Agile frameworks and methods are no more associated with software development only. They have become effective in other spheres, including business, manufacturing, retail, and social life.

If your product or service should be flexible to meet the market needs; if you have to work with customer feedback, then your company can definitely benefit from the Agile approach.

What Agile is

Agile helps companies to meet the changing expectations of clients and correspond to the fluctuating requirements of the business because only this way some projects can be a success.

Agile opposes:

  • individual approach and communication to standard tools and routine process;
  • efficient software to exhausting documentation;
  • needs of clients to the discussion of the contract terms;
  • following the changes and trends to a well-structured plan.

Agile has several types of methodologies with different structures and characteristics that require separate articles. In particular, Agile includes Scrum, Lean, Kanban, Adaptive Software Development (ASD), Feature-Driven Development (FDD), Dynamic Systems Development Method (DSDM), and Extreme Programming (XP). 

What makes Agile special

To understand why Agile is so popular all over the world, let’s turn to the latest stats:

  • Projects based on Agile have 28% better success than others.
  • Over 86% of software developers all over the world work with Agile.
  • About 71% of companies that participated in the survey use the Agile with different frequencies.
  • About 27% of manufacturing companies apply only the Agile methodology, and 56% use a set of different techniques, including Agile.
  • A mid-level Agile product manager earns more than $90K in the USA.
  • Agile seldom brings results if there are too many projects per employee in a firm, and there is no definite purpose of the project.

Agile uses iterative and gradual principles. That’s why companies adopting it can concentrate on the main business task of the project while development teams can do their work.

Let’s face it, there is a huge difference between short week-long projects and gigantic projects which last for years. Such a long development period can cause a product to become obsolete before it is released.

Agile software development helps you ensure that your product will meet the needs of your business or your customers to the max possible extent. 

This is how the benefits become possible in particular.

Top 10 arguments for Agile

  1. Teams can learn and use the latest information on every stage of the project.
  2. Prototypes can be enhanced during every iteration. 
  3. All problems are solved by the whole team faster.
  4. You can highlight the main aspects of your project.
  5. Teams can make changes immediately, based on the user or customer feedback.
  6. Teams receive feedback on every stage of the project implementation.
  7. Clients and other team members give their feedback on every development stage.
  8. The final product contains the most useful functions.
  9. Teammates become more creative and effective thanks to constant development.
  10. Teams adapt to any situation, and their work becomes more productive.

What Agile methodologies are popular — DSDM

To better perceive the Agile nature, let’s consider one of the Agile frameworks, Dynamic Systems Development Method. The goal of the Dynamic Systems Development Method is to provide important solutions as quickly as possible. This way a company can get the highest ROI.

This framework covers 6 steps:

  • planning
  • analysis
  • design
  • realization
  • testing
  • service

There are some interesting facts about Dynamic Systems Development. 

In 2007, the DSDM was completely updated and received a new name, DSDM Atern. Yet, in 2014, it was updated again and got the first name back because it had become a recognizable brand.

The Dynamic Systems Development Method is based on eight principles, which form its philosophy:

  • Concentration on project needs. Each solution should match the project goals and give to the company what it plans.
  • Cooperation. Specialists work better and more successfully if they feel like part of the team with a certain responsibility. Individual-working person doesn’t see the entire scale of the project and the relevance of his work.
  • Step-by-step growth from the beginning. Building a solid base for a project is more important than over-detailing goals. This approach makes DSDM different from other Agile types.
  • Communication between teams. Teams’ work will be more successful if they receive feedback constantly, discuss problems, and find a solution together.
  • Meeting deadlines. Failure to comply with the deadline may have negative legal and commercial consequences; also the product may become obsolete. If you don’t want to undermine the reputation of your company, deliver your project or service on time.
  • Focus on quality. The quality level of the project should coincide with your company goals.
  • You should discuss the quality of the project in the beginning and stick to your targets.
  • Cyclic development. If you demonstrate the project at different stages, you will be able to respond to feedback timely and make the necessary corrections.
  • Detail-oriented supervision. Team members may have clear instructions to achieve the desired result successfully. The project manager should know who is responsible for each task and when it should be done.

Overall, this Agile method helps companies to avoid the most common problems, such as the overruns of budget, missed deadlines, or a mismatch of goals. All stakeholders are involved in the process, and it brings its benefits.

What frameworks do you know and use in your work? What is your opinion on the DSDM?