Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Agile Manifesto and Principles !

From the earlier blogs, we have understood what is Lean Princilples and the difference between the waste factor and values. Now, let us understand the motivations/principle behind Agile method.

Let us start with Agile Manifesto : (http://agilemanifesto.org/)

Individuals and interactions over processes and toolsWorking software over comprehensive documentationCustomer collaboration over contract negotiationResponding to change over following a plan
 
That is, while there is value in the items on
the right, we value the items on the left more.


 The principles behind Agile manifesto  are : ( http://agilemanifesto.org/principles.html )


Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer
through early and continuous delivery
of valuable software.

Welcome changing requirements, even late in
development. Agile processes harness change for
the customer's competitive advantage.

Deliver working software frequently, from a
couple of weeks to a couple of months, with a
preference to the shorter timescale.

Business people and developers must work
together daily throughout the project.

Build projects around motivated individuals.
Give them the environment and support they need,
and trust them to get the job done.

The most efficient and effective method of
conveying information to and within a development
team is face-to-face conversation.

Working software is the primary measure of progress.
Agile processes promote sustainable development.
The sponsors, developers, and users should be able
to maintain a constant pace indefinitely.

Continuous attention to technical excellence
and good design enhances agility.

Simplicity--the art of maximizing the amount
of work not done--is essential.

The best architectures, requirements, and designs
emerge from self-organizing teams.

At regular intervals, the team reflects on how
to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts
its behavior accordingly.





Value Vs Waste



How can we identify Value and eliminate Vaste?

Survey results of used features of a product is given below,


It is evident that 64% of the features and rarely or never used, but we still spend equal effort in developing those 64% features. Do you think that those efforts are wasted?
How does this work in an ideal world?
A company invest only in value adds. If we wouldn't have spend time and effort, on the 64% waste or not used features, we would have released the product in the market much earlier. Our revenue would have gone up, happy customers and share holders.

This is exactly what Agile methodology trying to achieve.Focus on Value to the end customer and Eliminate Waste.

Identifying waste is not a very tedious tasks. Applying commonsense is the most important tool to indentify the waste in a production house.

Waste of Production Vs Software equivalents are :



If you are familiar with any of the 7 wastes above, you have got lot of opportunity for improvement.