Whether small or large, a crucial mission for every organization is finding a process that enables amazing work, keeps employees happy and yields profit. In practice, it’s hard to iron out – but not impossible. At Spyder Trap, we’re always aiming to evolve and better serve our clients in an ever-changing technology landscape. The following is a brief overview of the Agile methodology, and a few ideas on how it can be combined with other project management theories to produce amazing digital results.
Matthew Renze makes a compelling case for an agile software development process. It seems nearly every organization throws this buzzword around, but few can appropriately explain how an agile development process works in practice. Even fewer can implement the theory. In truth, agile is a methodology that is fluid and has not yet matured into a concrete set of practices. It often consists of traditional project management practices mixed with agile sprints and iterative development processes. This results in versions of ‘modified agile’ that are practiced in digital shops and corporate environments.
The Case for Agile
In late 2012, Eddie Obeng gave a TED talk in which he outlined how traditional rules for businesses and organizations may have become obsolete roughly fifteen years ago. He maintains that we now live in, “a world after midnight”: A metaphor for the paradigm shift that brought about the rapid technological change that has caused traditional project management to lag in both delivery and innovation. Our learning curve as humans can no longer keep pace with the explosion of new technologies and information.
Consider the following:
An updated set of practices is needed for software development within the modern digital ecosystem. Traditional project management is slow moving and can’t keep up with the rapid evolution of technology. It delivers obsolete software, often with feature sets that remain unused in the wild. Agile is a set of practices adapted to the new rules of the game. Agile software development is iterative. It pushes out “sprints” of working software in a continuous process that prioritizes features based on actual usage statistics. Low-value features are scaled back, and test-driven development dictates the continuous refactoring of the project.
Continuous and rapid feedback, smart failure, and a flexible scope allow for the project to evolve as it runs through iterations. Testing each iteration with casual users, combined with expert analysis and client feedback, allows for a fluid process that delivers higher value than most fixed-scope projects. The world of business no longer waits for long, drawn out processes in planning and development. Creating a minimum viable product and constantly working to align the product with its user base acknowledges the new rules of business, and delivers the best possible experience.
Finding Middle Ground
All that said, elements of traditional project management remain indispensable. The upfront planning, initial research and documentation generated by traditional project management methods ensure strategic advantage and solid products for end users. Of all of the Agile/Waterfall hybrids that have been proposed, a simple, “middle ground” approach represents an optimal model for digital projects.
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By taking a hybrid approach, we are able to benefit from the top-drawer components of the two primary methodologies. We are able to give strategic recommendations, deliver intelligently-planned architecture, and provide tested results. We are also able to communicate closely with the client as they experience each stage of a project and rapidly incorporate their feedback into the product. Agile may be a popular buzzword, but hybrid methods deliver in the world of digital.