What is Agile Development Model? — Explained

Introduction

Agile is a project management methodology that emphasizes flexibility, adaptability, and rapid iteration. It is based on the principles of agile software development, which aim to allow teams to respond quickly to changing requirements and customer needs and to continuously deliver value through the development and delivery of working software.

Why Agile? 🤔

Imagine that a team is working on the development of a new online platform for a large organization. The platform is intended to streamline the organization’s internal processes and improve collaboration among employees.

However, as the team begins development, they realize that the requirements for the platform are constantly changing and that it is difficult to keep up with the pace of change. which is making it difficult to ensure that the platform meets the needs of all parties involved.

To address these challenges, the team decides to adopt an agile approach to the project. They begin working in short cycles, or “sprints,” to deliver increments of the platform. At the beginning of each sprint, the team selects a set of features or requirements to work on. This approach allows the team to quickly adapt to changing requirements and to continuously deliver value to the organization.

Agile🤝

Agile is a flexible and adaptable approach to project management that is well-suited to today’s fast-paced business environment. It allows teams to be responsive to changing requirements and to continuously deliver value to customers. Reasons why agile has become a popular approach to project management:

1. Flexibility: Agile is designed to allow teams to be flexible and responsive to changing requirements and customer needs.
2. Continuous delivery: Agile allows teams to continuously deliver value through the development and delivery of working software.
3. Collaboration: Agile emphasizes the importance of collaboration and communication among team members, as well as with stakeholders.
4. Focus on value: Agile is focused on delivering value to customers and stakeholders, rather than just following a rigid plan.

Agile Manifesto 📃

The Agile Manifesto is a document that was created by a group of software developers in 2001 to provide a set of guiding principles for agile software development. The Agile Manifesto also includes a set of 12 principles that are used to guide the development of agile software and the management of agile projects.

Agile Values ⚡

1. Individuals and interactions over processes and tools: In an agile environment, team members are encouraged to collaborate and communicate with each other and with stakeholders to ensure that the final product meets the needs of all parties involved. This may involve techniques such as pair programming, peer review, and regular meetings to facilitate communication and collaboration.
2. Working software over comprehensive documentation: Agile teams often prioritize the delivery of working software over the creation of extensive documentation. This allows the team to get feedback from customers and stakeholders more quickly and to make adjustments based on this feedback.
3. Customer collaboration over contract negotiation: In an agile environment, the focus is on building a relationship of trust and collaboration with customers and stakeholders. This may involve regular meetings and demonstrations to gather feedback and ensure that the final product meets the needs of the customer.
4. Responding to change over following a plan: Agile teams are flexible and adaptable and are prepared to respond to changes in requirements or customer needs as they arise. This may involve adjusting the scope, schedule, or budget for the project to accommodate the change.

Agile Principle 🦾

Agile principles are a set of guiding values and practices that are used to inform the development of agile software and the management of agile projects. These principles are as follows:

1. Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through the early and continuous delivery of valuable software.
2. Welcome changing requirements, even late in development. Agile processes harness change for the customer’s competitive advantage.
3. Deliver working software frequently, from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, with a preference for a shorter timescale.
4. Business people and developers must work together daily throughout the project.
5. Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need, and trust them to get the job done.
6. The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a development team is face-to-face conversation.
7. Working software is the primary measure of progress.
8. Agile processes promote sustainable development. The sponsors, developers, and users should be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely.
9. Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design enhances agility.
10. Simplicity — the art of maximizing the amount of work not done — is essential.
11. The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams.
12. At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly.

Agile Stages/Phases 🚀

1. Planning: The team defines the scope and objectives of the project, and creates a high-level plan for how the work will be done.
2. Release planning: The team identifies the key features and functionality that will be included in each release of the product.
3. Development: The team works in short cycles, or “sprints,” to deliver increments of the product. At the beginning of each sprint, the team selects a set of features or requirements to work on, and at the end of the sprint, they review and demonstrate the completed work to stakeholders.
4. Testing: The team conducts testing to ensure that the product meets the requirements and is of high quality.
5. Deployment: The product is deployed and made available to users.
6. Maintenance: The team provides ongoing support and maintenance for the product.

Agile Frameworks 📲

1. Scrum Framework: A framework for managing complex projects, particularly in software development. It is based on the principles of transparency, inspection, and adaptation.
2. Kanban: A framework that is based on the principles of just-in-time production, which emphasizes the importance of pulling work through the system rather than pushing it.
3. XP (Extreme Programming): A framework that emphasizes the importance of frequent delivery of working software, a collaboration between developers and customers, and the use of automated tests.
4. Lean: A framework that is based on the principles of the Toyota Production System, which emphasizes continuous improvement, the elimination of waste, and respect for people.
5. Crystal: A family of agile frameworks that are designed to be tailored to the specific needs of a project. Crystal emphasizes the importance of communication, flexibility, and human factors in project management.

Agile Tools ⚒️

1. Jira
2. TeamWork
3. Monday.com
4. Wrike
5. Nifty

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