Agile Methodology
Agile methodology is an iterative approach to software development that emphasizes delivering working software in short cycles, adapting to changing requirements, and collaborating closely with stakeholders rather than following a fixed…
Definition
Agile methodology is an iterative approach to software development that emphasizes delivering working software in short cycles, adapting to changing requirements, and collaborating closely with stakeholders rather than following a fixed upfront plan.
Overview
Agile emerged in 2001 when a group of software practitioners published the Agile Manifesto, reacting against heavyweight, plan-driven processes like Waterfall where requirements were frozen months before any code shipped. The manifesto values individuals and interactions over processes and tools, working software over comprehensive documentation, customer collaboration over contract negotiation, and responding to change over following a fixed plan. Agile itself is a set of values and principles rather than a single process, and teams implement it through specific frameworks. Scrum organizes work into fixed-length sprints with defined ceremonies; Kanban instead visualizes continuous flow with work-in-progress limits; Extreme Programming adds engineering practices like pair programming and test-driven development; and Lean Software Development borrows waste-elimination principles from manufacturing. Larger organizations often adopt SAFe to coordinate agile teams across many product lines. In practice, agile teams work in short iterations, gather feedback continuously, and re-prioritize based on what they learn, which suits products where requirements are expected to evolve — the overwhelming majority of modern software. It has become the default operating model across the tech industry, shaping how product managers, engineers, and designers collaborate day to day.
Key Features
- Iterative, incremental delivery of working software in short cycles
- Continuous collaboration between developers, stakeholders, and customers
- Adaptive planning that embraces changing requirements over rigid upfront specs
- Frequent feedback loops through demos, reviews, and retrospectives
- Self-organizing, cross-functional teams with shared ownership of outcomes
- A family of implementing frameworks — Scrum, Kanban, XP, Lean, SAFe
- Emphasis on working software as the primary measure of progress