What Is Agile? A Comprehensive Guide

Agile is a philosophy designed to promote adaptability in software management. Created to address the limitations of traditional software development approaches, Agile processes focus on creating a minimum viable product and adding improvements through short, iterative cycles. Its values include team communication, minimized planning and documentation, customer-developer collaboration, and continuous improvement.

In a nutshell:

• The Agile methodology is a set of principles that promote adaptability to change and efficient delivery of working software through the continuous improvement of a minimum viable product
• Agile emerged in the software development industry as a response to the inflexibility of the waterfall methodology
• The four pillars of agile are individuals and interactions over processes and tools, working software over comprehensive documentation, customer collaboration over contract negotiation, and responding to change over following a plan
• Agile frameworks like Scrum, Extreme Programming (XP), Kanban, and Feature-Driven Development narrow the methodology down into more specific rules, tools, and techniques

The History of Agile

Before Agile, the most common software development methodology was the waterfall approach, which had teams flow through the development life cycle of planning, execution, and testing in sequential order. Similar to how a waterfall flows down without ever going back up, the waterfall approach never revisits previous steps: teams needed to complete each stage before moving on to the next. 

A project's success hinged on having detailed overhead planning that provided clear directions for execution.

However, the methodology proved too inflexible to adapt to the technology landscape’s ever-increasing pace. Its strict commitment to sequential completion had developers struggling to course-correct after miscalculations during the planning phase, much less satisfy customers whose demands changed over time. In response to the need for adaptable processes, developers built Agile.   

The agile methodology was conceived in February 2001 during a developer meeting in Utah. Seventeen software developers gathered to brainstorm alternatives to the heavyweight development processes that had then dominated the tech landscape and eventually drafted and signed the Manifesto for Agile Software Development, now more commonly known as The Agile Manifesto. 

The Agile Manifesto

The Agile Manifesto is a set of values that aim to guide software development. It includes four key pillars and twelve principles. 

Four pillars of Agile

Agile’s four pillars list four binaries that outline the methodology’s main priorities. We discuss them below and highlight the importance of each concept by providing examples that illustrate how they come into play. 

1. Individuals and interactions over processes and tools 

Agile believes the bedrock of any agile project is the team working on it. While tools and processes can help streamline development, these supplements are secondary to nurturing a team with the appropriate levels of skill and dedication to execute plans at the quality stakeholders expect.  Agile principles encourage keeping teams sufficiently informed and engaged.

For example, providing organized communication channels, especially face-to-face or live meetings, ensures that every member has the information they need to execute tasks at team standards. The smoother your communication, the smoother your workflow. Meanwhile, a supportive environment keeps team members motivated enough to stay on track. 

Relying on tools for results can be detrimental to success if the tool you’ve selected is misaligned with your team’s needs. 

Take employee surveillance tools like productivity trackers. In theory, the pressure of constant monitoring ensures that employees will maximize their productive hours. However, the opposite seems to be the case. 

In a 15five survey conducted in 2023, 72% of employees said that productivity tracking software either had no effect on productivity or diminished it. 20% said they would look for a new job if their employers enforced the use of productivity trackers. 

2. Working software over comprehensive documentation

While documentation is helpful for elucidating software components and processes, the main goal is still to create a working product. Therefore, teams should dedicate the majority of their time to product development. A focus on development during the project’s initial stages means less time spent on the supplemental tasks of planning and documentation and more time spent on testing and refinement.

However, prioritizing working software doesn’t mean forgoing documentation entirely. It just means that the software should be the first thing you dedicate your time to. With Agile’s focus on adaptability, the process is efficient; it prevents you from writing up comprehensive documentation for features that might have been changed through new iterations.

A happy medium is focusing on making documentation accurate rather than comprehensive. As you document the development process, provide all necessary information without getting wrapped up in details. 

An integrated software development and documentation tool can help you streamline the documentation process. Shortcut Docs is directly connected to your task-tracking system, which lets you create tasks as you draft your documents. With this integration, you can move between documentation and development seamlessly.

