What Is Agile Thinking and How Does it Benefit Software Developers?
Agile thinking can help accelerate product delivery, streamline communication, and improve the client experience. Here is how it works in software development.
Content Map
More chaptersThe concept of agile thinking has been around since the publication of The Agile Manifesto in 2001.
Conceptualized by a group of software developers, the manifesto envisioned a world where developers prioritize customer value over profit, continuous feedback over last-minute changes, and adapting to change over rigid planning.
Since then, agile thinking has dominated how software developers and tech companies do business. It has influenced how they create products, engage with customers, and adapt to the market.
In this article, we’ll discuss what agile thinking is, its benefits, the different agile methods, and how to adopt an agile mindset.
Key Takeaways:
- Agile thinking helps teams incorporate agile principles into their environment
- When incorporated properly, agile thinking can help increase productivity, streamline collaboration, and improve the client experience
- Educating staff and advocating for continuous feedback are a few ways to adopt agile thinking.
What Is Agile Thinking?
Agile thinking is a way of doing tasks in a flexible and open-minded manner. It helps people work efficiently in dynamic environments. This is especially true for environments where circumstances are constantly changing and old ways of thinking are insufficient.
Naturally, agile thinking is tied directly to the agile methodology. Hence, it borrows concepts from the four key pillars of the agile methodology, which are:
- Team interactions and individual contributions over rigid processes and tools
- Delivering functional software over extensive documentation
- Prioritizing direct customer involvement over strict adherence to contract terms
- Being adaptable to change rather than sticking to a rigid, predetermined plan
Of course, embracing agile thinking is more than just changing how you think. It involves establishing a system of policies and procedures that teams can use to follow agile principles. Such principles focus on adaptability, collaboration, and customer value.
How common is agile thinking in software development? Research shows that 71% of software development teams use agile in their software development life cycles (SDLCs).
What Are the Benefits of Agile Thinking?
In the past, software development companies used the waterfall project management system. Under this structure, teams complete tasks in a linear sequence of events with minimal deviation from the roadmap.
Agile thinking aims to correct the shortcomings of the waterfall. When implemented correctly, the benefits of the agile methodology are undeniable. Let’s explore some of those benefits.
Improve Team Communication and Collaboration
With the waterfall, teams work in silos. They have their own team leaders, milestones, and key performance indicators (KPIs).
Waterfall teams are less likely to communicate with each other than agile teams. This creates a situation where they focus on their own tasks with little regard for how their contribution affects the whole project.
Agile teams regularly get together throughout the SDLC. They share information and ideas, brainstorm, and seek innovative solutions to complex problems. There is also an element of self-governance, where team members manage their own work. But there are still boundaries to maintain order.
Accelerate Project Delivery
Agile thinking can help speed up the delivery of software development projects. It does this by breaking down large projects into smaller, bite-sized milestones.
Each milestone represents a set task. A team typically has about 2 to 4 weeks to complete that task, which is called a sprint. Once the sprint is over, the team delivers the milestone. They also analyze the results, using the information provided to optimize workflows and processes for future sprints.
Sprints prioritize speed and continuous delivery, and they are an effective way to deliver software applications quickly.
Continuous Improvement and Innovation
Continuous improvement and innovation are unique to agile. It involves constantly refining how you do things to deliver better results. This is in contrast to the waterfall approach, which consists of large overhauls.
Agile thinking gives teams the tools and knowledge to strive for ongoing, long-term improvements. It achieves this through a mixture of small, incremental changes, as well as hands-on team engagement. Teams also use big data to make informed decisions and measure outcomes.
Comparing Agile Methodologies
Over the years, agile practitioners have introduced various alterations to the original agile methodology to cater to a wider variety of organizational structures and workplace situations.
Each agile methodology has its pros and cons, so it’s worth understanding what each one is, how they work, and when to use them. Let’s compare the two main ones now.
