Simply adopting Agile processes does not mean that your organization becomes Agile. Many companies have moved from the Waterfall methodology to the Agile project management methodology and failed miserably.
The main reasons were the lack of team and management training on Agile frameworks and the lack of technology, such as project management software, to implement Agile methodology.
To truly implement Agile, you need the right knowledge and the right technology. In this post, we will look at both: the meaning of the Agile process and how to optimize the Agile process using project management software.
What is an agile process?
An agile process is a project management approach that focuses on breaking down a project into smaller phases. It involves working in small iterations. After each iteration, the work is released and reviewed. Based on the feedback, improvements are made in the next iteration.
Originally, Agile was formed as a project management methodology for managing software development projects, but it is now also used in other business operations, including marketing, HR, and research and development.
Each iteration in Agile follows a cycle of planning, execution and evaluation. The purpose of this is to ensure continuous improvement and provide the ability to quickly adapt to changing requirements.
The ability to react to change is the core of the Agile process. This is achieved by working in small repetitive cycles, continuous release of work after each cycle, receiving feedback on the work from interested stakeholders and constant improvement.
Collaboration is at the heart of every Agile process that enables responding to changing needs and creating work that is in the interest of all project stakeholders.
The Agile Manifesto is the foundational document of Agile that includes the four core values and 12 principles of Agile.
The four core values of Agile include
- Individuals and interactions around processes and tools
- Working software via extensive documentation
- Cooperation with clients through contract negotiations
- Responding to changes by following a plan
Similarly, there are 12 principles of Agile methodology.
Based on these values and principles, there are different frameworks for implementing Agile.
The two best frameworks for implementing Agile processes are Scrum and Kanban. Each framework sets out principles, rules and practices to make an organization’s process truly agile.
I hope this has given you a brief idea of what an agile process is. Now let’s talk about how project management software helps you optimize Agile processes.
5 ways to optimize your agile process with project management software
Project management software plays a key role in the implementation and optimization of Agile processes. It provides you with a wide range of tools for planning, executing, managing, visualizing, monitoring and collaborating on the Agile process.
Here are five ways you can optimize your agile process with project management software:
1. Plan sprints and set goals
The best way to optimize any process is to set measurable goals and track progress. Agility involves working in a fixed-length iteration called a sprint. Project management software helps you plan sprints and set sprint goals. This ensures that each sprint is counted and measured for progress.
You get tools to create a product backlog, prioritize features, assign story points to each story, and commit to stories that you can complete in a sprint. It’s all part of an effective Agile implementation.
2. Store all information in a centralized location
Project management software helps you optimize the Agile process by storing all project-related information in one centralized location. When everything is recorded and documented, you can easily track progress and ensure accountability. This recorded information lays the foundation for evaluation and improvement. You can easily see who is working on what, sprint goals, and current work status to plan and optimize upcoming sprints.
Not only that, it’s easy for teams to work together by having all project-related information in one place.
3. Facilitate information sharing, collaboration and communication
The Agile Manifesto says, “Business people and developers must work together every day throughout the project.”
Collaboration is at the heart of the Agile process. The project management tool provides you with built-in collaboration features such as real-time chat, discussions and file sharing to facilitate seamless communication and collaboration within the team and with stakeholders.
The free flow of information ensures the team’s effective cooperation in all aspects of the development process.
Not only that, agile process management tools like the Kanban board provide transparency and improved workflow visualization for developers and business people.
Each team member can better understand their tasks, deadlines and how this affects the results of the sprint. A scrum master can better manage tasks, track progress, and identify bottlenecks to ensure the team is effectively implementing Agile and meeting sprint goals. Business people can transparently visualize progress which helps them build trust with the team.
This results in the overall optimization of the Agile process with the involvement of all key stakeholders.
4. Hold sprint retrospectives to optimize performance
One of the 12 principles of the Agile Manifesto is: “At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more efficient, then adapts and adjusts its behavior accordingly.”
Project management software provides you with a platform to conduct regular sprint retrospectives at the end of each sprint. The purpose is to reflect on what went well, what didn’t and what can be improved in the next sprint.
You get charting and reporting tools to gain insight into project status and team performance. For example, a burndown chart can help you plot the amount of work remaining versus the amount of time to monitor development. This helps estimate when all the work will be done.
Similarly, there are velocity charts, burndown charts, and control charts to track progress, analyze data, and effectively troubleshoot problems to optimize your project processes.
5. Improve overall operational efficiency
A developer uses 8 to 10 different tools for the software development cycle. It includes tools for writing code, testing, continuous integration and continuous deployment (CI/CD), end-user feedback, a code repository, and bug tracking.
Project management software helps you improve operational efficiency by bringing the various tools used in development into one place. It helps you streamline your workflows resulting in improved process efficiency.
In addition, many project management software provide you with workflow automation that can help you optimize process efficiency in Agile workflows by saving you time, reducing errors, and increasing consistency.
Why should you optimize your agile process?
Agile teams do not become efficient automatically. It is a process of continuous improvement.
Practically when an Agile team works together, it takes one or two sprints to understand each other’s work style and project requirements to achieve optimal efficiency, which is measured by sprint velocity. Therefore, you need to optimize your Agile workflow to improve efficiency and reap the benefits of Agile.
That’s why many people call Agile a way of thinking that embraces change, not resists change.
Here are the benefits of optimizing your agile process
1. Faster speed to market
According to the State of Agile report, 52% of teams use Agile methodology to accelerate time to market.
Optimizing your Agile process means better understanding project requirements and reducing wasted effort. This helps you improve efficiency, resulting in faster time-to-market.
2. Reduce the risk of failure
According to the State of Agile report, 31% of teams are adopting Agile methodologies to reduce the risk of project failure.
Agile encourages frequent testing, continuous release, and continuous feedback to ensure that problems are identified early in the development cycle. This helps you reduce project risks.
3. Predictability of delivery
44% of teams say they use Agile for delivery predictability.
Agile optimization means effective implementation of Agile. This helps you improve delivery predictability by breaking a large job into smaller parts. The ability to move quickly but be predictable is a key advantage of Agile.
Conclusion
According to Gartner, 91% of enterprises are involved in some form of digital business transformation initiative.
If you are not using the right project management software to optimize the Agile process, it will become a challenge to implement the Agile methodology and become truly Agile. Project management software provides you with the tools to implement Agile processes. Together with the right Agile practices, you can easily optimize the Agile process with project management software.