3. Customer collaboration over contract negotiations

Traditional approaches only allow for customer feedback during the ideation and closing stages. Committing to fixed plans means risking customer dissatisfaction if customers' interests evolve. Agile believes that constant customer collaboration leads to customer satisfaction. 

By providing visibility to the development process and opening the floor for feedback, Agile allows customers to pitch additions or improvements that might have bypassed them during the planning stage. 

One unique example is the indie game developer Supergiant’s roguelike series, Hades. While no contracts were involved between the company and its future customers, Supergiant encouraged a high degree of collaboration between developers and players by using a paid alpha funding model. 

In exchange for early access, players tested the game for bugs and provided suggestions for improvement. The process led to multiple changes in narrative, design, difficulty levels, and features. Upon its release in 2020, Hades received an overwhelmingly positive response from critics and players. 

4. Responding to change over following a plan

The first idea isn’t always the best. The problem with the waterfall approach is that it leaves plans untested until the end of the development cycle. Agile leaves room for course correction in case circumstances change or better ideas spawn as the team moves through product iterations.

The popular instant messaging platform Discord originally began as a built-in chat feature within a tablet-based multiplayer game developers Jason Citron and Stan Vishnevsky intended to build. However, during the development process, Vishnevsky discovered that no other messaging apps provided the level of organization Discord offered. 

Additionally, the gaming community lacked a dedicated communication platform that accounted for needs like real-time messaging, streaming, and community building. Citron and Vishnevsky scrapped the game idea and focused on turning the communication feature into a full-blown messaging platform. 

By pivoting, they captured a market they overlooked during the planning stage. Data from Tech Report shows that Discord served approximately 550 million users in 2023, including users in industries unrelated to gaming, such as education, entertainment, science, and technology. 

Twelve principles of agile

Agile’s twelve principles narrow the pillars into specific insights and instructions that guide the software development process. We touch on all twelve below, providing brief justifications for each. 

1. Satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of software.

The waterfall approach only gives you one shot to impress your customer. You might overlook miscalculations in planning until late into the closing stage. Agile’s continuous feedback cycles give your customers a clearer picture of the product they’ll receive. Frequent access to their input makes it easier for you to meet their expectations.

2.Welcome changing requirements, even late in development–Agile processes harness change for the customer's competitive advantage.

We develop plans within the context of current market conditions. However, conditions inevitably change, sometimes at a faster rate than anticipated. Agile’s regular feedback cycles allow you to adapt, while the waterfall approach would have had you commit to potentially outdated plans. 

3. Deliver working software frequently, from a couple of weeks to a couple of months, with a preference for the shorter timescale.

Consistent delivery of working software within short intervals allows you to validate your ideas faster. Additionally, Agile’s short timeframes force you to be efficient and prioritize the parts of the software that provide the greatest impact. 

4. Business people and developers must work together daily throughout the project.

Constant collaboration helps everyone stay on the same page about requirements, expectations, and project decisions. Regular interaction between business people and developers ensures the entire team gets the full perspective. 

For example, talking to developers helps business people understand why certain software features might be difficult to implement with the team’s available resources. Meanwhile, talking to business people might help developers understand why the feature is necessary. 

The discussion might conclude with the business people increasing support and providing the relevant resources. 

5. Build projects around motivated individuals. Give them the environment and support they need, and trust them to get the job done.

Progress hinges on human movement. Think of employee engagement as the gas fuelling your team; when it’s empty, nothing runs. Keep the tank full by meeting your team’s needs. Set reasonable deadlines, make relevant resources available, and provide useful feedback. 

Selecting the tools that align with employee needs also helps teams feel empowered. Dataiku, an AI and machine learning company, needed a project management tool that made it easy to visualize multiple disparate but interconnected items under a single workflow. Switching to Shortcut made it easier for the team to track updates across projects. 

The simplicity of the platform’s UI pleased their employees and helped them onboard new team members faster. Refer to our Dataiku case study to learn more. 

6. The most efficient and effective method of conveying information to and within a development team is face-to-face conversation.

The Agile Manifesto was published in 2001, before the dawn of efficient video conferencing, organized communication tools like Slack, and the normalization of remote work. Adapted for modern times, this principle might mean prioritizing synchronous communication channels like real-time messaging and video conferencing over asynchronous ones like email and project management software comments. 

