Increasingly, the market demands agility in processes, which includes faster deliveries and better use of resources. Aiming to achieve quick results, management and technology specialists have begun creating methodologies for this. project management, called agile methodologies. 

Knowing this type of tool is an important competitive advantage for professionals who want to excel in any field. However, for the sector of technology, Understanding the principles of agile methodologies is already considered an essential requirement. With that in mind, we've prepared this post with valuable information about the most widely used methodologies today. Check it out!

What is agile methodology?

Agile methodology, or Agile, is the term used to describe a set of management tools that focus on increased productivity. The purpose of using this type of methodology is to standardize company processes, making production development faster and reducing costs. 

Agile methodology can be applied in the entire life cycle of a project, From conception to delivery, it is crucial that team members are in synergy and understand the principles of agile projects. 

Agile Manifesto

To better understand the concept of agile methodology, we must understand how this movement emerged. In the 1990s, the software development It used to be based on the waterfall system, in which each phase of the project is carried out after the completion of the previous stage.

However, technology-related projects have some unique characteristics, such as the need for changes and optimizations that arise during development. In this respect, traditional project management methods proved to be very inflexible. 

In the early 2000s, a group of developers met in the United States to discuss the best ways to conduct a technology project. As a result, they created a document called... Agile Manifesto, which has four key values:

• Individuals and interactions over processes and tools.
• Working software is better than comprehensive documentation.
• Collaboration with the client goes beyond contract negotiation.
• Responding to change is more important than following a plan.

As we can see, the fundamentals of the Agile Manifesto make it clear that this type of methodology aims to... reduce bureaucratic and unproductive tasks, focusing the team's efforts on product quality which will be delivered to the customer. 

In addition to the core values, the manifesto presents 12 principles, which include:

• to prioritize customer satisfaction; 
• be receptive to change; 
• Make frequent deliveries; 
• maintain collaboration; 
• To provide employees with the necessary environment and tools; 
• to encourage communication among those involved in the project; 
• The final product of the work should correspond to the ultimate measure of success; 
• maintain a steady pace; 
• to pay frequent attention to excellence; 
• eliminate efforts that do not add value to the product; 
• Maintain self-organizing teams; 
• to reflect on ways to improve efficiency. 

Benefits of Agile methodologies 

For the company, agile methodology provides greater productivity and an important competitive advantage in the eyes of the market. For professionals, this type of tool offers the possibility of integrating more collaborative and efficient teams, as well as a more organized work environment.  

What are the main agile methodologies?

Now that you know what agile methodology is, learn about the most commonly used frameworks in... labor market.  

Scrum

Used by companies such as Microsoft, Google, and Nokia, this methodology is characterized by dividing projects into cycles, which are called... sprints, and by organizing the functionalities to be implemented into a list, called backlog. 

In Scrum, actions are taken to keep all team members aware of the goals and commitments of each cycle. Daily scrum meetings are held daily, a quick meeting with the team to understand the progress of tasks and identify potential problems in advance.  

The Scrum Master is the team member responsible for guiding the team regarding the methodology's structure, as well as eliminating obstacles that may hinder the project's progress. 

It's worth highlighting that Scrum is currently the most widely used agile methodology in organizations. Therefore, it's worthwhile to learn more about it. 

Extreme Programming (XP)

XP is an agile management method geared towards organizations that operate in the software development field. The purpose of this methodology is... optimize product quality developed through specific values such as: frequent communication, simplicity, feedback, courage, respect, and change. 

Like Scrum, Extreme Programming also divides the project into small cycles, called... small releases. 

Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe)

Scaled Agile Framework can be translated as Scaled Agile Framework. This methodology was created in 2011 and is also geared towards software development. 

SAFe was based on the principles of the Agile Manifesto and... Lean Manufacturing, a management philosophy that aims reduce waste. Thus, it explores lighter and leaner structures, which create efficiency in project development. 

Now that you know what agile methodology is and what its benefits are, take the opportunity to learn more about... MBA in Project Management from ESEG College, part of the Etapa Group.

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