Agile, Scrum, and the Lean Startup Method

AGILE

• A set of principles

• Manages risk: Try, evaluate, learn, course-correct continually

• based on 'iterative development'

• Requirements and solutions evolve through collaboration

• self-organising, cross-functional teams

• encourages regular inspection and continuous adaptation

• promotes fast delivery of high-quality software, made possible by an efficient use of resources and a constant feedback loop

Agile methodologies

• We use Scrum. Read the Scrum guide.

• We adapt the process to our needs, especially when we are not producing software. Get someone to introduce you to Scrum using these slides.

• Other examples

  • Kanban

  • Extreme Programming

SCRUM

• An agile methodology

• a 'lightweight process framework' for agile development

• process framework: a set of practices that must be consistently followed

• lightweight: overhead is made as minimal as possible, to maximise productivity and allow room for adaptation and new developments

• works in timebox sprints. OpenUp has a policy of doing this at the end of every project.

• • however, the standard approach toward identifying action points is to do so at the end of each sprint, which allows for time to update things and fix issues while the project is still ongoing.

Everyone involved with a project is responsible for ensuring that project’s Scrum process is followed. One reason we use scrum is that the concept of sprints provides more predictable planning for ourselves and clients. It is also the most effective way we know to ensure clients eventually get attention: it’s easier to continually push ad-hoc scheduled work out, while a commitment of 1 week of implementation time in sprint n or n+1 is harder to push out without consideration. We can choose not to use scrum on a project, but we should be aware of what the tradeoff is.

For a comprehensive look at the Scrum guide, see here.

LEAN STARTUP METHOD

• methodology that aims to shorten product development cycles

• creating a sustainable business at minimal cost

• Developing for an existing demand. (The opposite of the Blue Ocean strategy).

• Build-Measure-Learn

• 5 Lean Manufacturing Principles

• • Value

  • Value streams

  • Flow

  • Pull

  • Perfection