Which Agile Methodology choose for my project?

Which Agile Methodology choose for my project?

In recent years, Agile Methodologies have evolved for the diverse needs of technological projects, maintaining the search for increasing the productivity and efficiency in their planning, development and execution.
There are, at least, 5 methodologies that have achieved greater acceptance by technology and Software Development companies, either because a methodology adapts better to the kind of service that business provides or because certain industries are more acquainted with those.
Here are, in sum, the most recognized Agile Methodologies:

Scrum
One of the most used agile methods, known for its framework based on process iteration, relying on self-management teams. This method divides work into objects or deliverables, which are estimated and prioritized according to effort. It can optimize the strategic plan and priorities according to the needs of each client.
Scrum promotes order in small self-management and interdisciplinary teams, distributing work time in fixed iterations that create deliverables to their goal.
Pros:

  • Provides greater ease when ordering large and complicated projects by dividing them into smaller parts.
  • Allows greater control and management on how the project is being carried out.
  • The time and use of resources are greatly optimized.

Cons:

  • Presents difficulty in ordering the team for the first time.
  • It may cost to some companies to get familiarized with.
  • Specially trained personnel need to be included in this methodology, such as a Scrum Master.

Kanban
Widely known for its “visual cards”, it is based on the creation of diagrams where the tasks in process, pending and completed within a work team are pointed out. It is ideal to understand what deliverables and activities make up a project, as well as to know what activities are repetitive, so they would be part of a process.
Pros:

  • Improves teamwork thanks to its focus on task planning.
  • Provides great time coordination.
  • Facilitates the allocation of resources depending on their skills.

Cons:

  • High investment in resources for its implementation.
  • It is better suited to repetitive projects, such as maintenance of servers or applications.

Agile Inception
Unlike the others, Agile Inception is oriented to the >u>definition or redefinition of the general objectives that every company should have.
It is backed by the “elevator pitch” method, which consists of small meetings with the team, members or partners, where the interventions do not exceed 5 minutes.
Pros:

  • The elevator pitch method helps to execute projects with greater agility, precision, saving time and practicality.
  • Helps to clarify key aspects of the project, find the value proposition of the tasks in question and find the best strategy applied.

Cons:

  • It is not possible to summarize all the points to be discussed in brief meetings.
  • It is possible that communication failures are generated since participants have little time to present their ideas.

LEAN
It has been widely acquired by development companies to the point of being known as Lean Software Development. This focuses on the needs of the client based on the three C’s:

  • Customer Cares: The importance of what we do for the client.
  • Changes: the arranges to be made to achieve them.
  • Correct: a constant improvement.

Its objective is to achieve the “perfection” of processes and tasks by eliminating everything that is redundant or that does not create true value, empowering employees and giving more visibility to the final needs of the client.
Pros:

  • It provides greater clarity in the processes and principles of the equipment, eliminating everything that does not add value to the work.
  • It offers a fast and precise construction of the projects.
  • Promotes teamwork, rescuing values of responsibility and assertive communication.

Cons:

  • It has a high dependence on the team and the cohesion that this has with each other, the discipline applied and the correct decision making.
  • Very oiled processes are needed for it to work properly, so at first it would have to incur trial and error.

XP or Extreme Programming
It is based on a set of good practices in the development of software in very changing environments with specific requirements, as well as the rules and order focused on the continuous feedback of the client and the work team.
Pros:

  • It helps measure the scope of a project, as well as the resources to invest.
  • Facilitates the understanding of how the effort is invested and encourages minimizing errors.
  • Focuses on customer satisfaction and simplicity of processes.

Cons:

  • It is only indicated for short-range projects.
  • Requires a rigid adjustment to the principles of work, since it is not easy to apply to the equipment at the beginning.

Summary
Technological advances and demanding market dynamics have driven the creation of new management methods for processes, as well as strategies and tools that optimize performance and achieve better results.
Customer satisfaction is the main basis of Agile Methodologies, looking for companies to have a more efficient relationship with their current and potential customers. As if that were not enough, they allow the reduction of time and costs.