Agile methods are popular project management methods, and for good reason. But do you know what you’re buying or if your organisation is ready to evolve with agile methods?

In this article, we’ve compiled the most important things you should consider before embarking on an agile project to avoid the agile headache.

Understanding Agile and the basic principles of agile models

To get the most out of an agile project, an organisation needs to be ready to adopt the basic principles and methodologies involved.

One of the absolute advantages of the agile development model is that you don’t have to plan the whole project at once, but build it piece by piece. At the beginning, guidelines are drawn and deadlines are set towards which the project will work. However, the Agile approach also allows you to implement new ideas that arise along the way and react to changes.

Agile is therefore flexible and adaptable to changes in the project. Unlike traditional models, such as the waterfall model, Agile projects are driven by utility and efficiency. The main difference between agile and the waterfall model is that the waterfall model values planning, while agile emphasises interactivity and adaptability.

The basic principles of agility vary depending on the method, but the key principles are flexibility, openness to change and direct communication. Continuous development and learning through experimentation are also emphasised in agile methods.

Nextcon’s customers have been satisfied with the implementation of agile methods. In 2018, Caruna selected Nextcon Finland Oy to coordinate the development teams of its suppliers. As a result, Caruna adopted the DevOps model. Elina Lehtomäki, Caruna’s Development Director, says that the agile model enables new services to be made available to the customer in a short timeframe, while in a traditionally implemented project the customer may have to wait up to several years for services.

Don’t underestimate the importance of product ownership

The product owner plays a key role in the success of an agile project, acting as the voice of the customer and at the same time organising the work of the development team to maximise the value of the product.

Unfortunately, not all organisations have yet recognised the importance of product ownership for the success of an agile project. Often, the agile endpoint is that the role of Product Owner, which employs one person, is performed by someone from within the organisation in addition to their own work.

This can result in a poorly tailored service for the customer, because the PO has not had the time to focus enough on the team’s work due to resource constraints. We wrote about the work and role of the product owner in an agile organisation in our previous blog, which you can read here.

MVP principle

Understanding the importance of the MVP principle provides a good starting point for a successful agile project. MVP stands for “minimum viable product”. The goal is to publish a functional and complete digital service, but without all the features that are possible.

According to Tero Pänttönen, a Nextcon expert and Product Owner, the benefit of the MVP principle is that by releasing a product that meets the minimum requirements, you start to get real user data through analytics. It also shows how real end users are using the application. Once the MVP is released, more features can then be introduced, either for all users or just for some of them.

Tero also mentions the importance of A/B testing in product release.

– It is also very useful to do so-called A/B testing, where some users see one version of the application and some see another. By comparing the behaviour of these groups, it’s easy to see which of the tested implementations gets the end users to do the things they want,” says Tero.

Sami Karjalainen, Nextcon’s expert and long-time project manager, says that almost 80% of companies misuse the MVP principle, as few organisations actually stick to the minimum requirement, which is what the word “minimum” means.

– Often companies internally sell projects on an MVP basis and plan project schedules for hundreds or even thousands of working days. However, MVP solutions should iterate with user experience to improve the solution, and the effort in the definition phase should not be a big one-off step, but also iterate to plan and define the next version of the product, as is the case in DevOps-style development, for example. This will ensure a longer life cycle for product users. Of course, there are always exceptions such as health solutions where it is not possible to take too much risk and iterate on products.

The supplier matters

Finding the right supplier is definitely worth the effort, as good cooperation starts with trust and openness between the customer and the supplier. In the best case, the supplier becomes a long-term partner who is able to develop the customer’s business outside the Agile project.

The first point of the Agile Manifesto emphasises the importance of interaction. This is not just a figure of speech; in an agile project, effective interaction between the project team is the basis for a successful project. In a successful project, the team becomes a close-knit unit, working towards a common goal with mutual support, and the end result is likely to be better than expected.

A more agile future for your business

At Nextcon, we help our customers build the future by providing experienced experts for a variety of business and IT needs. We want to bring our customers the latest and most practical solutions in the industry.

Contact us and let’s start planning a more agile future for your business together!