Agile is a project management and product development approach that emphasizes flexibility, collaboration, and customer satisfaction. It is particularly well-suited for environments where requirements and solutions evolve through the collaborative effort of self-organizing and cross-functional teams.
Characteristics:
– Iterative Development: Work is completed in small, manageable increments, allowing for regular reassessment and adaptation.
– Collaboration: Teams work closely with stakeholders and customers to ensure that the final product meets their needs.
– Customer Feedback: Continuous feedback is sought from customers to refine and improve the product throughout the development process.
– Flexibility: Agile methodologies allow teams to respond quickly to changes in requirements or market conditions.
– Empowered Teams: Team members are encouraged to take ownership of their work and make decisions collaboratively.
Examples:
– Scrum: A popular Agile framework that organizes work into time-boxed iterations called sprints, typically lasting two to four weeks.
– Kanban: A visual management method that uses boards to track work in progress and optimize flow, focusing on continuous delivery.
– Extreme Programming (XP): An Agile methodology that emphasizes technical excellence and frequent releases in short development cycles, promoting high-quality software.