PART ONE
This week, we’re going to talk about a topic known to all developers but to relatively few people outside of the industry: Agile. Just what is Agile? What does it do, and why is it relevant to small business owners?
According to the Agile Alliance, “agile software development is an umbrella term for a set of frameworks and practices based on the values and principles expressed in the Manifesto for Agile Software Development and the 12 Principles behind it”. (If you’d like to know more about the Manifesto for Agile Software Development and the 12 Principles, check out next week’s blog post!) In simple terms, Agile is an iterative and incremental approach to project management; it is a mindset born from the knowledge that adaptability and flexibility are vital to successful software development. Software developed using an Agile approach is constructed incrementally from the beginning and regularly revised as opposed to delivering a completed program all at once at the end of the project. It focuses on collaboration and drawing out the talents of individual team members, rather than following a rigid set of rules, when working on a project.
Developers began collaborating and applying these practices during the mid-90’s, and today, Agile practices are the rule rather than the exception among teams of software developers. Agile practices allow teams to continuously adapt in a world that is always changing, which is vital in today’s tech-driven, fast-paced environment. Agile is even being adopted by businesses outside of the tech industry after becoming widely recognized for its effectiveness.
In next week’s Tech Tuesday, we will dive further into Agile, taking a look at the Manifesto and the 12 Principles. We know, we know - it sounds a little odd (Manifesto? 12 Principles?), but it will all make sense next Tuesday, we promise. In the meantime, if you’d like to know more about Agile practices now, or you’re ready to schedule your free consultation with us, contact Solution Builder today! We are available to answer all your tough tech questions.