How agile methodologies help IT teams

Dealing with delays, failures and inconsistencies in processes cannot be something to be normalized in your company. Avoiding these weaknesses is not always simple, but adopting agile methodologies can contribute (a lot) to the success of deliveries. 

For any type of process, it is necessary to adopt a method to be followed. Agile methodologies bring innovations and help you find solutions to obstacles in your processes. 

Every manager must know not only the methodologies, but also their application. This way, you can decide which one is best suited to your organization’s procedures. 

What are agile methodologies

In short, agile methodologies are sets of techniques and procedures. Its objective is to deliver a product or service quickly and efficiently. 

Within the context of the IT market, competitiveness has been increasing. This is because the demands are growing considerably with the arrival of new technologies. 

In this sense, teams that organize themselves in the best way and develop results with more efficiency and agility will stand out from the rest.  

Therefore, adopting a methodology is essential for anyone who wants to achieve success as a team. 

They emerged as a solution to conventional methods, which were not enough to guarantee the efficiency of processes, such as the waterfall method, for example. 

Agile methodologies focus on teamwork, open and constant communication, organization and customer needs. 

Although these methodologies were designed with software development processes in mind, today they can be applied in any field. 

In any case, to facilitate the use of methodologies, it is important to adopt task and project management software. This is because they help to make your workflow more visual and identify what needs to be improved in the development process. 

With Gipo, you ensure that your entire team is working together and that tasks are well defined for everyone. Thus, not only project management is facilitated, but also the team management.

Before delving into how each of the most famous agile methodologies works and what their applications are, let’s talk a little more about their origins. 

Agile manifesto: the guide to agile methodologies

The agile manifesto serves as a framework for the evolution of software development processes. It is a document signed by 17 developers who use different development methods, but have similar fundamentals. 

It was written and signed in 2001, after a meeting between professionals. The need for the meeting arose after developers noticed that the quality of IT deliveries was low. 

Constant delays, low-quality products and customer frustration were common for those working in the area. But not because of a lack of effort: the processes were not the most efficient, which caused the teams to work too much, without achieving the results expected by the company and, mainly, by the customer. 

As a result, the meeting, which took place in Utah, in the United States, was marked by a discussion of how to face and solve these problems. The objective was to find the best way to structure processes. 

As a result of the meeting, the agile manifesto was prepared, signed by the 17 present. In the document composed of 4 values ​​and 12 principles, the authors wrote what would become a kind of guide for agile teams. 

The 4 values ​​of the agile manifesto

• Individuals and interactions more than processes and tools: The first of the manifesto’s values ​​highlights the importance of people and interactions for the success of processes. Communication is key in this sense. 

• Working software more than comprehensive documentation: The next value is related to the bureaucracy of old processes. The manifesto emphasizes that the proper functioning of the software is as important as the production of documentation. This is because documentation often ends up being laborious and not as necessary as the proper functioning of the product. 

• Collaboration with the customer more than negotiating contracts: The third value of the manifesto concerns the customer’s participation in the development of the product or service. The greater your involvement in the project, the more clearly and assertively the team can work. 

• Responding to changes more than following a plan: The last value concerns the adaptability of agile models. Although every process needs a well-defined model, each demand requires a different solution. Therefore, you need to be ready to change plans according to the client’s needs.

12 principles of the agile manifesto

In addition to the four values, the manifesto also included the 12 principles for agile project management:

1. Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through continuous and early deliveries of valid software.
2. Changes to requirements are welcome, even those that arrive late in development. Agile processes ensure change as a competitive advantage for the customer.
3. Deliver productive software frequently, from a few weeks to a few months, preferably in shorter times.
4. Business personnel and developers work together daily during the project.
5. Create projects around motivated individuals, provide the environment and support they need, and trust them to get the job done.
6. The most efficient and effective method for transmitting information between and to the development team is face-to-face conversion.
7. Productive software is the primary measure of progress.
8. Agile processes promote sustainable development. Sponsors, developers, and users must be able to maintain a steady pace indefinitely.
9. Continuous attention to technical excellence and good solution improves agility.
10. Simplicity – the art of maximizing the amount of work left undone – is essential.
11. The best architectures, requirements and projects emerge from self-organized teams.
12. At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective and then tunes in and adjusts its behavior accordingly.

How important are agile methodologies for IT

Today, the importance of agile methodologies is unanimous in the IT market. Its application guarantees the quality of deliveries and personalized customer service. 

These differences set a high standard for the IT area. They are a strategic necessity within the sector. Companies that do not adapt to new methodologies may end up losing ground in the face of competition. 

This argument can be observed from some data. THE State of Agile Report is a survey carried out annually that measures the evolution of agile methodologies within the global market. According to your 15th edition, there was a 37% increase in the adoption of agile methodologies among software development teams, from 2020 to 2021. 

