The agile word meant for nothing on its own. But we can define it as “to move quickly” or “able to move quickly and easily.”
This term was first introduced when Agile Manifesto was being formulated in 2001. That means it is a very young terminology.
Every innovation’s ultimate goal is to deliver the best quality product, services, result, or even a transition under given project constraints.
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Is Agile a Methodology, Technique, Framework, or else?
There are many misleading answers to this question already. To find the best answer to this question, we need to visit Agile Manifesto. Here it is clear that it’s nothing but a value-based system. In the Agile Manifesto, there are four values and twelve principles.
This manifesto does not describe Agile as a methodology, tool, and technique, etc. Its main focus is the added value of self-organizing teams.
How Agile Works?
Agile helps predict the future, but soon, making assumptions more probable is always easy to predict rather than what will happen after years.
Project management helps us like rolling wave planning to make a plan for five years around. We prefer to get a detailed year plan, and the rest we plan later on once things get clearer.
What is a Sprint in Agile?
In Agile, we use “Sprints” of shorter duration (can vary from 1 week to 2 months), during which pre-determined features are developed and delivered.
A particular period required to complete a project task is known as a sprint. Sprint can be a single or multiple depending upon the complexity of any project.
Every sprint should be a value-added one. Sprint should be reviewed and assessed by the team and customer/client.
Use of Agile with other Methodologies
Agile blends with the waterfall method & it create a hybrid blend. A waterfall is good where rapid & repetitive steps are not required, like in Planning, where it needs a proper analysis of every aspect of the project – better to go for a waterfall. But once it goes to execution, that is when companies prefer to use an Agile approach.
Agile is frequently used and taken with both hands when blends Scrum, Kanban, and Lean is the most popular. Some agile methods include:
- Scrum
- Kanban
- Lean and Kanban
- Extreme Programming (XP)
- Crystal
- Crystal Clear Methods – CCM
- Feature-driven development (FDD)
- RAD (Rapid Application Development)
- Dynamic System Development Model (DSDM)
Advantages and Disadvantages of Agile?
As every innovation around has strengths and weaknesses, so does Agile. It may work well in a project and may go terribly wrong on others. Let’s review some advantages & disadvantages of the Agile approach.
Advantages of the Agile Approach
- The product is continuous, as it will be done in chunks that add value to the project.
- Client feedback is a must on every sprint; thus, final approval is easy.
- Changes are accepted at any stage of the project. This differentiates Agile from water-fall, where a change at a later stage may lead a company to bank-rapt.
- The final acceptance by the client is straightforward.
Disadvantages of an Agile Approach
- Very Little documentation and mostly verbal, which may lead to legal issues if not dealt with properly.
- An experienced team is always required to handle the client’s requirement & an in-experienced team has no scope in agile.