Should Agile even be used anymore? The cases for and against Agile and the new Agility.

In my first article in this series, I discussed the Agile software development method in general and specifics about the daily meeting. In the second, I compared Agile to Waterfall and discussed pitfalls and misconceptions of each and where hybrid models could be used. Here I look at the cases for and against Agile.

Agile isn’t even that long out of the toolbox and already there are people calling for its demise. While some are looking to adopt and integrate Agile or some version of it into their processes, there are others who feel it is not working and should be discarded. Let’s take a look at those issues and what they are about. We need to keep in mind that the framework, the method and process need to be blended into company culture in order to be successfully adapted and adopted. Failure in implementation can result from misconceptions and dilution about how it should be implemented, and what that even means resulting in the questions – should Agile even be used anymore? and if not, then what? Continue reading →

The long contentious never ending debate!

Introduction
In my first article in this series, I discussed the Agile method (Manifesto for Agile Development) in general and then specifics about the daily meeting. In the third and final one, I look at the cases for and against Agile. In this second article, I compare Agile vs Waterfall and discuss pitfalls and misconceptions of each and where hybrid models could be used.

Growth of Computing and Adoption of Waterfall Method
In the information technology world, the advent of computing hardware necessarily brought with it the need for software, the set of instructions which tells machines what and how to compute, calculate, etc. As the ability of computing grew and became more compact relatively speaking, the application for its use in business environments grew and so did the scope, size, and complexity of the programs. The “Waterfall” method of developing software was adopted and adapted from the model used for the manufacturing and construction industries.

Advent of Agile and the Manifesto for Agile Development
Over time, given many issues arising from the challenge of delivering quality software which may or may not have to do with the methodology itself, programmers tried coming up with and working with new methods such as “Agile” with the Manifesto for Agile Software Development. Continue reading →

Has “Agile” jumped the shark so to speak?! Let’s discuss.

Introduction
This is one of three in-depth articles I have written about the software development lifecycle and popular methodologies applied to that such as Agile and Waterfall. Why were they developed and introduced? Are organizations implementing it because they were told they should? Are they getting something out of it or is all or parts of it just a waste of time?
Key point – Processes should be lean and contribute to efficiency and productivity for the company, not waste valuable time and resources.

What is Agile?
Agile is a software development concept (manifesto) which was created by a conference of developers in 2001 to address common issues found in the software development lifecycle (SDLC) which they felt impeded effective application/web development. Agile, in the manifesto, is a concept because it does not lay out any specific methodology, framework or process for how to implement it (which later Dave Thomas, one of the signers, felt was a mistake). The method and process are implied in Continue reading →