Best Agile Techniques and Non-Technical Commands
Working for a long time on Agile, you can easily identify the basic values, principles and practices that make a huge number of companies a choice in favor of the methodology today. Some practices in the methodology are commended for almost everyone, some are controversial. However, Agile would not have become Agile if the best values and methods of the methodology did not win the favor of millions of managers and developers around the world.
The famous methodology was created for software development. Therefore, almost all Agile practices are applied there. However, this does not prevent the use of Agile and many non-technical teams.
Companies that are not associated with IT quickly discovered the benefits of using flexible thinking and some Agile practices that can help a business achieve more, bring customers maximum benefit and pleasure, and rally the team inside.
Since 2001, Agile principles have been formed into the famous Agile manifesto , and the methodology itself has become a standard software development process.
What are the key Agile practices that have made the methodology so well known and in demand?
The list below is not complete, as Agile practices can be viewed from different perspectives and applying different classifications. In our list - the most basic of them that can be used in software development, and some - in the application to non-technical products and projects.
Often, major tasks in a project need to be divided into parts. Many of them accumulate, forming a sequence. In this case, the product manager needs to work carefully with all backlog tasks, determining the right priorities for each.
Usually, the product backlog includes the following elements: product features, possible bugs, priority knowledge of the product, some technical work, etc.
All items in the backlog are ordered according to their value. The weightier the element, the sooner it will go to work. The top positions will be described in more detail and clear compared to the bottom elements. All of them should be understandable for non-technical team members and stakeholders.
Backlog grooming plays a decisive role in managing backlogduring which representatives of the Agile team discuss the details of the backlog of the product and prepare the next sprint planning.
Agile teams choose the number of jobs that need to be done at a specific time. Iterative development means that the team itself can decide what it can do, based on its capabilities and the experience of the previous iteration.
Customer collaboration is key to Agile methodology. According to the flexible approach, the team must provide all the information needed by the customers and inform them about the progress. Constant communication should also be part of internal teamwork.
Agile describes the functionality of communicating with customers, and then from a product perspective in a certain way (remember the formula “Am I as <user type>, do you want <action> because <cause>?). The history of users in Agile project management means a unit of work that must be completed in one sprint.
User stories include a description, acceptance criteria and an estimate of time. When they are too complicated, product managers divide them into smaller ones.
The methodology includes different roles and, accordingly, their different names. Generally speaking, roles in Agile can be divided into groups, including:
Agile teams can also be composed of additional technicians involved.
Value Stream Analysis is a management method for analyzing the current state and developing the future state of a product. The purpose of the analysis is to identify and remove “waste” in value streams, thereby increasing the efficiency of the data stream.
Here, the methodology introduces two principles. The first is a product definition based on user stories based on business analysis. The second is the definition of dependencies between business and technical functionality.
Timeboxing is used as a project planning method. The schedule is divided into several separate periods of time (timeboxes), each of which has its own final results, time and budget.
Sprints continue in accordance with the specified timeframes. Usually from two weeks to one month. Scrum rallies usually last about 15 minutes.
For example, a Scrum meeting is a daily event, a short morning or afternoon meeting, usually organized by a product manager or product owner. Lasts 10-15 minutes and requires the presence of a Scrum Master and the whole team. Such a meeting is organized to:
Such a meeting is organized when the functionality is defined and it is time to explain to the client how it works. This is important because customers can confirm that they are accepting specific functionality or identify points with which they disagree.
This is a retrospective on the final iterative development. Retrospective meeting is recommended to attend all team members. Customers can also participate.
It discusses opportunities for improving processes, quality of work, tools used, etc.
It is very important to get information about features that do not work as planned. Tests run automatically before starting work. This ensures that all code changes are acceptable.
This schedule demonstrates whether everything really goes according to the programming calendar and the general plan. It reflects timelines and schedules. Burndown charts also show the number of user stories per unit of time.
Prioritization of requirements is used in Agile to determine which specific product requirements should be included in a specific release.
Product managers also prioritize requirements to minimize risks during development — the most important are performed first. In this case, experienced product and project managers use well- known prioritization techniques and techniques .
Product release is a set of new features or the final launch of the product. Competent release planning helps teams produce quality products.
What is the secret of successful release management ? Definitely, it’s not just about giving customers access to new features. This is the final date when your team can share new experiences of their work and support interaction with customers.
All interested parties should know when they can expect new functionality. The release calendar should always be clearly planned.
This list can be continued and supplemented with other interesting practices. However, what practices can be used by a non-technical team?
A striking example is the use of backlog and the prioritization of tasks by the team of the air transport company Air Methods , which specializes in providing first aid.
The company of more than 6,000 employees is actively working on a team to create and manage a strategy for learning and development. At the very beginning of the activity, this team was faced with the fact that the interested parties did not understand how much time and effort it would take to create trainings and training projects.
So the team came to the Agile practice of using and managing backlog and prioritization. For the visualization began to respond tools Trello.
Requests of interested parties are collected on the board, the team is assigned a green or red label to each. “Green” projects can be done now, “red” are in the queue.
Monthly, the team and those interested gather to define new priorities, vote and discuss.
According to company representatives, this practice helps to work with business expectations, creates synergy within the team, increases its effectiveness. As a result, the non-technical team began to work productively with stakeholders.
As mentioned above, this list can include many other practices related to requirements, design, product development, testing, and organizational issues.
Today, the available services and tools for project management , the history of global companies spread on the web, a lot of modern courses and current literature on methodology help us to successfully apply the core values of Agile . Because of this, Agile techniques and practices provide success to many companies every day and attract more technical and non-technical teams.
