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  • Writer's pictureMarco Toscano

What Distinguishes Agile From Traditional Ways Of Working?

Updated: Dec 24, 2021

Agile has captured the world of project management and software development by storm in recent times. This project management methodology appears to be gaining popularity. Because the business world is changing so quickly, companies are looking for processes, approaches, and methods that will help them run their operations smoothly.

In today's fast-paced world, project management has emerged as one of the most critical pillars for ensuring that businesses run smoothly. Project management systems are used by both small and large organizations all over the world to deliver their products/services successfully. Whether it's team workflow management or timing, these tools help to ensure that processes run smoothly while achieving the desired results.


Despite various project management approaches, Agile is widely regarded as one of the most practical and adaptable software development mechanisms available today. It is capable of carrying out a wide range of tasks.


Let's see what aspects distinguish agile from the traditional ways of working:


Project Management

This role is shared in agile methods such as Scrum: the product owner is responsible for guaranteeing that the specifications defined in the product backlog are met. The Scrum master, on the other hand, is not involved in the project's content. He ensures the project's success by establishing the necessary framework. The Scrum Master ensures that the Scrum rules are followed and acts as a moderator and coach for the project team.


Responsibility

Only the Project Manager (PM) needs to know the traditional way of working goals. The PM is the one who bears the responsibility for success and must thus be able to choose how he wants to achieve the goal.


With agile methods, all participants must have a thorough understanding of the entire project. Scrum and colleagues thus shift responsibility from management to development teams. Because if everyone is aware of the goals and visions or even has a say in shaping them, everyone is responsible for seeing them through. The team members are not given fixed work packages but can choose how to achieve the set goal.


Communication

When a project is implemented in phases, communication is more or less limited to the project manager's specific instructions. The project manager can delegate clearly defined work packages to team members.


On the other hand, Agile methodologies necessitate a great deal more communication. The success of a project is determined by whether everyone involved has the same level of understanding of the goals, current status quo, progress, roadblocks, and any changes.


Structure

The traditional way of working necessitates an organization's clear hierarchical structure. Each person has a clearly defined role that they perform to the best of their ability.


At first glance, agile working methodologies appear to be devoid of structure. However, this impression is deceptive. Scrum & Co.'s structure is based on game rules and communication rather than people and functions. A company must adapt to its own needs and those of its customers.


Wrapping up

Companies are being pushed to produce better results faster as competition heats up. As a result, an increasing number of businesses are questioning traditional project management methods. Agile models such as Scrum and Kaban have already proven themselves in the short-lived software industry. They promise to transform slow, top-down organizations into flexible, dynamic businesses.


In traditional software development, the customer is only involved at the beginning. As a result, many errors and unnecessary expenditures will have occurred by the time the project is completed.


Because Agile software development allows the customer to be involved at each stage, changes can be made immediately. This allows us to save money. As a result, Agile project management is the real thing. Because of its flexibility, it allows for greater team collaboration and paves the way for superior results.


Follow my blog https://www.marcotoscano.de for more information on Scrum, Kanban, Agile, and much more.

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