Agile is not just a buzzword; it’s a game-changer in the world of project management and software development. Unlike traditional, rigid methodologies, Agile project management is all about flexibility, collaboration, and delivering value in a fast-paced environment.
At its core, Agile is a mindset and a set of principles that guide how we work. It values individuals and interactions over strict processes and tools, customer collaboration over extensive documentation, responding to change over rigidly following a plan, and delivering working software above overly granular documentation.
The Agile Manifesto, created by a group of software developers in 2001, captures these principles and serves as a foundation for Agile project management practices. It emphasises the importance of adaptability, customer satisfaction, and continuous improvement.
Two of the most popular frameworks that we utilise at Pretty Technical are Scrum and Kanban which both provide structure, visibility, and flexibility. This maximises transparency, enables quick feedback loops, and fosters a culture of continuous learning and improvement which enables teams to collaborate effectively through incremental value delivery.
Scrum
Scrum frameworks consist of defined roles, ceremonies, and artefacts. This iterative approach enables teams to plan how to break down complex projects into manageable time-boxed iterations known as sprints. Sprint progress is tracked during Daily Scrum meetings, with product progress reviewed during Sprint Reviews. Sprints usually last two to four weeks after which a Sprint Retrospective provides a dedicated space for continuous improvement and adaptation.
The Product Owner sets the vision and prioritises the product backlog, representing the client’s requirements and expectations. The Development Team, self-organising and cross-functional, work to deliver valuable product functionality incrementally during sprints.
Scrum promotes transparency and visibility through artefacts like the product backlog, sprint backlog, and the sprint burndown chart. It facilitates frequent review and adaptation, enabling teams to pivot and adjust their plans based on insight and feedback.
Kanban
Kanban employs a visual representation of the work and its progress on a Kanban board, typically divided into columns representing different stages of the workflow. It provides transparency by making the work visible to all team members and stakeholders, fostering collaboration, and enabling timely decision-making.This flexible approach is suitable for teams with unpredictable workloads or frequent changes in prioritisation.
Teams using Kanban pull work items from a backlog and limit the amount of work in progress (WIP) at each stage. This approach ensures a smooth flow of work and prevents process bottlenecks. By emphasising a limit on WIP teams experience improved focus, balanced workloads, and identify areas for continuous improvement.
By embracing Agile, Pretty Technical can adapt to changing requirements, respond swiftly to customer feedback, and deliver high-quality products efficiently. Our Agile approach allows us to collaborate closely with clients, iterate on ideas, and continuously deliver value throughout the development process. The following examples demonstrate ‘Agile’s’ benefits.
Sportradar Web Application:
For Sportradar, we utilised Agile practices to develop their Web Application. Utilising a Scrum approach enabled us to ensure collaboration and efficiency for our cross-functional team of developers, designers, and testers. Breaking the project down into 2 week sprints enabled us to deliver incremental value.
During each sprint, team members provided updates on progress, discussed any blockers, and coordinated efforts through daily stand-ups. This consistent communication helped to maintain clear product vision and alignment with requirements.
Regular sprint reviews enabled us to showcase features as they were developed to achieve an iterative feedback loop to fine-tune the product to effectively meet Sportradar’s evolving needs.
Developing our own Products:
We use an Agile approach to prioritising development of features for our own products in line with business goals.
By employing a combination of Scrum and Kanban, we create a transparent and adaptive workflow. The Kanban board visualises our work stages, including backlog, development, testing, and deployment. This visibility allows the team to collaborate effectively, identify bottlenecks, and optimise flow.
With the iterative approach of Scrum, we plan and execute sprints to deliver valuable increments of functionality. This allows us to incorporate user feedback early on and make adjustments to meet user expectations and evolving market needs.
Through Agile practices, we’ve enhanced our trading platform Shiro’s capabilities, improved performance, and implemented user-friendly features based on feedback.
These examples demonstrate how an Agile mindset, combined with the Scrum and Kanban frameworks, enable us to collaborate efficiently, respond to feedback, and deliver successful outcomes in both client projects and internal product development. To find out more please email [email protected].