The famous methodology was created for software development. Therefore, almost all Agile practices are applied there. However, this does not prevent the use of Agile and many non-technical teams.
Companies that are not associated with IT quickly discovered the benefits of using flexible thinking and some Agile practices that can help a business achieve more, bring customers maximum benefit and pleasure, and rally the team inside.
Since 2001, Agile principles have been formed into the famous Agile manifesto , and the methodology itself has become a standard software development process.
What are the key Agile practices that have made the methodology so well known and in demand?
The list below is not complete, as Agile practices can be viewed from different perspectives and applying different classifications. In our list - the most basic of them that can be used in software development, and some - in the application to non-technical products and projects.
List of best practices Agile
Task queue
Often, major tasks in a project need to be divided into parts. Many of them accumulate, forming a sequence. In this case, the product manager needs to work carefully with all backlog tasks, determining the right priorities for each.
Usually, the product backlog includes the following elements: product features, possible bugs, priority knowledge of the product, some technical work, etc.
All items in the backlog are ordered according to their value. The weightier the element, the sooner it will go to work. The top positions will be described in more detail and clear compared to the bottom elements. All of them should be understandable for non-technical team members and stakeholders.
Backlog grooming plays a decisive role in managing backlogduring which representatives of the Agile team discuss the details of the backlog of the product and prepare the next sprint planning.
Iterations
Agile teams choose the number of jobs that need to be done at a specific time. Iterative development means that the team itself can decide what it can do, based on its capabilities and the experience of the previous iteration.
Customer focus
Customer collaboration is key to Agile methodology. According to the flexible approach, the team must provide all the information needed by the customers and inform them about the progress. Constant communication should also be part of internal teamwork.
User stories
Agile describes the functionality of communicating with customers, and then from a product perspective in a certain way (remember the formula “Am I as <user type>, do you want <action> because <cause>?). The history of users in Agile project management means a unit of work that must be completed in one sprint.
User stories include a description, acceptance criteria and an estimate of time. When they are too complicated, product managers divide them into smaller ones.
Agile roles
The methodology includes different roles and, accordingly, their different names. Generally speaking, roles in Agile can be divided into groups, including:
- Team Lead, Project Lead and Scrum Wizard
- Team members
- Product Owner for Scrum and On-site customer for XP
- Stakeholders
Agile teams can also be composed of additional technicians involved.
Value stream analysis
Value Stream Analysis is a management method for analyzing the current state and developing the future state of a product. The purpose of the analysis is to identify and remove “waste” in value streams, thereby increasing the efficiency of the data stream.
Here, the methodology introduces two principles. The first is a product definition based on user stories based on business analysis. The second is the definition of dependencies between business and technical functionality.
Timeboxing
Timeboxing is used as a project planning method. The schedule is divided into several separate periods of time (timeboxes), each of which has its own final results, time and budget.
Sprints continue in accordance with the specified timeframes. Usually from two weeks to one month. Scrum rallies usually last about 15 minutes.
Daily meetings
For example, a Scrum meeting is a daily event, a short morning or afternoon meeting, usually organized by a product manager or product owner. Lasts 10-15 minutes and requires the presence of a Scrum Master and the whole team. Such a meeting is organized to:
- remember what was done yesterday
- determine what will be done today
- identify any obstacles, if any
Sprint demo meeting
Such a meeting is organized when the functionality is defined and it is time to explain to the client how it works. This is important because customers can confirm that they are accepting specific functionality or identify points with which they disagree.
Retrospective meeting
This is a retrospective on the final iterative development. Retrospective meeting is recommended to attend all team members. Customers can also participate.
It discusses opportunities for improving processes, quality of work, tools used, etc.
Testing
It is very important to get information about features that do not work as planned. Tests run automatically before starting work. This ensures that all code changes are acceptable.
Burndown chart
This schedule demonstrates whether everything really goes according to the programming calendar and the general plan. It reflects timelines and schedules. Burndown charts also show the number of user stories per unit of time.
Prioritize Requirements
Prioritization of requirements is used in Agile to determine which specific product requirements should be included in a specific release.
Product managers also prioritize requirements to minimize risks during development — the most important are performed first. In this case, experienced product and project managers use well- known prioritization techniques and techniques .
Release planning
Product release is a set of new features or the final launch of the product. Competent release planning helps teams produce quality products.
What is the secret of successful release management ? Definitely, it’s not just about giving customers access to new features. This is the final date when your team can share new experiences of their work and support interaction with customers.
All interested parties should know when they can expect new functionality. The release calendar should always be clearly planned.
This list can be continued and supplemented with other interesting practices. However, what practices can be used by a non-technical team?
A striking example is the use of backlog and the prioritization of tasks by the team of the air transport company Air Methods , which specializes in providing first aid.
The company of more than 6,000 employees is actively working on a team to create and manage a strategy for learning and development. At the very beginning of the activity, this team was faced with the fact that the interested parties did not understand how much time and effort it would take to create trainings and training projects.
So the team came to the Agile practice of using and managing backlog and prioritization. For the visualization began to respond tools Trello.
Requests of interested parties are collected on the board, the team is assigned a green or red label to each. “Green” projects can be done now, “red” are in the queue.
Monthly, the team and those interested gather to define new priorities, vote and discuss.
According to company representatives, this practice helps to work with business expectations, creates synergy within the team, increases its effectiveness. As a result, the non-technical team began to work productively with stakeholders.
As mentioned above, this list can include many other practices related to requirements, design, product development, testing, and organizational issues.
Today, the available services and tools for project management , the history of global companies spread on the web, a lot of modern courses and current literature on methodology help us to successfully apply the core values of Agile . Because of this, Agile techniques and practices provide success to many companies every day and attract more technical and non-technical teams.