An Introduction to Agile

MGMT 4066

Week 1: An introduction to Agile

Course Instructor: Ramin Faraji
Contact: ramin.faraji@georgebrown.ca
 Introduction: What is Agile?

Agile is a series of approaches, methods and

frameworks that adheres to the principles and values
of the Agile Manifesto.

Agile principles are followed by project managers to

deliver value at a sustainable pace, and the developed
approach promotes collaboration with the customer.

Approaches can be designed from scratch. A specific

approach is not required
 History of Agile Methodology

As early as the 1990s, it became necessary for

organizations to keep up with the rapid pace of
enterprise software development.
The frustration of heavy methodologies, led 17
software developers to meet in February 2001 in
Snowbird, Utah to form the Agile Alliance.
Some of the more recognizable names that make
up the Agile Alliance are Kent Beck and Ward
Cunningham, who created the eXtreme
Programming (XP), as well as Jeff Sutherland
and Ken Schwaber, who created Scrum process
in early 1990s.
 Agile’s roots

Though the background and initial purpose of

Agile was in the realm of IT, it has several
applications across the whole sphere of project
management.

While its valuable to know that the Agile gained

popularity in the IT world, the approaches and
techniques used today existed long before the
establishment of the Agile Manifesto in 2001.
 Background: The Agile Manifesto

Thought leaders in the software industry

formalized the Agile movement in 2001 with the
publication of the “Manifesto for Agile Software
Development”
The Agile Manifesto was designed to be a set of
lightweight and guiding principles rather than a
set rules and formal processes.
Much like Agile methodologies in general, the
manifesto is short and easy to understand and
gets straight to the point without any additional
noise
 Background: The Agile Manifesto

There are better ways of developing software and

products by doing it and helping other do it. Through
this work we have come to value:
• Individuals and Interactions over processes and
tools
• Working software over comprehensive
documentation
• Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
• Responding to change over following a plan
 12 Clarifying Principles Pt 1

The following Twelve Principles Behind The Agile Manifesto were also
established to help provide clarity and direction when working in an
Agile environment:

1. Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and

continuous delivery of valuable software

2. Welcome changing requirements, even late in development. Agile

processes harness change for the customer’s competitive advantage

3. Deliver working software frequently, from a couple of weeks to a

couple of months, with a preference for shorter timescale
 12 Clarifying Principles Pt 2

4. Business people and developers must work together daily

throughout the project

5. Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the

environment and support they need, and trust them to get the job
done

6. The most efficient and effective method of conveying information

to and within a development team is face-to-face conversation

7. Working software is the primary measure of progress

 12 Clarifying Principles Pt 3

8. Agile processes promote sustainable development. The sponsors,

developers, and users should be able to maintain a constant pace
indefinitely

9. Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design

enhances agility

10. Simplicity – the art of maximizing the amount of work not done
- is essential
 12 Clarifying Principles Pt 4

11. The best architectures, requirements and designs emerge from

self-organizing teams

12. At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more

effective, then tunes and adjusts its behaviour accordingly
 12 Clarifying Principles Pt 4

How do we put the Mindset, Values, and the Principles together to

develop practices and deliver VALUE to our clients and
organizations?
 The Declaration of Interdependence

While Agile Manifesto gained traction in certain industries and work

areas, many believe that it required additional input to utilize it in
other settings outside of software development.
In 2005, several of the original authors of the Agile Manifesto, as
well as other experts, developed the Declaration of
Interdependence.
The six principles are required to achieve the mindset of an Agile-
type project, regardless of the industry.
This declaration begins with a statement that provides the
philosophy of the creators and is followed by six principles
 The Declaration of Interdependence

Agile and adaptive approaches for linking people, projects, and

value. We are a community of project leaders that are highly
successful at delivering results.
To achieve these results:

1. We increase return on investments (ROI) by making continuous

flow of value our focus

2. We deliver reliable results by engaging customers in frequent

interactions and share ownership

3. We expect uncertainty and manage for it through iterations,

anticipation, and adaptation.
 The Declaration of Interdependence

4. We unleash creativity and innovation by recognizing that

individuals are the ultimate source of value and creating an
environment where they can make a difference.

5. We boost performance through group accountability for results

and shared responsibility for team effectiveness.

6. We improve effectiveness and reliability through situationally

specific strategies, processes, and practices.
 The Agile Ecosystem

Agile approaches,
frameworks and methods
can be used to deliver
value to many projects.
Due to its focus on value,
small batch sizes and
elimination of redundancy
or waste, Agile (and
Kanban, Scrum etc.) are
often viewed as subsets
of Lean thinking.
 Empirical Process Control

Empirical Process Control is adapted and used to develop the best

practices of Scrum along with the Agile Manifesto as the guiding
principle.
Empirical process controls focus on the following:
• Transparency: Not just around the processes, but all
communications
• Inspection: Frequent inspection and the utilization of frequent
reviews of the product service or results is essential.
• Adaptation: None of the above will work fully without
adaptation, which is the ability to embrace uncertainty and
changes and manage risks accordingly.