Getting Started with Agile Delivery

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Getting Started with Agile Delivery

Sanjiv Augustine

May 1, 2006






Agile methods (Scrum, eXtreme Programming, Crystal, Feature Driven Development, etc.) have been moving into the mainstream over the past few years. Industry leaders have discovered that, implemented appropriately, agile accelerates project delivery times, increases customer and employee satisfaction, and provides flexibility to changes in business requirements. 

Forrester Research reports that 14 percent of North American and European "early adopter" enterprises are already using agile, and a second wave of adoption involving another 19 percent is underway with corporate IT enterprises leading the way1. As new organizations commit to agile methods, many managers are faced with the question, "How do I begin implementing agile methods?" In this article, I will cover some essential steps to help you get started with agile delivery. First, it's helpful to understand some core principles common to all agile methods.
 
Core Agile Delivery Principles
Although agile methods differ somewhat in their practices, all of them advocate these core principles--iterative and incremental delivery, collaboration and continuous improvement:
 
  • Iterative and incremental delivery.



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