What is Agile?Practitioner
Key takeaways3-day ITIL Strategist: Direct, Plan & Improve (DPI) course.
Agile combines a mindset with practical routines that help teams deliver value in changing conditions.Specialist: DSV
- Agile prioritises working software, collaboration, and adapting plans based on frequent feedback.3-day ITIL Specialist: Drive Stakeholder Value (DSV) course.
- Iterative, incremental delivery reduces risk by surfacing issues and learning earlier.Specialist: CDS
- Scrum uses timeboxed sprints and clear roles to create a predictable cadence for delivery and review.3-day ITIL Specialist: Create, Deliver and Support (CDS) course.
- Kanban improves flow by visualising work and limiting work in progress to expose bottlenecks.IT Learning Library (ITLL)™
- Healthy Agile adoption relies on clear roles, shared quality standards, and sustainable pace.BUSINESS LEARNING LIBRARY (BLL)™
- Measure outcomes and flow with metrics like lead time and defect rate, then refine through retrospectives.Agile Learning Library (ALL)™
Definition of AgileSelect your preferred workshop below:
Agile refers to a set of principles and practices that guide teams in developing software products through incremental delivery, adaptive planning, and continual improvement. Agile emphasises iterative development, close team collaboration, and frequent customer feedback to deliver high-quality solutions quickly and efficiently.AGILE QUALIFICATIONS
Agile methodology at a glanceSelect your preferred qualification.
| Aspect | DescriptionAGILE PROJECT MANAGEMENT COURSES |
|---|---|
| PurposeSelect your preferred training course below: | Deliver working software frequently, respond to change rapidly |
| Key valuesPRINCE2 AGILE COURSES | Individuals and interactions, working software, customer collaboration, responding to changeSelect your preferred training course below: |
| Scrum, Kanban, Extreme Programming (XP)AGILE BUSINESS ANALYSIS COURSES | |
| StakeholdersSelect your preferred training course below: | Customers, product owners, cross-functional teams, Scrum Masters |
Summary of the Agile Manifesto and Its valuesBUSINESS ANALYSIS QUALIFICATIONS
The Select your preferred qualification.Agile Manifesto , published in 2001 by 17 software development experts, established the foundation for BCS BUSINESS ANALYSIS COURSESAgile methodologiesSelect your preferred training course below:. It promotes four core values and twelve underlying principles to guide teams toward continuous improvement and customer satisfaction.
Agile Manifesto: Four valuesAGILE BUSINESS ANALYSIS COURSES
- Individuals and interactions over processes and toolsSelect your preferred training course below:
- Working software over comprehensive documentation
- Customer collaboration over contract negotiationCHANGE MANAGEMENT QUALIFICATIONS
- Responding to change over following a planSelect your preferred qualification.
Agile principles
Agile is supported by twelve guiding principles, intended to help teams create successful products in an ever-changing environment. These principles inform day-to-day Agile practices.APMG CHANGE MANAGEMENT COURSES
- Satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of valuable softwareSelect your preferred training course below:
- Welcome changing requirements, even late in development
- Deliver working software frequently, from a couple of weeks to a couple of monthsPROGRAMME MANAGEMENT QUALIFICATIONS
- Collaborate daily between business people and developersSelect your preferred qualification.
- Self-organising teams produce the best architectures, requirements, and designsPMI COURSES
- Regularly reflect and adapt to improve effectivenessSelect your preferred training course below:
Historical origins and evolution of Agile
The Agile approach originated in the late 1990s as software teams sought alternatives to rigid project management models like the PRINCE2 COURSESWaterfallSelect your preferred training course below: model. In 2001, seventeen thought leaders signed the Agile ManifestoAPM COURSES, formalising Agile values and sparking the formation of the Agile Alliance. Since then, Agile has evolved beyond software development into Select your preferred training course below:project management , product development, and operations.AGILE PROJECT MANAGEMENT COURSES
Benefits of AgileSelect your preferred training course below:
- Flexibility: Respond rapidly to changing customer needs and market conditions.PRINCE2 AGILE COURSES
- Continuous improvement:Select your preferred training course below: Regular retrospectives help teams adapt and improve their processes.
- Customer satisfaction:BUSINESS CASE COURSES Frequent delivery ensures customer requirements are met early and often.Select your preferred training course below:
- Transparency: Iterative development and open communication foster stakeholder trust.AGILE COURSES
- Reduced risk:Select your self-paced training course topic. Incremental delivery allows for earlier issue detection and correction.