Synchronous communication gives people opportunities to interject before ideas are fully formed. Video conferencing and face-to-face meetings let body language, tone, and facial expressions play a greater role in the conversation, enabling you to measure your team’s level of engagement. 

Synchronous communication channels also have more of a human touch, which helps your team build rapport. 

7. Working software is the primary measure of progress.

Perfection is impossible, even with meticulous planning. Functionality, meanwhile, is achievable with regular testing and feedback. However useful plans, documentation, or additional features are, at the end of the day, you’re being paid to create a solution. Focus on making that solution work. 

8. Agile processes promote sustainable development; the sponsors, developers, and users should be able to maintain a constant pace indefinitely.

A significant difference between the Agile methodology and the waterfall approach is the inability to plan for a clear ending. The amount of work required to complete a project can change without warning at the end of a feedback cycle. Therefore, your team must be prepared to see the project through an indefinite number of iterations.

Avoiding burnout is paramount to a successful project. To keep team members engaged, ensure that requirements and deadlines are reasonable.  

9. Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design enhances agility.

While Agile promotes functionality over perfection, it doesn’t mean you need to cut corners. Doing things right within a realistic standard and avoiding mistakes means having fewer problems to fix in the future. Technical excellence ultimately saves time, energy, and resources. 

10. Simplicity–the art of maximizing the amount of work not done–is essential.

Energy is a limited resource. You’re better off expending it on things that matter. Identify which parts of the software provide the most value and allocate the most energy there. Effective prioritization of tasks helps ensure that your team isn’t spread too thin. 

11. The best architectures, requirements, and designs emerge from self-organizing teams.

Hierarchies can stifle creative collaboration, as the best ideas don’t always come from the top. Having a self-organizing team allows you to draw from a wider range of perspectives, which allows for more informed decision-making. 

It also sends the message that you see every individual’s input as equally valuable. The increased autonomy makes teams feel more empowered and, thus more motivated. 

12. At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly.

Regular feedback helps not just your product, but also your processes. Reviewing past problems and accomplishments helps your team identify ways to move more efficiently. 

Pros and cons of agile

Pro: Adaptable amidst uncertainty

The waterfall methodology forces you to commit to plans despite changing circumstances. Meanwhile, agile approaches let you shift gears after testing. A working software is not a final product but a base you can build on or change. 

Con: Deviates from the original plan

Because Agile doesn’t commit to fixed plans, it’s possible to end up with a widely different product than initially envisioned. As long as you regularly meet with stakeholders to realign expectations, this shouldn’t be a problem. 

Pro: Delivers working software consistently

Agile processes ensure that you always have working software ready for shipment, even if a few supplemental features are missing. While you won’t always have something that does everything, you’ll usually have something that does what you need.

Con: Sacrifices documentation

Agile encourages minimal documentation. The lack of detail might make transitions difficult if the project is handed over to a new team. 

Pro: Provides feedback regularly 

Agile processes move through short cycles of development, testing, and feedback. Frequent communication ensures that teams and stakeholders stay on the same page throughout the entire development process. Consistent feedback adds visibility to developer progress and gives them a clearer idea of stakeholder needs, ensuring increased satisfaction on both ends. 

Con: Requires constant communication

Most Agile frameworks require daily team meetings and regular meetings with stakeholders. The frequency of synchronous interactions may not be ideal for individuals who prefer a hands-off approach. 

Common agile frameworks

Agile frameworks are sets of tools, techniques, and principles that supplement Agile thinking, either by providing additional guides for management, visualization, or development processes. Among the most commonly used Agile frameworks are Scrum, Kanban, extreme programming (XP), and feature-driven development.

Scrum

Scrum is a framework that aims to instill agile thinking by prescribing specific principles, activities, progress metrics, and organizational structures. Teams working under a Scrum framework take instructions from a Scrum master, who oversees development and facilitates communication between team members and product owners.

