Getting Started with Agile Development

There are numerous benefits to using Agile development. However, if you have never used it before, or your business has been using another form of development such as Waterfall, you may need to prepare a bit in order to get started.

Adopting the Agile Mentality

Agile is more than just a procedure for making software. It is a whole set of principles for how an organization will plan, design, think, develop, and work together. In order to get up to speed with these principles, spend some time researching the process. Some companies hire Agile coaches to help get employees trained and ready to contribute. When hiring new employees, see if they have Agile experience to help your business transition to the practice faster.

Choose your type of Agile Development

There are many Agile development methods. You need to pick the one that will work best for your team, project, or business. The one you pick will determine what you should do to get started. For example, with Scrum, a very popular Agile method, you can hire or train certified Scrum Masters to lead highly efficient teams. For DSDM, the oldest Agile method, you will first need a team that can do an initial feasibility study. 

Plan your Workflow

While different types of Agile have different procedures, ultimately it is up to you and your team to decide how to implement an Agile workflow. A common event in a workflow is stand-up meetings at the beginning of the day, where everyone says what they did yesterday and what they are going to work on today. Additionally, you need to determine how your sprints will work: how to plan them, who plans them, and how long they will be.

After doing these preparations, you and your business will be well on your way to becoming Agile.

Here are more resources for getting started:

• Code Project page on Agile Development
• A Trello entry on getting started with Scrum
• A guide on Airpair for getting started with the Agile workflow

This post is part of a series about Agile Development and how we use agile approaches at the IC. Get updates to this series and more new ideas by signing up to our newsletter.