Agile business concepts – How to put them in practice? (part 2)

So, let's dig  into the agile business process some more.

An agile environment allows for diverse teams and teamwork to flourish.

To complete the agile process, business people work together with developers daily throughout the duration of the agile development while building projects around individuals rather than building individuals around a project. Thus, teamwork is imperative in an agile business process. But the teams must be autonomous to succeed. Autonomy is the name of the game: the developers are given the tools to succeed, and they are trusted to perform and produce according to their skills, knowledge, background and experience. The agile process believes that self-organizing teams, who provide the direct input and the hands-on work, give birth to the best developments, requirements and designs.

Measureable action

Quality assurance expectations require measurable goals. Why do so many companies tout quality control as a goal, or accomplishment? Is it simply the production companies who must adhere to safety standards or be fined, or shut down? Proving that a product is high quality is essential at every stage of a product’s life.

The first step is showing the customer that your product works, that it is needed, and that it is valuable. In this market, with so much competition, one reason making quality control a part of your invention’s life is to help it stand apart – agile approach. No matter what the cost of your product, if something about it is made or operates inexpensively – and sometimes even if the packaging looks shoddy – the customer will look to your competitor’s product next time.

Ensuring the product continues to be the same over time is important – agile quality assurance. Imagine Customer “A” who purchases your product and is happy with it, then he buys a replacement in six months to find that it has changed. It feels less sturdy, it seems rough to use, and it appears as though it will break easily. Customer “A” may return the product. Whether he returns or keeps it, he may be unhappy. He may find that his fears come to light, and he will report that to all his friends.

Maintaining quality is important for long-term life of a product. The idea is only as good as the customer feels it is. If your product misses the mark on customer expectations or needs, you may as well prepare a good funeral for it.

The agile process promotes measureable agile development and can be sustained, while the sponsors, developers and users maintain a consistent pace for the duration. The team reviews its productivity on a regular basis, discusses how to become more effective, and modifies its tasks and agile approaches accordingly.

Corrective action

Once a milestone within an agile project is achieved, or the project is completed, the process actually begins. This is where re-evaluating the project’s process and “ingredients” is essential. Is it working as intended? Is your product or service completed as expected or planned? Even if it is, it may require agile testing.

Evaluations are necessary, even when including testers or clients in the agile process along with the team members. Thus, collaboration again is important. Continuous improvement is the key to unlocking the highest potential in any business situation.
Continuous improvement principles, from the agile best practices, include self reflection and honest team feedback – identifying, reducing and eliminating processes that do not work completely, are too costly or inefficient and involves consistent, baby steps versus overnight completion. Strategic continuous improvement allows for evaluating methods to increase the value, that is, effectiveness, of the customer output and its delivery over a longer period of time. It takes into consideration how much flexibility is available in the process to meet changing needs and to survive ever-changing environments.

Proponents of the agile system believe in continuous attention to excellent design and technical excellence, which create and develop agility.

Doesn’t it make sense to be agile?

It should be clear from this information that any business wishing to produce successfully can benefit from an agile environment for itself and in the processes for delivering any customer good, whether it be a product or a service.

It takes an agile mind to create an agile process.