A History of Agile

A History of Agile

Agile was first developed by Taiich Ohno in 1948, and was refined over the years until Eric Ries finalized it in 2009 (Measey, 2).  Agile’s thinking is based on the Toyota Production System (TPS) and is widely known as “Lean”.  According to Measey, TPS is mainly related to manufacturing production on a production line (2). TPS mainly focuses on Lean production development rather than manufacturing.

Tom Gilb’s “Evo” and Berry Bohm’s “Spiral” were used to incorporate Agile concept in the 1990s—it became known as Rapid Application Development (RAD). The RAD concept had a flaw in that it concentrated on product delivery without great focus on project governance. DSDM was later introduced in the mid-1990s and focused on delivery within projects—which provided the necessary governance to run an effective project and deliver the product. DSDM also covers IT and non-IT projects towards a working solution with eight principles which were supported by five practices.

According to Measey: “The principles behind Agile is to deliver value to the customer as frequently, consistently and regularly as possible” (6). By delivering products in incremental phases to customers, adding values towards customer satisfaction and involved customer’s input—this also meant that they are more likely to understand and buy into what product is being delivered. Agile then becomes a product story that every team member, technical and business people can apprehend and it makes logical sense to everyone. Agile deliveries stories that can be measured, harnessed and validated to customers’ changes. The Agile process then can be identified, learned, and evolved effectively for future deliveries with added values.

People, communication, and environments are the keys to Agile success. Motivated people who are harmonious with each other and willing to work with one another will be more productive. By giving team members freedom without overbearing them like robots performing assigned tasks, they will feel less pressure to contribute and are likely to excel. Each member will transform the ongoing journey once they know what and why they are transforming. Although, face-to-face communication is best, it is often not possible due to geographical location of each team member. This can cause unexpected variables and misunderstanding such as body language, language culture by various regions, and feedback cycles. It has proven that a dynamic environment which understands the evolving business changing needs will create collaborative team efforts.

Source: Measey, Peter. Agile Foundations Principles, Practices and Frameworks. Swindon: BCS Learning & Development Limited, 2015. Print.

The Agile process is facilitated by applying Agile values, practices, and many principles (Measey 11). In summary, it entails the tools and processes for a successful project. It is about doing, being, and having an Agile mindset.  Agile can only be effective if there is common understanding and the right mindset—merely implementing Agile tools, practices, or principles does not quantify it is Agile. Only when a team collaborate together to visualize, share, and adapt to the journey and not the destination can the team have a deeper Agile mindset within them.

Work Cited

Measey, Peter. Agile Foundations Principles, Practices and Frameworks. Swindon: BCS Learning & Development Limited, 2015. Print.