Agile Methods in Application

Agile Values and Principles, Scrum-Methodology

In ancient language, Agilis means “nimble” or “mobile”. Agile methods should therefore help to work quickly and efficiently in fluid processes.

The term “agile” first appeared in software development. In fact, in February 2001, seventeen software developers wrote the “Agile Manifesto” at a meeting in Utah, stating four values:

Individuals and interactions are above processes and tools
Working software is above a comprehensive documentation
Cooperation with the customer is above the contract negotiation
Responding to change is about following a plan

They condensed the values furthermore to twelve principles of agile software development, which are not yet a methodology, but anticipate many elements of Scrum. This manifesto may consequently be freely reproduced in any form, but only in its entirety, hence the link here.

Chiefly, the concept differs from classic development methodologies (keyword “waterfall”), a dramatic change! In the meantime, however, it has gained widespread acceptance, fertilizing development and project management in general. It even attracted attention, later, in the area of production, where it revived “lean” and CIP concepts.

Agile Methods: Scrum

Originally, Scrum was a framework for agile methods in projects, above all in software development.

The term comes from rugby, it means “ordered crush”, and that’s just how it’s meant – it is thus not a short term for anything. In rugby, there is always such a crush between two game sections, or any violation of the rules. In either case, Scrum means to prepare for the “throw in” of the ball so the game can continue. (Image by jackmac34 from Pixabay)

So, the team now clings to each other in order to prepare for a sprint, in other words a move forward – this term is also key to the Scrum or agile methods in general.

In like manner, Scrum tries to break down the entire development process from the first idea or vision to the finished product into many small game sections, in other words sprints with their own sprint goal. (Drawing by Dr. Reiner Borretty, loosely based on Foegen et.al., page 78)

The backlog is the planning basis for this, particularly a collection of tasks waiting to be done or fulfilled.

Significantly, the daily stand-up meeting (“Daily Scrum”) as a short (quarter of an hour) exchange of information in the team. “What has been achieved?” and “What will be tackled next?”, finally “What obstacles lie ahead?” are asked. Surely it’s the best known Scrum element. But Scrum is much more, see above. (Image by auricadina75 on Pixabay)

Agile Methods: Design Thinking

… stands for a goal-oriented but iterative sequence of steps in product development and consistent orientation to the needs of the customer or user by interdisciplinary teams. So the designers start at the “end” of the design process, with the product in the hands of the user. The team understands needs, observes behavior, tries to recognize views – and only then develops, plans and tests. Here we summarize the back and forth process as follows:

Understanding: In the first step, the design team understands the customers’ needs emphatically, the problem or the opportunity. Thereafter they define the question, goal and framework conditions of the project.
Observing: This is followed by intensive research in the field, especially observing the behaviour of potential users, also to see what they do now.
Synthesis: lastly the designers determine the essential problem to be solved by the product. In order to do so, they reduce compley findings, establishing relationships between data, summarizing, making sense – through visualization, usually with simple means (walls full of post-its).

Agile Methods: The Persona

A special method for this is the summary to the persona according to Alan Cooper, the “father” of the programming language Visual BASIC. The developers break down the observations made (see above) to a single, typical user with specific traits, who remains the source of ideas for the further design process. (In practice we found that a small number of personae is more helpful.)

Brainstorming: in this step, a core element of design thinking, the developers generate insights, ideas and visions for new products/solutions. They use traditional brainstorming as just one method among many to develop and visualize different concepts.
Prototyping: To test and illustrate the ideas, the first, low-effort prototypes (minimal viable product) are developed and tested with the target group.
Refinement: the designers improve and further develop the concept based on the experience gained through prototypes until an optimal, user-oriented product has been created.

Of course, in practice, the steps overlap and their sequence is rather iterative!

Agile Methods: Details

The following methods (or bundles thereof) should make workshops more agile and interesting:

In a Jam, a virtual (!) Workshop, virtual teams create ideas from definition to approaches; the analogy (to Jazz music) is actually to form a jam session,

Open Space – in this presence format, teams do the same thing, yet in direct contact,

Hackathon – a “cross-functional” team of technical and IT experts creates a specific software code very intensively and over many hours.

Roles in Scrum

Actually, there is no role of the project manager in Scrum – even if in practice one is always named or de facto installed. Old habits…

The Development Team

The team of developers is at the center of agile working. Firstly, it must have all the skills to be able to finish the product. Secondly, the developers select the backlog items they will work on and organize themselves as they work. Thus, they are responsible for quality and agreed deadlines and costs and present their results to the product owner.

Product Owner

He or she formulates the product vision, organizes the upcoming work, the “what”, approves the results and is thus responsible for the profitability of the project. He or she presents it to all stakeholders.

Scrum Master

She or he is responsible for the team’s work in accordance with the Scrum methodology. For this he is more active in coaching mode, but also through training. He or she removes barriers and ensures that the team can do their work alone – above all, it protects them from outside interference. It therefore stands for the how of work.