Scrum
Scrum is the most common agile method. It breaks down large, complex projects into smaller, bite-sized milestones (also known as sprints). Individual teams are assigned specific milestones, which they must complete within a set period – typically within a two-to-four-week cycle.
When a team completes a sprint, they review the results of that work period, including the tasks they were able to complete. They also identify known issues and discuss how to optimize processes and workflows for future sprints.
The scrum methodology enables teams to complete project deliverables quickly and efficiently. However, it can be hard to scale for large teams and fail if not all individuals are committed.
When outsourcing software development in Vietnam, choose a team with a history of success in the scrum. At Orient Software, we regularly host scrum workshops for our teams. We provide the necessary training and resources to help our developers not just grasp agile concepts but use the most efficient methods.
Kanban
Kanban is another common agile method. Popular among software development teams, it splits up tasks into three columns: “To Do,” “Doing,” and “Done.” Each column represents a different phase within a task. Team members use those columns to prioritize tasks based on urgency, monitor their status, and sign off completed tasks.
Kanban helps teams monitor the status of each task, which helps improve focus. However, as projects grow in size and complexity, Kanban boards may become too difficult to comprehend. Teams may lose sight of their priorities and make uninformed decisions based on outdated information.
Despite these potential setbacks, the Kanban methodology has been embraced by software developers, with approximately 87% of Kanban adopters finding it more effective than previously employed methods.
How to Adopt an Agile Mindset
Adopting an agile mindset is more than just committing to a plan. It’s about establishing a framework that all team members can use to provide continuous value, accelerate product delivery, and adapt to change.
Here are some of the most effective ways to adopt an agile mindset and how to choose an agile software development team.
Educate Team Members
Embracing agile thinking can bring many changes to an organization. However, not every team member will embrace this change. The resulting conflict can lead to disputes and resistance. The key to overcoming this aversion is education.
Educate teams on the advantages of going agile, what it will take to become agile, and the most likely outcomes the move will achieve. By alleviating your team’s concerns about going agile, they are more likely to embrace new ways of thinking and contribute to projects in a more positive manner.
Are you outsourcing your software development to a third party? If so, ensure your team is well-versed in agile processes. They should have procedures in place to get new team members up to speed and keep existing team members motivated.
Incorporate Continuous Feedback into Each Step
Being able to provide and receive feedback is crucial in an agile environment. Teams should have a platform where they can be seen and heard. More importantly, they should be encouraged to share ideas without fear of judgment or retribution.
Companies like Orient Software incorporate continuous feedback into each step of the SDLC. From consultation and testing to deployment, our teams regularly review, revise, and update each stage of development to optimize workflows and processes. Doing so enables us to mitigate risk and boost productivity in areas that demand attention.
Furthermore, we encourage our clients to participate in feedback sessions, giving them space to share their thoughts and concerns. Then, we use their feedback to drive future decision-making, ensuring the final product satisfies their vision.
Be Willing to Change
Flexibility is crucial in an agile environment. Without a rigid roadmap, teams can more easily adapt to client feedback, respond to market changes, and address unforeseen challenges. Furthermore, flexibility leaves room for more experimentation, opening up opportunities to create new and exciting features and functionalities.
What does this flexibility look like in practice? In a previous project, Orient Software helped Kikora, a market-leading e-learning software and technology service provider in Norway, transition to a more advanced e-learning client.
To make this transition possible, we helped fill the skill gaps present in Kikora, maintaining the existing client while contributing to the development of a new minimum viable product (MVP). By adopting an agile mindset, we efficiently balanced the workload between both projects and delivered the new client on time with multiple new features.
Embrace Agile Practices for Future Success
Agile thinking is a powerful tool in software development. It helps teams feel more empowered and motivated, thus meaning they’re more likely to deliver their best work.
For software development clients, this means a more streamlined development process, fewer hurdles along the way, and higher-quality software applications. Additionally, you benefit from more streamlined communication, ensuring you know exactly what is happening at each step.
To learn more about Orient Software’s development services, contact us. Let us discuss your project needs and propose a viable custom solution.
Writer
Writer