The Scrum software development process consists of the following events:

• Daily Scrums are daily meetings that have team members discuss progress, problems, and other project-related topics.
• Sprints are fixed periods of time wherein team members are required to complete a work item.
• Sprint Planning Meetings let teams define objectives for future sprints.
• Sprint Reviews evaluate the work item completed in the previous sprint.
• Sprint Retrospectives have team members discuss the successes and failures of the previous sprint.

Scrum teams must also produce documents known as artifacts to guide progress. These are:

• The Product Backlog refers to the total list of work items that still need to be completed before a product is ready for launch.
• The Sprint Backlog refers to a list of tasks that need to be completed within a sprint.
• The Product Increment shows work completed across all previous sprints.
• Burndown Charts visualize progress by showing the amount of completed work against time remaining. 

Extreme Programming (XP)

XP is similar to Scrum in that it prescribes specific software development roles, steps, and principles. However, while Scrum provides a structure for management, XP focuses on programming. 

XP teams consist of developers who create a product for a customer. Sometimes, a tracker or manager liaises between developers and customers. Coaches are typically not involved in the development process but mentor the team on XP practices. Having a tracker or coach is completely optional. 

The framework typically consists of five stages: 

• During the planning stage, customers provide a list of user stories and other product requirements. The developers outline the tasks necessary to execute customer expectations. 
• In the designing stage, the developers create a design for the software. 
• The coding stage has the developers program all necessary software features. 
• Testing happens regularly to determine whether the software works and meets customer requirements. 
• During the listening stage, the customer provides feedback on the final product. 

Kanban

Kanban is primarily a workflow visualization tool characterized by the use of a Kanban board. The Kanban board consists of columns that represent how far a work item is from completion. Work items are represented by cards which are placed in the appropriate column depending on their level of completion. 

The number of columns depends on the project or how a team tracks progress. The average Kanban board will typically include:

• Planned tasks
• Works in progress
• Completed tasks

Kanban also promotes fair labor distribution by limiting the number of works in progress. These limitations encourage teams to dedicate their attention to only a few tasks at a time, thereby reducing the probability of burnout and increasing the likelihood of quality outputs. 

Feature-Driven Development

Feature-driven development breaks software down into its moving parts. It follows the following steps:

1. Develop an overall model
2. Build a features list
3. Plan by feature
4. Design by feature
5. Build by feature

Building a model draws you a flexible outline for the scope of the software. Creating a feature list defines the building blocks of your model. By working on the product part by part and distributing feature development across your teams, you can prioritize necessary features first and assemble a working product faster.

Summary

The tech world moves at a fast pace. To stay ahead of rapid industry changes, it’s vital to follow software development principles that encourage flexibility. That’s where Agile comes in.

Agile forgoes detailed planning and documentation for continuous development. It has teams work in short time frames to develop minimum viable products that receive incremental improvements through cycles of testing and feedback. Agile methodologies like Scrum, XP, Kanban, and Feature-Driven Development help teams adapt to change and satisfy stakeholders.

The best way to implement Agile is to use project management software with Agile concepts built in. With Shortcut, you gain access to Kanban boards, burndown charts, sprints, and more. View the Shortcut homepage to learn more. 

FAQ

What is the goal of Agile?

The goal of the Agile methodology is to help teams adapt to change and deliver working software efficiently. By breaking large projects into short iterations of development, testing, and feedback, Agile reduces time spent on planning, gets viable products out faster, and helps developers adjust to unexpected challenges or changes in requirements. 

What are the benefits of Agile?

Agile methodologies encourage delivering working software frequently within short timeframes. The emphasis on regular feedback also helps you align with changing customer expectations, reduce defects, and increase customer satisfaction. 

Is Agile good for employees?

According to the 2023 State of Agile report, 59% of satisfied Agile adoptees said the methodology increased collaboration, while 36% noted it improved their work environment. Agile principles ensure that employees frequently see the product of their labor and regularly receive feedback for their accomplishments. 

However, the methodology’s impact on employee satisfaction still depends on your employee preferences. 

Is the Agile approach exclusively for software development?

While Agile began in software development, its principles have applications outside tech, such as retail, marketing and advertising, health, wellness, and fitness, among other industries. Adapting agile principles for project management generalizes its applications for all types of projects.