Agile, sprints, scrum – all these words are thrown around endlessly in software development. So, what are they and how do they work? Before embarking on a 10 hour passenger ride to Georgia, I picked up Microsoft’s Agile Project Management with Scrum from our Mobomo library to give a better perspective.
What is Agile and why should I use it?
No secrets here, agile is what it says – agile. Agile is a type of project management different from the traditional waterfall style in which company X is obligated to produce a product for customer Y by a set deadline. Unlike Agile, the waterfall method doesn’t allow much, if any, room for changes within the dedicated timeline. As a Project Manager, I know that customer and business needs change with no regard for your timeline. At Mobomo, we understand that change isn’t bad, it’s awesome so we should make room for it. Agile helps your development team balance changes with your customer and business needs.
Ok, cool – now I know that agile is flexible, but why is it good for business?
Agile saves you time and money. Software development is complex, but it’s predictable in itself. People, on the other hand, are not. Agile allows for this margin of unpredictability with a defined, empirical process called Scrum. Using Scrum, your product can be built with a focus on a minimum viable product. Creating a product with a minimum set of features provides value by testing your business’s concept before continuing development. This iterative approach builds on your highest priority features (i.e. sprints) and saves you time and money by building a product that people want to use and pay for over a product filled with excessive, unvalidated features.
I particularly enjoyed Schaber’s book because it describes real, lessons-learned use cases without having to experience failure first hand.
Tell me more about Scrum!
I love Scrum because it’s intuitive and fact-based. It’s foundation empowers the development team while also putting customers first. Managers love it because its style is rooted in helping others achieve their goals in a common-sense learning process.
Here at Mobomo, we’re always employing Scrum in our Agile Methodology to get our clients the best product possible with value in mind. I could go on and on about Scrum and Agile, but I hope this a valuable insight to our goals and processes at Mobomo!
