Let’s start with the basic question. Why do we need another approach (in his case agile) for running the project? Won’t a method outlined in detail in PMBOK guide sufficient?
The answer is simple. Different type of projects require different methods. The classic project management tools are developed in industrial revolution. They are designed to execute Industrial or construction work. These projects are more structured, stable and executed under strict standards.
On the other hand, the knowledge work projects wherein people use their subject matter expertise to create product or service and take part in its analysis and development efforts, are different than industrial or construction projects. The knowledge work projects are less structured, more prone to changes, and require continuous innovation.
When knowledge work projects became more common, people found that the communication and collaboration involved in these projects made the work more uncertain than industrial project. When people tried to apply classic project management techniques for knowledge work projects, project failure rates increased.
Agile methods were developed in response to these problems. These methods were introduced first in software development projects, but is now used in all kinds of knowledge work projects (research and development, new product development etc.)
The agile method emphasizes on incremental and iterative development efforts. This approach is more suitable for projects where the execution stage is characterized by uncertainty and risks.
The Agile mindset
Agile is not about using certain set of tools and techniques, or following specific methodology. Agile involves adapting to new mindset – way of thinking – that is based on agile values and principles. The Agile mindset is about following these core principles.
- Welcoming change
- Working in small value added increments
- Using build and feedback loop
- Learning through discovery
- Deliver maximum value as soon as possible
- Failing fast with learning
- Continuous delivery
- Continuous improvement
The agile mindset is a thought process that involves understanding, collaborating, learning, and staying flexible to achieve high-performing results. This way of thinking helps teams adapt to change, rather than struggle around it.
The Agile triangle
The key difference between agile mindset and traditional project management is the agile triangle.
The reversal of traditional triangle means agile mindset emphasizes on scope to vary within the fixed parameters of time and cost. This is in line with the knowledge work projects, which are characterized by experimentation and uncertainty. Therefor, scope is kept as variable and project is usually executed within fixed time and cost boundaries.
The Agile Manifesto
The Agile manifesto includes statement of four values and twelve guiding principles.
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Four values
The four values are written in Agile manifesto document:
We are uncovering better ways of developing software by doing it and helping others do it. Through this work we have come to value:
- Individuals and interactions over processes and groups
- working software over comprehensive documentation
- customer collaboration over contract negotiation
- responding to change over following a plan
That is, while there is value in the items on the right, we value the items on the right more.
What are other project management methodologies can you use? Find out more in this article
Value 1: Individuals and Interactions over processes and groups
Processes and tools have value to make things predictable and easier. However, they are no replacement for individuals interacting together to share and analyze information to arrive at answers. In fact, until individuals interact, processes and tools can not be used.
Having the right group of individuals on your team is vital to success. The best possible tools in the wrong hands are worthless. Perhaps even more important is how these individuals communicate with each other. The interactions between team members are what helps them to collaborate and solve any problems that arise.
Value 2: Working software over comprehensive documentation
This value speaks to the need to deliver. This value emphasizes on business value we are trying to deliver, rather than paperwork. The documentation should be:
- barely sufficient – just enough to cover our needs
- agile documentation is done just in time – so that team don’t have to spend extra time to keep it updated and revise every time for design changes
Documentation by itself, or at the expense of working software, is not useful.
Value 3: customer collaboration over contract negotiation
This reminds us to be flexible and accommodating to customer requests, rather than fixed and uncooperative. This value augurs well with dynamic nature of knowledge based projects, especially software systems, software is difficult to scope, companies rarely build the same systems twice, technology changes rapidly. So we should recognize from start that things are going to change, and we will closely need to work with customer throughout the project to reach a consensus on the final end product deliverable.
Value 4: Responding to change over following a plan
In knowledge work projects, we know that our initial plans are inadequate, since they are based on insufficient information about what it will take to complete the projects. So instead of investing effort in trying to bring the project back in line with our original plan, we want to spend more of our effort and energy responding to the changes that will arise.
The importance of responding to change over following a plan is particularly true for software projects, where high rates of change are common.
The twelve agile principles
The twelve principles underlying the Agile Manifesto are fundamental guidelines that help teams implement Agile methodologies effectively. These principles emphasize customer satisfaction, flexibility, and continuous improvement. Here are the twelve Agile principles:
Customer satisfaction by rapid delivery of useful software:
This principle includes three main points. The first is to satisfy customer. If we produce perfect plan and documentation but not delight the customer, we have failed; our focus should be on customer.