- Enhanced team collaboration:AGILE PROJECT MANAGEMENT COURSES Cross-functional teams communicate daily to resolve challenges efficiently.Select your preferred training course below:
Agile vs waterfall model
| AspectPRINCE2 AGILE COURSES | AgileSelect your preferred training course below: | Waterfall |
|---|---|---|
| ProcessSCRUM COURSES | Iterative and incrementalSelect your preferred training course below: | Sequential and linear |
| BCS BUSINESS ANALYST COURSESDelivery | Frequent, partial releasesSelect your preferred training course below: | Full product delivered at project end |
| RiskCHANGE MANAGEMENT COURSES | Problems discovered earlySelect your self-paced training course topic. | Issues often found late |
Scrum frameworkPROGRAMME MANAGEMENT COURSES
ScrumSelect your self-paced training course topic. is a widely adopted Agile framework structured around short, timeboxed periods called sprintsMSP COURSES. Teams maintain a Select your preferred training course below:product backlog of features and tasks, delivering increments of working software at the end of each sprint. Roles in Scrum include Product Owner, IT QUALIFICATIONSScrum MasterSelect your preferred qualification., and Development Team. Daily stand-ups, sprint planning, reviews, and retrospectives reinforce team collaboration and transparency.
KanbanITIL COURSES
Kanban emphasises visualising work, limiting work in progress, and optimising flow. Teams use Kanban boards to track tasks and identify bottlenecks, often integrating continuous improvement practices.Select your preferred training course below:
User stories and Product Backlog
Features are typically described as IT QUALIFICATIONSuser storiesSelect your preferred qualification. in a product backlog. This backlog is prioritised by the Product Owner and guides the work to be pulled into each sprint or iteration.
Agile project managementITIL COURSES
Agile project managementSelect your preferred training course below: focuses on iterative planning, adaptive resource allocation, and continuous stakeholder engagement. Leaders support self-organising, cross-functional teams, encourage regular customer feedback, and facilitate incremental value delivery.
Key concepts: Iterative and incremental deliveryLEARNING LIBRARIES
Agile projects proceed in small iterations, each resulting in an incrementally improved product. This iterative approach enables rapid adaptation, regular feedback, and incremental value to stakeholders.Select your preferred training course topic.
Team collaboration and cross-functional teams
Agile emphasises collaboration between customers, stakeholders, and team members from diverse disciplines. Cross-functional teams are empowered to make decisions and deliver complete solutions within each iteration.AI QUALIFICATIONS & WORKSHOPS
Continuous improvement practicesSelect your preferred qualification or workshop.
Agile teams conduct regular retrospectives to identify areas for improvement and adjust their processes. This culture of continuous improvement leads to increased quality, productivity, and team morale over time.
Further ResourcesAIPGF COURSES
FAQsBCS AI COURSES
What is Agile methodology?Select your preferred training course below:
Agile methodology is a set of practices and values that promote adaptive planning, evolutionary development, early delivery, and continual improvement. Agile methods empower teams to respond quickly to change and collaborate closely with stakeholders.AIPGF COURSES
What are the 12 principles of Agile?Select your preferred training course below:
The 12 Agile principlesAI WORKSHOPS include prioritising customer satisfaction through early and continual delivery, welcoming changing requirements, delivering working software frequently, fostering daily collaboration, supporting motivated teams, preferring face-to-face communication, using working software as the main progress measure, maintaining a sustainable pace, focusing on technical excellence, maximising simplicity, enabling self-organising teams, and reflecting regularly for process improvement.Select your preferred workshop below:
What is the difference between Agile and waterfall?
Agile is iterative, adaptable, and focuses on incremental delivery with frequent stakeholder feedback. Knowledge Train is a PRINCE2 Accredited Training Organization.Waterfall is linear, sequential, and requires upfront planning, often only allowing changes late in the project cycle.Knowledge Train is an AgilePM Accredited Training Organization.
What are Scrum and Kanban frameworks?
ScrumKnowledge Train is a PRINCE2 Agile Accredited Training Organization. is an Agile framework that organises work into fixed-length sprints and uses roles like Product Owner and Scrum MasterKnowledge Train is a Better Business Cases Accredited Training Organization.. Kanban is a visual method for managing workflow, limiting work in progress, and focusing on incremental improvements.
How does Agile improve team collaboration?Knowledge Train is a P3O Accredited Training Organization.
Agile improves collaboration through daily communication, cross-functional team structures, and regular stakeholder engagement, ensuring all members align towards shared goals.