What is Agile?
Key takeaways
Agile combines a mindset with practical routines that help teams deliver value in changing conditions.
- Agile prioritises working software, collaboration, and adapting plans based on frequent feedback.
- Iterative, incremental delivery reduces risk by surfacing issues and learning earlier.
- Scrum uses timeboxed sprints and clear roles to create a predictable cadence for delivery and review.
- Kanban improves flow by visualising work and limiting work in progress to expose bottlenecks.
- Healthy Agile adoption relies on clear roles, shared quality standards, and sustainable pace.
- Measure outcomes and flow with metrics like lead time and defect rate, then refine through retrospectives.
Definition of Agile
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 methodology at a glance
| Aspect | Description |
|---|---|
| Purpose | Deliver working software frequently, respond to change rapidly |
| Key values | Individuals and interactions, working software, customer collaboration, responding to change |
| Approach | Iterative, adaptive, and incremental |
| Popular frameworks | Scrum , Kanban, Extreme Programming (XP) |
| Stakeholders | Customers, product owners, cross-functional teams, Scrum Masters |
Summary of the Agile Manifesto and Its values
The Agile Manifesto , published in 2001 by 17 software development experts, established the foundation for Agile methodologies . It promotes four core values and twelve underlying principles to guide teams toward continuous improvement and customer satisfaction.
Agile Manifesto: Four values
- Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
- Working software over comprehensive documentation
- Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
- Responding to change over following a plan
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.
- Satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of valuable software
- Welcome changing requirements, even late in development
- Deliver working software frequently, from a couple of weeks to a couple of months
- Collaborate daily between business people and developers
- Build projects around motivated individuals and provide support
- Convey information face-to-face whenever possible
- Working software is the primary measure of progress
- Maintain a sustainable development pace
- Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design
- Simplicity – the art of maximising the work not done – is essential
- Self-organising teams produce the best architectures, requirements, and designs
- Regularly reflect and adapt to improve effectiveness
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 Waterfall model. In 2001, seventeen thought leaders signed the Agile Manifesto , formalising Agile values and sparking the formation of the Agile Alliance. Since then, Agile has evolved beyond software development into project management , product development, and operations.
Benefits of Agile Request a quote
- Flexibility: Respond rapidly to changing customer needs and market conditions.
- Continuous improvement:[email protected] Regular retrospectives help teams adapt and improve their processes.
- Customer satisfaction: +44 (0)207 148 5985 Frequent delivery ensures customer requirements are met early and often.Courses
- Transparency:PROJECT MANAGEMENT Iterative development and open communication foster stakeholder trust.PRINCE2
- Reduced risk:® Incremental delivery allows for earlier issue detection and correction.Foundation
- Enhanced team collaboration:Learn the fundamentals of the PRINCE2 method. Cross-functional teams communicate daily to resolve challenges efficiently.Practitioner
Agile vs waterfall modelIncludes Foundation & Practitioner combined option.
| AspectAssociation for Project Management (APM) | AgileProject Fundamentals Qualification (PFQ) | WaterfallStart your APM project management career. |
|---|---|---|
| ProcessProject Management Qualification (PMQ) | Iterative and incrementalAdvance your APM project management expertise. | Sequential and linearProject Risk Single Certificate Level 1 |
| FlexibilityEnhance your project risk management skills. | Adaptive to changeAgilePM | Resistant to change after initial planning® |
| Customer involvement – Agile Project Management | High, continuous feedbackFoundation | Typically only during requirements and acceptance stagesLearn the key principles of Agile Project Management. |
| DeliveryPractitioner | Frequent, partial releasesIncludes Foundation & Practitioner combined option. | Full product delivered at project endPRINCE2 |
| Risk® | Problems discovered early Agile | Issues often found lateFoundation |
Agile frameworks and practicesLearn the fundamentals of the PRINCE2 Agile method.
Scrum frameworkPractitioner
ScrumIncludes Foundation & Practitioner combined option. is a widely adopted Agile framework structured around short, timeboxed periods called AI Project Governance Framework (AIPGF)sprintsFoundation
Learn the fundamentals of the P3O project management office.
Agile project managementPractitioner 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.Includes Foundation & Practitioner combined option.
Key concepts: Iterative and incremental deliveryWorkshops
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.Introduction to Project Management
Team collaboration and cross-functional teams1-day workshop to learn the basics of project management.
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.Project Management Essentials
Continuous improvement practices2-day workshop to learn how to manage projects without getting certified.
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.Writing Business Cases
Further ResourcesHalf-day workshop to learn to write robust business cases.
FAQsARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE (AI)
What is Agile methodology?BCS AI
Agile methodologyFoundation 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.Learn the fundamentals of artificial intellegence.
What are the 12 principles of Agile?AI Project Governance Framework (AIPGF)
The Foundation 12 Agile principlesLearn the fundamentals of the governance framework. 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.Practitioner
What is the difference between Agile and waterfall?Includes Foundation & Practitioner combined option.
Agile is iterative, adaptable, and focuses on incremental delivery with frequent stakeholder feedback. WorkshopsWaterfallAI in Project Management is linear, sequential, and requires upfront planning, often only allowing changes late in the project cycle.Learn how to use AI tools in everyday project work.