Agile approaches software development through the lens of collaboration, adaptability, and customer satisfaction. Agile teams are known for working in short increments of time called ‘sprints’ with the goal of delivering working software at the end of each sprint. Usually, these sprints are between 4-6 weeks, and the team works together to turn priorities into requirements and set the right requirements for the next sprint. This approach follows the Agile Manifesto, prioritizing interactions, working software, customer collaboration, and response to change
Agile Scrum
Scrum is an agile project management framework that helps teams structure their work through a set of values. The Scrum framework focuses on learning through experiences and change management so that improvement is constantly happening within an organization.
Agile focuses on 4 main values to center its process around:
- Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
- Working software over comprehensive documentation
- Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
- Responding to change over following a plan
With these values, Agile is able to fit with any company dynamic.
The Interrelation Between Agile and DevOps
In the DevOps community, scrum is often utilized by those with experience in Agile. Agile allows for improved planning for DevOps operations, specifically with large change management and system upgrades. However, with many DevOps operations demanding an immediate response, scrum usage poses some problems, requiring additional processes to meet the DevOps needs. The interrelation between scrum and DevOps is a unique one, which makes adapting both systems to your company's needs all the more necessary. With hybrid scrum approaches and different systems, this relationship can be maximized to provide you with the most benefits.
It is essential to understand the different ways Agile can fit into your company to fully reach these benefits. The Harvard Business Review has recently named Agile “a trusted and preferred method of development for software teams everywhere.” Through many benchmarks, Agile has shown very promising results:
- Improved time to market by 18-20%
- Improved productivity by 14-95%
- Reduced costs by 7-29%
- Improved employee satisfaction by 20-40%