Agile Method: Core Principles
Agile is a system of project management principles. It encompasses various methodologies and practices, but they all share a common foundation. Agile principles simplify the creation of complex projects. They help teams deliver product value to the customer in parts, on time.
The Agile approach recognizes that priorities and goals may change during the course of a project. The team regularly reviews the work done and analyzes the situation. If necessary, priorities are adjusted. That’s why this way of working is called “flexible.”
Agile is based on teamwork. Employees are given more authority, along with increased responsibility. This boosts their motivation, allows for professional growth, and enables them to solve tasks quickly.
Another important component of Agile is feedback. It can come from team members to each other or from the client to the team. This feedback helps the team learn and improve the product.
Main Advantages of Working with Agile
Continuous contact with clients and stakeholders
Some project management approaches involve contact with the client only at the beginning and end of the project—during the task acceptance or technical specification phase, and upon delivery of the result. If the client’s requirements were unclear or changed later, the project team may not find out until the very end.
In Agile, contact with the client is continuous throughout the entire process. Delivering the results of each iteration ensures that the team's actions are correct and that the final product fully meets the client’s expectations.
Flexibility and adaptation to change
A client may inform the team mid-project that the scope of work has changed. What to do in this case? In traditional project management, this can impact cost and deadlines or even make changes impossible. In Agile, changes are implemented with minimal effort, regardless of the stage of work.
Continuous product development
Daily meetings positively impact creativity and the generation of new ideas. Agile supports a “meritocracy of ideas” — the best idea wins, regardless of who proposed it. The project team, stakeholders, and the client can collaboratively determine the product’s features and characteristics.
Risk minimization
As mentioned, the project is not only shown to the client at the beginning and end. Therefore, all errors and risks can be identified before the project is completed. This allows for quick fixes without extending the timeline. After all, the later an error is discovered, the harder it is to fix.
