Agile Methodology – What is Agile Methodology?

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Agile is a set of values principles yet people are constantly asking about Agile methodology.

What is Agile methodology?

This is a bit of a trick question, the methodology is a body of methods, procedures, and rules for a particular discipline, but Agile values and principles explicitly avoid prescribing any methods or procedures. Agile does not specify methods, Agile is not a methodology.

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Why didn’t Agile consider under methodology?

This is probably a surprise for many people but if you take the time to look at the Agile values and principles you will not find any methodology. there instead you will find guidance on how to choose methods and procedures that will work best for your team.

Agile values and principles do not try to prescribe the way your team should work, instead, they focus on helping you and your team think and interact in ways that achieve Agility.

What is Agility?

Agility is the ability to continually adapt the ability, to constantly make improvements to the way you work.

Understanding this, it’s important because it explains why Agile explicitly avoids being a methodology. if Agile specified in the methodology it would necessarily be well less Agile. Less able to adapt to the specific circumstances of your team in your organization. So, instead of telling you explicitly what to do.

Agile gives you some values and principles that your team can use to decide what you should do.

If Agile is not a methodology, what about all the specific things you hear about Agile Teams doing? What about standup meetings? product demos? Retrospectives? planning poker, etc?

while Agile is not a methodology there are several methodologies teams can use to follow the Agile principles and values.

Take SCRUM for instance:

SCRUM specifies several specific ways for teams to work this includes things like having daily standups, fixed-length sprints, product demos, and retrospectives.

Many teams find SCRUM would be a very good way of following Agile values and principles, it provides a powerful methodology that assists in following Agile but it is important to note that just following these ceremonies doesn’t make a team Agile. they must be following these ceremonies because it helps them align with the Agile values and principles.

as a side note, some people will argue that SCRUM is a framework and thus more flexible than methodology, but the line between the two is fairly fuzzy new Austin often depends on whether or not someone has negative connotations of the word methodology.

For this discussion, I’m using methodology but in a positive sense. SCRUM gives you powerful methods and processes for getting work done.

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Extreme Programming:

Extreme programming is another methodology that you will encounter in software development.

It includes several practices like test-driven development and pair programming.

The extreme programming methodology gives teams methods and processes that can be used to follow Agile values and principles for example Agile principles say that teams should leverage change as a competitive advantage. XP practices give methods for writing software that enables this.

So why do people still refer to Agile as a methodology?

Usually, because they are confusing Agile the values and principles with the methods and methodologies people use to follow those principles. if your team is truly trying to follow Agile principles and values, your methodology will evolve as your team grows and adapts. After all, that is what it means to be Agile.

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