What is Agile?

Agile is nothing more than an approach to Software Development. The Agile movement proposes alternatives to traditional project management. Agile approaches are typically used in software development to help businesses respond to unpredictability.

12 Principles for Agile Development

1. Satisfaction & Delivery: In Agile Development our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of software.
2. Welcome Changing Requirements:  In Any complex environment and projects, requirements are changes frequently and some times as Product Manager you need to welcome the changes even in late development phase. Agile welcomes changes even in late phase of development.
3. Deliver Frequently: Third principles focus of frequent delivery of working software from a couples of week or month with a preference to shorter timeline.
4. Communication is a Key: Communication is a key and I hope most of you are agree with me that most of the time, manager’s have to communicate with developers and other members to make the project successful. Agile made it a principle to follow. Business and Developers must work together daily throughout the project.
5. Environment & Trust: Motivated peoples and environment is very much required for building a good product and you need to trust your developers in order to get the work done. Give them a good environment and support.
6. Face to Face communication: Direct communication is very essential and face to face conversation is most efficient and effective method of conveying information to a development team.
7. Measuring Progress: Working software is the primary steps to measure the progress and you need to have these.
8. Sustainable Development: Agile processes promotes sustainable development. The Sponsors, Developers and Users should be able to make a constant pace indefinitely.
9. Attention to Details: Attention to details is not only the principle of Agile development but it is a must skill for a Good Project/Product Manager. Continuous attention to technical  excellence and good design enhances agility.
10. Simplicity: The power of less. Simplicity is essential art of maximizing the amount of work done.
11. Self Organizing Team:  The best architecture, requirements and design emerges from self organizing teams.
12. Adjustment: The last but not the least principle is adjustments,Regular adaptation to changing circumstances. You have to learn this quality for tennis players. How they have to adjust their position through out the match and the best player wins, same rule is applied to the last principle of Agile . At regular interval team reflects on how to become more effective and for same they need to adjust their behavior accordingly.