Because of its flexibility and adaptability, Agile is an incredibly powerful tool for managing the programs and projects for which it is best suited. This post will explore how Agile works to better understand when this project management approach works best.

Four Values, Twelve Principles

We explored Agile in our Project Management 101 post and promised to go into more detail here. Unlike Waterfall, which originated in the building and construction trades, Agile originated in the software industry. It is an outgrowth of the Agile Manifesto, a 2001 document drafted by seventeen software engineers at a Utah software development conference. Agile has since expanded to other industries but is most readily applicable to those with data at their core. It is an inventive, iterative approach to project management that emphasizes flexibility and collaboration, hence “agile.”

As initially articulated by the Agile Manifesto, this approach is governed by four values and is oriented around twelve principles.

The Four Values

The following four values underline all elements of a program designed with the Agile mindset:

1. Individuals and Interactions (over Processes and Tools) – Agile prioritizes human interaction and collaboration while providing tools to facilitate that collaboration so that the highest needs of all stakeholders can be met.
2. Working Software (over Comprehensive Documentation) – Agile ranks getting down to work over elaborate pre-planning and documentation of plans, specifications, and procedures. This focus allows for faster turnaround and implementation.
3. Customer Collaboration (over Contract Negotiation) – Agile emphasizes working with stakeholders throughout the project management process instead of involving them mainly at the beginning (planning) and end (closeout) to help enable increased responsiveness to dynamic conditions
4. Responding to Change (over Following a Plan) – Dynamism is Agile’s raison d’etre, and flexibility is its most important asset.

The Twelve Principles

The following twelve principles guide every decision made within an Agile framework:

1. The highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of value. Rather than front-loading all planning and decision-making before getting to build-out, Agile focuses on testing ideas to get to project scale quickly.
2. Welcome changing requirements, even late in development. Agile processes harness change for the customer’s competitive advantage. Unlike Waterfall, which depends on project variables and parameters remaining static once development begins, Agile sees dynamism as a means of improving service.
3. Deliver working software frequently, from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, with a preference for the shorter timescale. Even if your project is not overtly about software development, the idea here is to build out quickly to test ideas and realize the best solutions.
4. Business people and developers must work together daily throughout the project. Agile depends on constant collaboration to be nimble and adapt to changing conditions.
5. Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need and trust them to get the job done. Constant interaction does not equal constant management.
6. The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a development team is face-to-face conversation. Enough with memos and email updates.
7. Working software is the primary measure of progress. Not set milestones or fixed signposts.
8. Agile processes promote sustainable development. The sponsors, developers, and users should be able to maintain a suitable pace indefinitely. If the process leads to burnout, it is too demanding and needs to be adapted.
9. Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design enhances agility. The working model needs to be the best it can be, even if it is still a work in progress.
10. Simplicity–the art of maximizing the amount of work not done–is essential. Work for work’s sake serves no one well. The efficiency of the method and approach delivers the highest value for stakeholders.
11. The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams. Talented professionals empowered with autonomy and agency drive a more productive and successful enterprise.
12. At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly. Self-evaluation and skill development serve both people and projects equally well.

When Does Agile Project Management Work Best?

Ultimately, Agile is a mindset more than a protocol. Because it emphasizes adaptability and responsiveness to dynamic conditions, Agile is most useful on projects whose scope is not well defined. Agile gives you the tools to adjust on the fly to ensure project success when you don’t fully know the path forward but know to expect changes. So, if you are embarking on an effort unlike others you’ve completed before, especially if it’s something you know you need to be done quickly, you can start development early and then adapt the plan as needed.

In this way, Agile is appropriate when you need to learn what to build (the end result), how to build it (the means), and/or who to build it for (the user) as you go along with the project. This might include developing and testing new proprietary software for your organization or outlining a protocol for using new technology in your enterprise. By allowing for interaction and collaboration, Agile provides quality assurance in the face of an overwhelming amount of existential question marks about a project.

Agile, Like Any Approach, Works Best When You Have the Best Support

Like any project management protocol, Agile works best with widespread support – from executive leadership to those tasked with planning and implementation. Agile particularly requires that business leaders be present and commit daily to interacting with project management. When deploying Agile – unlike with the Waterfall method – leadership cannot say, “We’re going Agile,” and then step back from the process.

A certified scrum master (CSM) with extensive Agile experience can provide the necessary support your organization needs to have its projects run smoothly. Momentum applies the necessary skills, tools, and proven best practice strategies to help ensure your projects are completed on time and within budget. Subscribe to our news and blog portal for the latest project management tips, implementation tricks, and general industry trends.