What is Agile Methodology?
An iterative approach to project management and product development that delivers work in small increments, emphasising flexibility, collaboration, and customer feedback.
Detailed Explanation
Agile methodology is a philosophy and set of practices that prioritise individuals and interactions over processes and tools, working solutions over comprehensive documentation, customer collaboration over contract negotiation, and responding to change over following a plan. Agile delivers work in short iterations, with each iteration producing a potentially shippable increment of value. Common Agile frameworks include Scrum, Kanban, and Extreme Programming (XP). While Agile originated in software development, its principles are now applied across many industries and business functions. Key practices include iterative delivery, frequent feedback loops, self-organising teams, and continuous improvement.
Why It Matters
Traditional project management assumes you can define all requirements upfront and follow a fixed plan. In reality, requirements change, new information emerges, and initial assumptions prove wrong. Agile embraces this uncertainty by building in regular feedback and adaptation, dramatically reducing the risk of delivering something nobody wants.
Example
An Australian government department adopts Agile for a new citizen services portal. Instead of spending 18 months building the entire portal before launch, they release a minimum viable product with three core services after 8 weeks, then add features based on actual user feedback every two weeks. User satisfaction is significantly higher than previous waterfall-delivered projects.
Related Terms
A fixed-length iteration (typically 1-4 weeks) during which a development team works to complete a defined set of tasks or user stories.
A visual workflow management method that uses boards and cards to represent work items moving through defined stages, with limits on work in progress.
A structured team meeting held after a project, sprint, or defined period to reflect on what went well, what could be improved, and what actions to take.
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