile and Waterfall is to understand what each term means.
Agile methodology is a set of principles, practices, and values that guide us in our daily work. It’s not a specific process or set of tools; it’s more like an umbrella under which we can find many different types of approaches that all share some commonalities: iterative & incremental; adaptive & flexible; collaborative & participatory–all with the goal of producing high-quality software quickly while maintaining focus on customer needs.
Advantages of implementing agile methodologies
- Increased productivity
- Better quality
- Improved communication
- Improved alignment with business needs
- More flexibility in responding to change
- Lower cost of change
Disadvantages of implementing agile methodologies
There is a common misconception that agile methodology is the answer for every situation. This is not true, and some organizations may find it difficult to implement agile methodologies or change their existing processes. Let’s take a look at some of the disadvantages of implementing agile:
- Agile can be difficult to implement: There are many steps involved in adopting an agile approach, from establishing cross-functional teams and introducing new roles such as product owner or scrum master to evaluating whether your company needs to change its culture in order to become more flexible and adaptable. If you’re not ready for this kind of change, then adopting an agile methodology isn’t right for you yet (or ever).
- Agile can be difficult to scale: When you first start using an agile methodology like Scrum or Kanban at your company’s headquarters location(s), things might go smoothly–but what happens when everyone starts moving around? When employees travel between offices frequently (for example) or if there are multiple locations across different geographies where teams need access data from each other frequently but have no centralized server infrastructure between them? With traditional centralized IT systems like Microsoft Exchange Server 2010/2013/2016 etc., these problems are easily solved by setting up mailboxes on one central server which all users can access; however if those same users switch locations frequently then setting up another mailbox server would require additional maintenance overhead costs because each location would need its own set up process instead
The agile manifesto is worth your attention if you’re interested in software development
The agile manifesto is one of the most important documents in software development. It was created by 17 people in 2001, and it’s worth your attention if you’re interested in creating better software.
The manifesto consists of four principles:
- Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
- Working software over comprehensive documentation
- Customer collaboration over contract negotiation (with customers)
- Responding to change over following a plan
Conclusion
We’ve covered a lot of ground here, so the best way to wrap things up is by reiterating what we learned. It’s important to remember that agile methodologies are not only about software development but also about improving the quality of life for everyone involved in a project—from stakeholders and product owners right down through the rank-and-file workers who make things happen day after day. Agile isn’t just one thing; it’s an approach that can be used across different industries and disciplines (including nontechnical ones). And if you’re going to use agile methodologies (or Scrum), then it’s absolutely essential that you understand them deeply enough so that they can help guide your work instead of hindering it!