Despite this, it is possible to note that adoption is recent: 66% of companies that adopted have only 5 years or less of experience with the methodologies. 

This demonstrates an interesting point regarding IT professionals: the market has adopted agile methodologies and, for them to be well applied, trained and experienced professionals are needed. 

Therefore, IT managers trained in agile methodologies have stood out in the market and found their space. 

Agile methodologies ensure deliveries on time and with the expected quality thanks to the customer’s strong participation in development and the ability to adapt that the processes allow. 

Also, thanks to these characteristics, agile methodologies allow the manager and the team to anticipate errors. Obstacles and bottlenecks in the process can also be identified more easily, making project management more efficient. 

What are the benefits of agile methodologies

As previously stated, agile methodologies allow deliveries on time and with the expected quality. Also, with companies increasingly adhering to methodologies, it has become essential to apply them to have space in the face of competition.  

But after all, what are the benefits for your company, in general? 

Agility in delivery

One of the main benefits of agile methodologies is speed of delivery. This happens because the client is in direct contact with the team at each stage of the development process. 

This way, the product is delivered to the customer as a prototype and they can decide which updates and adjustments should be made until the next interaction cycle (called sprints). This way, time is used in a more practical way than when delivering the final product already ready.

Furthermore, the product would run the risk of not meeting customer expectations. This would mean that it would have to be redone, causing further loss of resources and strain on the relationship with the customer. 

Higher quality of deliveries

Taking into account that the product undergoes several evaluations from the customer and the development team in each interaction cycle, its quality increases considerably. 

When carried out according to agile methods, the product is developed with patience, but without losing speed. Therefore, at each stage it gets closer to ideal, avoiding a drop in quality and rework. 

With Gipo, you can define your entire workflow and identify production bottlenecks. Its use combined with the adoption of an agile methodology increases the quality of deliveries. 

Flexibility

With validations at each interaction cycle (sprints), the team can adapt to any adjustments and improvements required by the client. This way, the process becomes more flexible regarding changes. 

This does not mean that the team will not have a well-defined process. It just means that the chances of failure will decrease and the quality of the product will increase.

Communication 

One of the keys to good team performance and quality delivery is communication. In this sense, agile methodologies are essential. 

Each methodology has its particularities. However, it is a fact that the frequency of meetings and visibility of processes makes communication between the team much more efficient. 

Furthermore, contact with the customer makes objectives even clearer. With this, it is possible to know exactly what the customer expects, in addition to defining how this will be achieved. 

Examples of agile methodologies

Scrum

THE Scrum is one of the main examples of agile methodologies. Today it is used everywhere in the world and by different segments, not just in software development. 

It is composed of sprints, small production cycles where with each cycle, the product is closer to what was idealized. Daily meetings are also held (daily scrum) among the team. This way, everyone is aligned regarding what was done the day before and what will be done on the day of the meeting. 

To perform Scrum, you need to define a product owner, one scrum master and one scrum team. THE product owner is the customer’s representative and responsible for guiding the team as to what should be done according to the customer’s requests. 

Already the scrum master must be a qualified manager in Scrum, capable of managing a team and ensuring that good methodology practices are being applied. 

Finally, the scrum team is the development team responsible for production.

To learn more about how the Scrum works and what its features are, check out another article from the Gipo blog: SCRUM: increase the productivity of your IT team

Kanban

THE kanban focuses on the production flow of your project. It makes processes more visual and simple to analyze. 

The kanban board is divided into columns, which represent steps in the process. In its original model, these columns are: pending, in progress and completed. Each column refers to a step. 

This way, you can know which stage of your workflow a task is at. This allows you to more easily identify bottlenecks and obstacles within the process. 

Today, task management tools offer kanban as a feature, making organizing workflow activities simpler. 

With Gipo, you organize your workflow in the way that works best for you, creating and editing steps according to your company’s processes.

Furthermore, with the tool you can know how much time each task spent at each stage. This way, it is possible to further optimize project efficiency. 

Lean

The methodology Lean It is also one of the most adopted methodologies in the world. It has a constant focus on reducing resources needed for production and increasing the quality of the final product. 

It is a production model created by Toyota, after the Second World War, around 1950. In Brazil, this methodology is known as lean production. 

To be applied, a waste reduction mindset is needed. This is the fundamental principle of the method. Furthermore, Lean is also made up of 5 pillars that serve as the basis for its application:

1. Value;
2. Value stream;
3. Continuous flow;
4. Pull production;
5. Perfection.

Did you see how agile methodologies can help improve your company’s results? Not only that, but the interaction between the team and the customer relationship only has to improve. 

Don’t waste any more time! Adopt an agile methodology and use Gipo to manage your company’s projects and tasks.