The second point is rapid delivery. We must structure the project to deliver value early and frequently. This helps in early detection of a problems while we still have enough time to fix them. It is better to surface the problems up front we have time time to correct it, than to discover it later when pile of work has already been done on the faulty foundation.
The final point is we are delivering useful software, not completed work products, documentation or plans. The end goal should always be delivering useful product or service for which the project was undertaken.
Welcome changing requirements, even late in development:
Since Agile is used in highly changeable environment, agile methods use lightweight, highly flexible approach for handling changes into the backlog of work to be done. This is in stark contrast to the non-agile projects, where changes are often seen into negative light. Many non-agile projects have rigorous change control procedures leading to much of the time and effort spent into logging and managing change requests.
Working software is delivered frequently (in weeks rather than months)
Delivering work frequently ensures rapid feedback on features the agile team has created. This helps team to see that they have created is useful and they can proceed building it, or if course correction is needed.
With frequent deliveries we regularly have results to show to the customer and opportunities to get the feedback.
Working software is the principal measure of progress
In agile, we assess progress based on the emerging product or service we are creating. By adapting working software as our primary measure of progress, we shift our focus to working results rather than documentation and design.
If the feature can’t be measured or tested, then it is considered as incomplete.
Sustainable development, which is able to maintain a constant pace
Agile methods strive to maximize value over the long term. Instead of long, intense development period, agile methods recognize the value of sustainable pace that allows team members to maintain work-life balance.
Working at a pace that can be maintained indefinitely leads to happier and productive team. Long workday lead to resignations, burn out and people eventually start making mistakes. When people leave, organisation looses talent and domain knowledge. Hiring new team member is slow and expensive process.
Close, daily cooperation between business people and developers
By working with business team daily, we can learn about the business in a way that is more practical than any requirement gathering meeting could ever achieve. As a result, agile team is in better position to suggest solutions and alternatives to business requests.
The business representatives also learn from development team on what types of solutions are expensive, or slow to develop, and what features are cheap. This can help business people to fine tune their solution suggested to the customer.
Face-to-face conversation is the best form of communication (co-location)
Written documents are great for creating a lasting record of events and decisions, but they are slow and costly to produce. In contrast, face-to-face communication allows us to quickly transfer a lot of information in a richer way that includes emotions and body language.
Of course, this recommendation for face-to-face communication can’t be applied to all project communications, but agile teams aim to follow it whenever possible. However, as team size grows, it becomes highly challenging to rely on face-to-face communication, and we have to introduce an appropriate written documentation.
Projects are built around motivated individuals who should be trusted
Having best people is significantly more important for projects than having best processes and tools. Knowledge work projects involve team members who have unique areas of expertise. Such people do their best work when they are allowed to make many of the day to day decisions for the project. Empowering project team to make their own local decisions also motivates a team and imbibes trust among team members.
Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design
Technical excellence and good design allow the development team to understand and update the design quickly and easily. Agile team needs to balance its efforts to deliver high value features with close attention to the design of the solution. This balance allows the product to deliver long term value without becoming difficult to maintain, change, and upgrade.
Complex systems are difficult to maintain and are less agile to changing customer needs.
Simplicity
The most reliable feature is that we don’t build, since there is nothing wrong that could go with them. In software, about 60 percent features that are built are never used or infrequently used.
Because so many features that are built are never actually used, and because complex systems have an increased potential to be unreliable, agile methods focus on simplicity. Agile methods prefer “plain vanilla version built first”, get the feedback from users and then progressively build more features on to of it.
Self-organizing teams
To get best out of people, we have to allow them self organised. People like self-organising, it allows them to find an approach that works best for their methods, and their environment. As a result they will produce a better work.
Self organizing teams that have the autonomy to make decisions have higher level of ownership in the design they create than in those that are forced to them or suggested by external sources.
Regular adaptation to changing circumstances
Agile methods employ feedback loops called as “retrospectives”, to reflect on how things are working on the project and identify opportunities for the improvement. These retrospectives or lessons learned are regularly conducted during a project and not at the end of a project making sure we do something about what we have learned to adjust how we complete the remainder of a project.
Summary
Agile is not about using certain set of tools and techniques, or following specific methodology. Agile involves adapting to new mindset – way of thinking – that is based on agile values and principles.
In summary, these agile principles and values guide Agile teams to deliver high-quality software efficiently while adapting to changing requirements and maintaining a sustainable work environment. They emphasize collaboration, simplicity, and continuous improvement, ensuring that the team remains focused on delivering value to the customer.
References
Here are further resources if you want to go deep in the topic.
