Introduction
A project is a collaborative enterprise to either create new products or services or to deliver results as defined in the Project Vision Statement. Projects are usually impacted by constraints of time, cost, scope, quality, people and organizational capabilities. The objective of the project team is to create Deliverables as defined in the Prioritized Product Backlog.
The term “Agile” generally refers to being able to move or respond quickly and easily; being nimble. In any kind of management discipline, Agile as a quality would therefore be a valid aim. Agile project management specifically, involves being adaptive during the creation of a product, service, or other results. It is important to understand that while Agile development methods are highly adaptive, it is also necessary to incorporate stability in their adaptive processes.
Rapid changes in technology, market demands, and expectations have resulted in increased challenges to developing products and services using traditional project management models. This paved the way for the conceptualization and implementation of Agile methods and values in many organizations. Agile development models addressed the shortcomings associated with traditional project management models in meeting the ever-growing environmental demands and expectations that organizations were facing. Since traditional project management models generally emphasize extensive upfront planning and conforming to the plan once it is baselined, such models were not successful in meeting the reality of frequent environmental changes.
Agile relies on adaptive planning and iterative development and delivery. It focuses primarily on the value of people in getting the job done effectively. Though adaptive and incremental methodologies have existed since the 1950s, only methodologies that conform to The Agile Manifesto are generally regarded as truly “Agile”.
The Agile Manifesto is a document that sets out the four key values and twelve principles behind the Agile philosophy and serves to help development teams work more efficiently and sustainably.
As mentioned in the Agile Manifesto:
We are uncovering better ways of developing software by doing it and helping others do it. Through this work, we have come to value the following:
Individuals and interactions
Over
Processes and Tools
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 left more.
The figure below summarizes the twelve Principles of the Agile Manifesto.