The term “agile” is growing in popularity every year. Flexible management and its positive effects arouse the enthusiasm of more and more executives, going beyond the IT industry. What is the agile philosophy and what are the benefits of using it?
The management paradigm shift was driven by new challenges that emerged as the IT industry grew. In the case of complex, risky software development projects, traditional models used on classic production lines no longer had the desired effect. In response to the rapidly growing need for an alternative, the Agile Software Development Manifesto emerged-the essence of the agile philosophy.
The key to this approach became the four principles that open the manifesto. According to them, in order to ensure the highest quality and efficiency of the work performed, one should always put:
Today, there is a rapidly growing number of companies that are choosing to adopt this management paradigm. Indeed, organizational flexibility is more important than ever, in an environment that is increasingly fast-paced and uses advanced technologies. It is worth asking ourselves how to increase the flexibility of our business and what benefits can it bring us.
With the rapid growth of most industries and the unpredictability of the future, especially with rapid change due to ever-evolving technology, there is a cloud of uncertainty about the needs and requirements that may lie ahead.
Companies that choose to follow the path of agile behavior are likely to be able to respond and adapt much better and faster in a changing environment. What’s more, agile companies are more likely to deliver results in smaller packages, perform more testing and experimentation, while still remaining customer-centric.
An agile environment encourages user engagement. By making the product and the work done on it visible to external stakeholders, those same stakeholders can more easily voice their concerns and provide input on the product. This approach minimizes the chances of diverging from customer expectations.
Self-organizing, cross-functional teams are the foundation of operating in line with agile philosophy. These empowered teams produce not only better products and services, but also more engaged employees. According to a study by Coleman Parkes, organizations can increase employee productivity by up to 22% by adopting advanced agile management principles.
The benefits listed above are, of course, not everything. Digging deeper into the research and analysis devoted to flexible management, you will find much more. First of all, it opens the way to a new, bold way of doing business.
Properly applied agile management strategy allows companies to create unique products and delight customers. Implementing this methodology, however, can take time and a lot of commitment, so it’s a good idea to be prepared for it right from the start.
To start with, it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with the basics and find out if you’ve taken the right course of action. Then, it’s a good idea to work out how to enable your team to navigate and adapt to the rapidly changing development landscape. Agile project management can drive success, but only if done correctly.
Main article image: photo by Daria Nepriakhina, source: unsplash.com
