Agile (Adaptive) model

Revision as of 10:19, 20 February 2022

Abstract

The agile (Adaptive) model is known from software development, where technology and customer demands change continually ^[1] . The agile way of thinking is slowly gaining a foothold in physical product development, especially in projects where the customer needs changes frequently, and there is a need for fast and adaptive response ^[2].

Agile methodologies differ in many ways from traditional methods like waterfall. The main difference is that instead of dividing the process into phases, the agile model works in sprints. Instead of focusing on all aspects of the project at once, every sprint deal with one only feature. A sprint is usually a couple of weeks long, and every sprint goes through design, develop, integrate, test, and deploy phases, and ends up with a minimum viable product (MVP). Ideally, an agile team should be small and cross-functional to minimize communication delays. The team must constantly collaborate with the customers to understand their needs and eventually changes of needs. ^[1]

It is important to point out that agile methods are not better than traditional methods and the other way around. But it is important as a product developer to understand when to use which kind. An agile way of thinking is ideal when the market frequently changes, where a more traditional workflow should be preferred if market conditions are stable. If it is a complex problem where the scope is unclear agile would be a good solution, but if the scope is clear and the team has done something similar before, traditional methods are a good choice. Therefore, it should be discussed before starting every new project whether to use an agile or a traditional workflow. ^[1]

Big Idea

Agile Manifesto

Back in February 2001 seventeen people gathered at The Lodge at Snowbird ski resort in Utah over three days to get mutual understanding. The people gathered was independent thinkers about software development, and they named themselves “The Agile Alliance”. The result of the conference was the Agile “Software Development” Manifesto: ^[3]

"Individuals and interactions over processes and tools

Working software over comprehensive documentation

Customer collaboration over contract negotiation

Responding to change over following a plan"Cite error: Closing </ref> missing for <ref> tag

When to use what

Hybrid product development process

Software vs. Hardware Development

^[4]

Application

Scrum

^{[5] [6]}

Sprints

Scrum Master

Project Backlog

Sprint Backlog

Daily Stand up

MVP

Limitations

References

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} Darrell K. Rigby, Steve Berez, Greg Caimi and Andrew Noble. (2016). Agile Innovation. Bain & Company. URL:https://www.bain.com/insights/agile-innovation/
2. ↑ Nicola Garzaniti, Clément Fortin, Alessandro Golkar. (2019). Toward a Hybrid Agile Product Development Process. Product Lifecycle Management in the Digital Twin Era
3. ↑ https://agilemanifesto.org/
4. ↑ P. M. Huang, A. G. Darrin and A. A. Knuth, "Agile hardware and software system engineering for innovation," 2012 IEEE Aerospace Conference, 2012, pp. 1-10, doi: 10.1109/AERO.2012.6187425.
5. ↑ https://scrumguides.org/scrum-guide.html
6. ↑ N. Garzaniti, S. Briatore, C. Fortin and A. Golkar, "Effectiveness of the Scrum Methodology for Agile Development of Space Hardware," 2019 IEEE Aerospace Conference, 2019, pp. 1-8, doi: 10.1109/AERO.2019.8741892.