Understanding Agile Techniques
Agile techniques form the foundation of Agile project management, enabling teams to respond quickly to changing requirements while delivering value incrementally. These techniques emphasize collaboration, continuous improvement, and iterative progress, ensuring teams stay aligned with business goals and customer needs.
In this article, we’ll explore the most commonly used Agile techniques, providing a brief description of each to help you understand their purpose and application.
Key Agile Techniques and Definitions
1. Scrum
Scrum is one of the most widely used Agile frameworks. It organizes work into time-boxed iterations called sprints, typically lasting two to four weeks. Teams work from a prioritized backlog, with daily stand-ups to track progress and a retrospective at the end of each sprint to identify improvements.
2. Kanban
Kanban is a visual workflow management method that helps teams optimize efficiency. It uses a Kanban board with columns representing different stages of work (e.g., To Do, In Progress, Done). Teams limit work in progress (WIP) to prevent bottlenecks and maintain a steady flow of tasks.
3. Lean Development
Lean focuses on eliminating waste and optimizing value delivery. Inspired by Lean manufacturing, it encourages teams to continuously improve their processes, reduce unnecessary work, and prioritize customer needs.
4. Extreme Programming (XP)
XP is an Agile methodology emphasizing engineering practices such as test-driven development (TDD), pair programming, and continuous integration. It ensures high-quality software by promoting collaboration, feedback loops, and adaptive planning.
5. Feature-Driven Development (FDD)
FDD structures development around specific features that provide value to users. It follows a five-step process: developing an overall model, building a feature list, planning by feature, designing by feature, and building by feature.
6. Crystal Methodology
Crystal is a family of Agile methodologies that prioritize team communication and adaptability. Different variations (Crystal Clear, Crystal Orange, etc.) cater to teams of varying sizes and project complexities, focusing on lightweight processes and human interactions.
7. Agile Modeling
Agile Modeling promotes flexible and practical documentation in software development. It encourages developers to create models just enough to support communication and decision-making without unnecessary overhead.
8. Dynamic Systems Development Method (DSDM)
DSDM is a comprehensive Agile framework that emphasizes project governance and business involvement. It follows an iterative lifecycle with strict principles ensuring alignment with business objectives.
9. Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe®)
SAFe is an Agile framework designed for large enterprises. It provides structured guidance for scaling Agile across multiple teams, incorporating Agile Release Trains (ARTs), Lean Portfolio Management, and continuous delivery pipelines.
10. Large-Scale Scrum (LeSS)
LeSS is an adaptation of Scrum for large teams working on the same product. It maintains Scrum principles while allowing multiple teams to collaborate effectively through synchronized sprint planning and reviews.
11. Disciplined Agile (DA)
DA is a process decision framework that helps organizations tailor Agile practices based on their unique context. It integrates principles from Scrum, Kanban, Lean, and other methodologies, offering flexibility in implementation.
12. Scrumban
Scrumban blends Scrum’s structure with Kanban’s flexibility. Teams use Scrum ceremonies like sprint planning and retrospectives while managing work with a Kanban board to improve workflow efficiency.
13. Behavior-Driven Development (BDD)
BDD enhances collaboration between developers, testers, and business stakeholders by using natural language descriptions of system behavior. It improves understanding and ensures alignment with business requirements.
14. Test-Driven Development (TDD)
TDD is a development technique where tests are written before code implementation. It ensures high-quality software by requiring developers to think through requirements and functionality before writing code.
15. Acceptance Test-Driven Development (ATDD)
ATDD extends TDD by involving business stakeholders in defining acceptance criteria before development begins. It ensures that software meets business needs from the outset.
16. DevOps and Continuous Delivery
DevOps integrates Agile principles with operations, ensuring continuous delivery through automation, infrastructure as code (IaC), and CI/CD pipelines. It enhances collaboration between development and IT teams.
17. Mob Programming
Mob Programming involves an entire team working together on the same code, using one computer. It promotes collaboration, knowledge sharing, and rapid problem-solving.
18. Pair Programming
Pair Programming involves two developers working together at one workstation—one writes code while the other reviews it. This technique improves code quality and knowledge sharing.
19. Agile UX
Agile UX integrates user experience (UX) design into Agile development. It ensures UX designers collaborate with developers throughout the project, iterating on user feedback and usability testing.
20. Agile Portfolio Management
Agile Portfolio Management applies Agile principles to managing multiple projects, aligning work with business goals, and ensuring value-driven decision-making at the portfolio level.
21. Story Mapping
Story Mapping is a technique for organizing user stories in a visual format to understand the user journey. It helps teams prioritize work based on customer value and dependencies.
22. Continuous Improvement (Kaizen)
Kaizen, meaning "continuous improvement" in Japanese, is a mindset applied in Agile teams to regularly reflect, identify inefficiencies, and implement incremental improvements.
23. Retrospectives
Retrospectives are Agile ceremonies where teams reflect on past work to identify successes, challenges, and areas for improvement. They foster a culture of learning and adaptability.
24. Agile Contracts
Agile contracts are agreements structured to allow flexibility and adaptability in project deliverables. They focus on collaboration and iterative delivery rather than fixed scope and timelines.
25. Agile Leadership
Agile Leadership emphasizes servant leadership, empowering teams, removing impediments, and fostering a culture of trust and innovation.
Conclusion
Agile techniques provide teams with the tools and methods necessary to navigate the complexities of modern projects. By understanding and applying these techniques effectively, teams can achieve greater efficiency, collaboration, and customer satisfaction. Whether you adopt Scrum, Kanban, XP, or a hybrid approach, Agile’s flexibility ensures it can be tailored to fit your specific needs.
What's Next?
Join one of our SAFe certification courses to learn more about some of the above techniques.
References
Beck, K. (1999). Extreme Programming Explained: Embrace Change. Addison-Wesley.
Kniberg, H. (2011). Kanban and Scrum - Making the Most of Both. LeanPub.
Pichler, R. (2012). Agile Product Management with Scrum: Creating Products That Customers Love. Addison-Wesley.
Rubin, K. S. (2012). Essential Scrum: A Practical Guide to the Most Popular Agile Process. Addison-Wesley.
Scaled Agile, Inc. (2020). The SAFe Framework.
Schwaber, K., & Sutherland, J. (2020). The Scrum Guide.