Agile Jobs in Nigeria (Page 79)

What is Agile? 

The Agile methodology is a project management approach that involves breaking the project into phases and emphasizes continuous collaboration and improvement. Teams follow a cycle of planning, executing, and evaluating. 

Agile methodologies enable organizations to deliver value to customers faster and with fewer complications by systematically managing projects and developing software in an iterative fashion. The approach of an agile team is to deliver work in small, but consumable, increments, rather than wagering everything on a "big bang" launch. As a result of continuously evaluating requirements, plans, and results, teams are able to respond to change in a timely manner. 

While the traditional approach takes one contribution per time to the project, agile calls for collaborative cross-functional teams. Open communication, collaboration, adaptation, and trust among team members are at the heart of agile. Although the project lead or product owner typically prioritizes the work to be delivered, the team takes the lead on deciding how the work will get done, self-organizing around granular tasks and assignments. Agile isn't defined by a set of ceremonies or specific development techniques. Rather, agile is a group of methodologies that demonstrate a commitment to tight feedback cycles and continuous improvement.

The values of Agile Methodologies include:

1. Individuals over processes and tools: Agile teams value team collaboration and teamwork over working independently and doing things just by the book. 

2. Working software over comprehensive documentation: The software that Agile teams develop should work. Additional work, like documentation, is not as important as developing good software.

3. Customer collaboration over contract negotiation: Customers are extremely important within the Agile methodology. Agile teams allow customers to guide where the software should go. Therefore, customer collaboration is more important than the finer details of contract negotiation.

4. Responding to change over following a plan: One of the major benefits of Agile project management is that it allows teams to be flexible. This framework allows for teams to quickly shift strategies and workflows without derailing an entire project.

Types of Agile Methodologies

• Scrum: It is ideal for projects with rapidly changing requirements, using short sprints.

• Kanban: It visualizes project progress and is great for tasks requiring steady output.

• Lean: It streamlines processes, eliminating waste for customer value.

• Extreme Programming (XP): It enhances software quality and responsiveness to customer satisfaction.

• Adaptive Project Framework (APF): Works well for projects with unclear details, as it adapts to constantly evolving client needs.

Benefits/Advantages of Agile 

• Agile enables a large amount of collaboration and interaction between the client and the project team., giving the client a clearer understanding of the phases of the project. 

• The product is delivered predictably, or sometimes earlier than expected.

• The cost of the project is predictable and follows a rigid schedule.

• Changes can refine and re-prioritize the product backlog.

• Enables the client to prioritize different features, allowing the team to ensure maximum project value.

• The project is divided into smaller units, providing high-quality development, testing, and collaboration.