The Agile methodology was born at the beginning of the 21st century as a need to correct certain inefficient practices in the development of projects and has become a standardized model applied by large national and international companies to optimize their resources in project management. The 7 Vs of “big data” technology – Learn More of This

Although it was originally developed for the IT sector , specifically in the field of software improvement, thanks to the good results obtained, its application is carried out in other business segments and innovation projects. Recruitment 2.0: innovation in human resources.

The Agile methodology applied to project development allows:

  • Have a global vision of the project.
  • Assignment of mini projects and milestones for the team.
  • Increase the project in phases .

Agile methodologies are not always easy to implement, because their application must take into account the project itself, its difficulty and the different actors involved in it. CDO: the strategic vision that data management needs

The Agile method is based on 4 fundamental pillars and 12 principles that must be applied to obtain the most efficient results.

Essential pillars of the Agile methodology

It should be noted that the Agile methodology focuses more on people than on processes, in addition to adaptation, mutation and change to satisfy the client. Tips for implementing an effective customer scorecard

  1. Valuation of people and social relationships over tools and processes.
  2. Direct collaboration with the client to maintain a more participative and close relationship.
  3. Functional prioritization of the product over the accumulation and excess of documentation.
  4. Respond quickly and effectively to unforeseen events and changes that may have developed in the initial plan.

The Agile methodology breaks with the schemes of linearly planned projects , traditional forms of work that are not very productive and are too long in time. In this way, projects based on deliveries can be executed faster and more flexible with the implementation of rigorous and exhaustive schedules , which take into account the novelties and modifications that may arise throughout the project. Why is the brand ambassador the most powerful branding resource?

The 12 principles of the Agile methodology

In order to apply this method, it is essential to adhere to these 12 fundamental principles:

  1. Pursue customer satisfaction and periodically inform him of the status of the project.
  2. New changes and requirements are welcome and are valued as positive modifications.
  3. The division of labor is carried out in productive time phases divided into weeks, fortnights, etc.
  4. Possibility to measure progress .
  5. The way of executing the projects must in itself guarantee the continuity of the project (sustainable development).
  6. The team must work in a coordinated and joint way , using the Scrum method, as an effective and essential practice for the correct organization and development of work.
  7. Conversations between team members and / or the client must take place in person , to effectively communicate messages.
  8. It is necessary to instill motivation and confidence in the members that are part of the project to obtain successful processes.
  9. Technical excellence and good design . In the Agile methodology, the quality of the work and the presentation are part of the whole.
  10. The law of simplicity is imposed . Tasks should be as simple as possible. If they cannot be simplified, they will have to be divided into iterations to reduce their level of complexity.
  11. Self-managed teams. Although it is necessary that there is a figure to monitor the work teams , they must be able to organize themselves.
  12. Adaptation to changing circumstances. It is essential that the professionals who carry out the projects can adapt to the different circumstances and modifications that may arise during the process.

The Scrum concept in agile methodology

Scrum is a process in which a set of good practices is applied on a regular basis to work collaboratively, as a team, and thus obtain the best possible result from a project.

In Scrum, partial and regular deliveries of the final product are made, prioritized by the benefit they bring to the recipient of the project. For this reason, Scrum is especially suitable for projects in complex environments , in which immediate results are needed and in which the requirements are changing or poorly defined . In short, where innovation, competitiveness, flexibility and productivity are essential.

In addition, this methodology helps to solve inefficiencies, since it ensures that the customer is delivered what they need without oversizing the cost and with the best quality.

The Scrum work methodology is developed in iterations called sprints , and they are usually 2 weeks (although they may be longer, depending on the needs of the team and the project). Each iteration has to provide a complete result, a final product increment that can be delivered with minimal effort to the customer upon request.

The process starts from a list of objectives or requirements, which the client prioritizes according to the value they provide, and their cost based on the effort and the definition of fact.

The planning of the iterations goes through a series of phases:

  1. Selection of requirements by the client (Product Owner) to be achieved. For this, it will be necessary to provide the team with a prioritized list of requirements, which can be achievable in each iteration.
  2. Sprint planning : The team develops the list of sprint tasks required to develop the selected requirements. Effort estimation is done jointly and team members assign tasks to themselves. In this sense, they organize themselves to work even in pairs (or larger groups) in order to share knowledge (creating a more resilient team) or to solve especially complex objectives together.
  3. Execution of the iteration (Sprint); Daily meetings of less than 15 minutes are held to identify that everyone can understand the degree of progress in which they are within the sprint, in order to identify and anticipate possible obstacles that may appear. In addition, you usually have a refinement meeting that may result in the inclusion of new tasks, or the postponement of others.
  4. Inspection and adaptation

On the last day of the iteration, a review meeting is held in which the team presents the customer with the requirements completed in the iteration, in the form of an increase in product ready to be delivered, with minimal effort. In that same meeting, the team analyzes how his way of working has been and what are the problems that could prevent him from making adequate progress , continuously improving his productivity.

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