92% of senior executives say they believe organizational agility is critical to business success, according to Forbes Insights. Turning an idea into a product and launching it in the market is not as straightforward as it seems. There is plenty of planning, mapping, monitoring, and organizing that needs to be done.
Agile is a powerful methodology that helps to keep your project moving forward. It’s an iterative and incremental formula for delivering requirements throughout the project life cycle. An agile project involves shorter development cycles called iterations, and smaller, more frequent product releases. Here’s what you need to know about Agile project management (APM).
History of Agile
The early 1990s saw a crisis in application development. It took long periods for businesses to source the application they required and the actual delivery of the software. This huge lag time frustrated leaders in the software development field, and they started looking for ways to develop applications quicker and more effectively. In 2001, 17 software developers gathered together and used their combined experience to deliver the Agile Manifesto, which is the foundation for today’s Agile methodology. Â
What is APM?
If you are wondering what is Agile project management, don’t worry. It’s a methodology used for collaborative problem-solving. Projects are broken down into smaller pieces, which are completed in work sessions called sprints that last over days or weeks. This methodology allows teams to release every segment when completed continuously. Every released segment is scrutinized, and if flawed, fixed. Changes are also embraced in any stage of the project cycle. This ensures continuous improvement and minimizes the chances of large scale project failure.
Principles of an Agile Way of Working
There are 12 principles that guide Agile project management today. Some of the critical ones include prioritizing customer satisfaction by collaborating with them closely, delivering quickly and on time. Second, adapting to a constantly changing environment and delivering value to the end-user.
Third, decision making goes to the team members as they are the ones who interact with the client, allowing them to find a solution that matches the client’s needs. Fourth, the continuous improvement of a product makes it perfect for the customer. Reflecting, leaning, and adjusting the approach ensures results are always positive.
Basic Processes
Although there are varying Agile project management frameworks, they all share the basic processes. Within the development cycles, there is project planning where the end goal is stated together with the method of achieving it. A product roadmap is a process that defines the features of the product. Release planning is where features are rolled out at the end of each cycle. Sprint planning is meant to plan what will be achieved within the cycle. Other basic processes include daily meetings and sprint reviews.
Benefits of Becoming Agile
In today’s dynamic world, customer expectations change in a fortnight. Without the right tools, adapting to changing trends can be a challenge. Agile helps teams to manage projects effectively and rapidly deploy solutions, even when the environment is uncertain. This ensures you stay competitive and deliver a product that is useful to the end-user.
Agile helps teams to manage projects effectively and rapidly deploy solutions (Source: Pixabay)Â
The agile approach enhances collaboration and feedback between team and clients and within team members. It also empowers team members by encouraging new ideas. As problems are detected early in the smaller cycles, fixes are quicker. This methodology also allows a team to have better control of the project at hand and achieve faster turnarounds.
Wrapping Up
Whether you are in software development, marketing, finance, or in any other sector, utilizing the Agile methodology can bring you tremendous benefits. The system is easy to set up and use, therefore, you have no cause to worry. With it, you’ll deliver high-priority and high-quality work each time and on schedule.
