More and more businesses are adopting an Agile approach to build great products and inspire continuous improvement within their teams. What started as a software development manifesto back in 2001 is now exploding across the entire enterprise. Businesses in all industries are adopting an agile mindset to transform the way they approach projects of all shapes and sizes.
As business continues to evolve in the age of the consumer, the approach to work must change along with it. To ensure the needs of modern consumers are met, the agile process provides room for change. Iterations are completed based on testing and real-time customer feedback. Project planning becomes an interactive process, and teams churn out their best work.
Is Agile a smart way to manage projects? Yes, but not always. Here are four situations where the Agile methodology might be the best approach for your business or project.
When You’re Developing Software
Yes, we’re stating the obvious here…but Agile was created by software developers for software developers, making it deal for most projects in the software development realm. It puts users front and center, allowing development teams to work in sprints and roll out product features as needed. The testing and deployment phases are also separated to maximize efficiency and creativity.
When You’re Working In-House
Recent surveys show that 58% of organizations have embraced Agile. It was originally imagined for teams that work together in the same physical location. While distributed teams can certainly take advantage of Agile methodology, it’s important to keep in mind that collaboration is an essential aspect of the approach. Social accountability and real-time feedback are key for success.
When You’re Willing to Change
Agile work cultures are on the rise. A recent report from Forrester found that culture and behavior were the top two things holding organizations back from agile adoption. At its core, Agile is all about responding quickly to environmental changes. If your organization is committed to strict procedures and is looking to minimize risk, find a new approach. Adopting this method requires collaboration from every level of your business, so if you’re not prepared to make changes internally, Agile might not be right for you.
When There’s an Element of Uncertainty
When you have a goal that is unlikely to change from start to finish, you’ll want a more traditional project management system. If, however, your end goal is filled with infinite possibilities, Agile might be your best bet. Your team can hypothesize, build, test, and iterate as you go to capitalize on the flexibility of the end result.
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