AGILE
AGILE
Definition: Agile is a project management and product development approach that prioritizes flexibility
and collaboration. It involves regularly reassessing and adjusting project scopes based on feedback from
multiple stakeholders.
Key Concepts:
1. Iterative Process: Agile approaches product development in small, frequent iterations. This
allows teams to be more responsive to changes.
2. Collaboration: It emphasizes teamwork, customer involvement, and real-time communication
amongst team members and stakeholders.
3. Continuous Feedback: Regular check-ins (like reviews and retrospectives) help in refining and
refocusing development efforts.
4. Flexibility: Agile accepts that change is a natural part of product development, and it's designed
to accommodate these changes.
5. Delivering Value: Focus on shipping small, valuable parts of the product regularly rather than
delivering everything at once.
SCRUM
Definition: Scrum is a specific Agile methodology/framework used primarily for product development. It
divides development into short, time-fixed intervals known as "sprints" (typically 2-4 weeks long).
Key Concepts & Components:
1. Roles:

Product Owner (PO): Represents the stakeholders' interests and maintains the product
backlog, which is a prioritized list of tasks to be done.

Scrum Master: Ensures the Scrum process is followed, helps the team stay productive,
and removes impediments that the team might face.

Development Team: The group doing the actual work of designing, building, and testing
the product.
2. Ceremonies:

Sprint Planning: At the start of a sprint, the team plans what they will work on during
that sprint.

Daily Stand-Up (or Daily Scrum): A brief daily meeting where the team discusses what
they did yesterday, what they will do today, and any blockers they're facing.

Sprint Review: At the end of the sprint, the team reviews the work completed and
what’s pending.

Sprint Retrospective: After the review, the team discusses what went well, what could
be improved, and how to implement those improvements in the next sprint.
3. Artifacts:

Product Backlog: Managed by the Product Owner, it's a list of all features, functions, and
requirements that need to be completed.

Sprint Backlog: A subset of the product backlog that the team commits to completing
during a sprint.

Increment: The usable product functionality that's produced at the end of each sprint
and is potentially shippable.
Advantages:

Transparency: Regular check-ins and reviews mean that everyone is updated on progress and
setbacks.

Adaptability: If something isn’t working, the team can pivot quickly.

Faster time to market: Releasing increments means that some parts of the project can be
shipped or go live more quickly.
Differences between Agile and Scrum:

Agile is a set of principles for software development under which requirements and solutions
evolve through the collaborative effort of cross-functional teams.

Scrum is a specific framework that implements the Agile methodology. While Agile describes a
set of principles, Scrum provides a specific process to follow to implement those principles.
PRINCIPLES OF AGILE
The principles of Agile are articulated in the Agile Manifesto, which was published in 2001 by 17
software developers. These principles guide Agile methodologies and frameworks, like Scrum, Kanban,
and others. Here are the 12 principles of Agile:
1. Customer Satisfaction Through Early and Continuous Delivery:

Prioritize delivering valuable software to the customer as soon as possible and continue
to do so regularly.
2. Welcome Changing Requirements:

Even late in development, Agile processes harness changes for the customer's
competitive advantage.
3. Deliver Working Software Frequently:

Preferably in a short timescale, from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, with a
preference for shorter timescales.
4. Collaboration Between Business Stakeholders and Developers:

Business stakeholders and developers must work together daily throughout the project.
5. Support, Trust, and Motivate the People Involved:

Build projects around motivated individuals. Provide them with the environment and
support they need and trust them to get the job done.
6. Face-to-Face Conversation is the Best Form of Communication:

When the team is co-located, direct face-to-face conversation is the most efficient and
effective method of conveying information.
7. Working Software is the Primary Measure of Progress:

Delivering functional software is the primary indicator of progress, more than extensive
documentation or hitting other metrics.
8. Maintain a Sustainable Pace:

Agile processes promote sustainable development. Sponsors, developers, and users
should be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely.
9. Excellence and Good Design Enhances Agility:

Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design enhances agility.
10. Simplicity is Essential:

The art of maximizing the amount of work not done is essential. Focus on what's absolutely
necessary and eliminate unnecessary processes or features.
11. Self-Organizing Teams Produce the Best Designs:

The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams. These
teams don't need to be commanded or controlled.
12. Reflect, Adjust, and Tune Regularly:

At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts
its behavior accordingly.
When presenting these principles, it's important to emphasize that while they were created with
software development in mind, many of them can be (and have been) applied to other domains. They
emphasize flexibility, collaboration, and customer-centricity, which are valuable in a broad range of
fields.