Here Are The Misconceptions of Agile Methodology

Agile is a methodology that is widely used in the software field.

This method is used by various management levels technical writers, engineers, quality control managers, product managers, team leaders to development managers, the Agile methodology is used widely in the Software development field.

As it is used widely in the software field, it is one of the hot topics for discussion in this field. So there is a lot of hype surrounding it with various misconceptions. Agile encourages rapid and flexible responses to change business needs and user requirements.

The IT industry and business communities tend to get the results they want faster. They welcome the new age software development approaches by keeping the traditional style of software development approaches. So Agile has various reasons to get disruptive changes to established processes. In Reality, Agile is settled in the middle of all these disruptive misconceptions. Here we are listing down the few myths which are often heard in IT and business fields.

Agile models will not work with other models

Agile is one of the most flexible methodologies for users as it includes the traditional and modern methods into it. Agile methodologies will not gel with other models is one of the biggest misinterpretations. The product cycles of the Agile methods are shorter and they are exceptionally comfortable with the processes of traditional methodologies. It is easy to combine agile methods with traditional plan-driven models like the waterfall model through sprints.  The decision to combine agile methods with other methods and to what extent depends mainly on the discretion of the project manager. The agile methodology will work only on software development.

Agile started as the development of software, but over time, it emerged as a complete methodology. It is one of the biggest misconceptions that Agile methods will only work for software development. As time evolves, agile emerged as a complete methodology, which is used in the whole project. The methods are used for other categories where the potential of changes and continuity of higher and feedback cycles are shorter.

Agile – NO Planning

Agile professionals need to do a lot of work in terms of planning by keeping the long-term vision in their mind. Agile needs a structural manner of planning. Planning is not done once, it will not be followed continuously by the phases of construction, deployment and execution. You need to process the original plans as per the information which you received or which you have and the most basic information you have, as a professional you can plan it most efficiently.

Agile – No project documentation

Documentation is a guide map for the development process. It defines how the system will work and what the system contains. This helps keep the respective goals of business, end-users, and developers aligned. Agile development projects furnish all partners with a superior comprehension of the final results. This will decrease the requirement for specific plan reports. Agile processes the documentation, but the documentation is different from waterfall

Agile – only for small projects

Agile works for projects, teams, and organizations of all sizes. For agile- it doesn’t matter the type of project, whether it is a small or big project, the type of project, or any kind of organization, the team size will not matter. If the project is large and complex, the agile transformation will help you to find out difficult or impossible customer requirements in advance.

Never-ending Agile projects

Agile customers gain the business value continuously when they will be working in Agile. In certain circumstances, the facts may show that Agile activities don’t end, however, most tasks have a second that gives consistent losses.

No Need for Project Managers

Agile methods are self-managing, it doesn’t mean Agile needs no manager. Agile needs managers to keep track of employees and to update the track to the higher management. The software field is complex, and the field needs ideas from various people to run the project smoothly. The Agile methodologies are simple, easy, and self-instructed. It doesn’t need managers to monitor or to give instructions. The project needs a manager to run smoothly without any obstacles.

Less Stability, more flexibility

In Agile, sometimes it does require few trade-offs. Achieving more flexibility means lesser stability, and it is vice-versa. You need to consider which one is most in demand for your project environment. Although agile usually goes more into flexibility, agile can balance stability and flexibility. You can see where the product backlog is open for edits by the product owner at any time, but the sprint itself is protected.

Less discipline

Agile needs a lot of disciplined methods and it always leads to the misconception working with less discipline. Agile works on self-organization and the higher level of agile methods like Scrum needs a higher level of discipline to clarify the processes. It sets its own rules to follow.  However, within these roles, agile promotes the principle of self-organization.

No planning

Agile projects need upfront planning and they should require minor details like development principles, estimates of the work and tasks involved, priorities, and total budget. Agile works as a guide when you are making decisions during the development. Agile needs planning throughout the process of development and it requires work from everyone. Agile projects need upfront planning and they should require information such as development principles, estimates of the work and tasks involved, priorities, and total budget.

Agile – Fix All Problems

Some are tempted to believe that Agile can be effective in any situation, which is not true. When a software project fails, it can be due to any reason, improper execution of any software development method, or any other reason. Just implementing Agile methods or Agile tools in your company will not help you obtain a better result. Software work needs to be made by you. It is not automated. Therefore, you have to work hard to get the best result with the help of Agile.