Strategy
Agile
Plain English
Work in small steps and adapt.
Definition
Agile is an approach to product development focused on iterative glossaryDeliveryDelivery is the process of building, testing, and releasing a product or feature.Open glossary term, collaboration, and adapting to change.
In practice
Teams work in short cycles, gather glossaryFeedbackFeedback is the system response that informs users about the result of their actions. It helps users understand what has happened and what to do next.Open glossary term, and continuously adjust priorities.
In context
The word now describes ceremonies more often than the glossaryBehaviourBehaviour refers to how users interact with a system, including actions, patterns, and responses.Open glossary term. A team running every ritual on a fixed annual scope is doing scheduling, not agile.
The reality
Often reduced to rituals without adopting the mindset, limiting its effectiveness.
Compared with
Agile vs Waterfall
Waterfall settles scope up front and treats change as failure. Agile keeps scope open and treats learning as expected. Waterfall is the better fit where requirements genuinely are fixed and the cost of being wrong is catastrophic.
FAQ
Common questions
A few practical answers to the questions that usually come up around this term.
What is Agile?
An approach to building products through glossaryIterationIteration is the process of repeatedly improving a product through cycles of testing, feedback, and refinement.Open glossary term and flexibility.
Why is Agile used?
To respond quickly to change and glossaryFeedbackFeedback is the system response that informs users about the result of their actions. It helps users understand what has happened and what to do next.Open glossary term.
What are Agile principles?
Collaboration, glossaryIterationIteration is the process of repeatedly improving a product through cycles of testing, feedback, and refinement.Open glossary term, and adaptability.
Is Agile a framework?
No, it is a mindset supported by glossaryFrameworkA framework is a structured set of tools and conventions used to build applications more efficiently.Open glossary term like glossaryScrumScrum is an Agile framework that structures work into time-boxed iterations called sprints.Open glossary term.
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