Agile Model – A complete guide

Introduction

The agile model is a software development approach based on an iterative and incremental model. It focuses on process adaptability and customer satisfaction. Agile means the ability to respond to change.

The Agile model is an iterative and adaptable approach to project management and software development that prioritizes collaboration, customer feedback, and the rapid delivery of usable products. Unlike classic linear methods such as Waterfall, Agile divides projects into smaller, more manageable cycles known as iterations or sprints, which typically run 1-4 weeks. Each sprint produces a workable product increment, which is reviewed and refined depending on stakeholder feedback.

The agile model is an iterative and incremental process that collaborates directly with the customers. Both individuals and organizations can adopt this model. You can make changes anytime you need. Agile Methods break down big projects into small, incremental processes. These processes are provided in iterations. Each iteration lasts only one to three weeks. Each iteration involves a team working through a software development life cycle with its developmental phases. After that, a new iteration will start. The most important endeavor for developing the Agile model is to make project achievements easy and rapid.

Scrum, Kanban, Extreme Programming (XP), and Lean are among the most popular Agile frameworks. These frameworks offer various models for implementing Agile ideas in real-world projects. Agile teams are often cross-functional and self-organizing, with roles such as Product Owner, Scrum Master, and Developer. Agile technique is commonly employed in software development, but it has also spread to marketing, product management, and other industries. It provides various advantages, including faster time to market, higher product quality, and more customer satisfaction, making it suitable for projects where requirements change regularly.

Agile model development phases

The Agile model employs an iterative and incremental development approach. While Agile promotes flexibility over precise phases like traditional models, it nonetheless consists of a series of organized stages that recur throughout the development process.

Requirements gathering

The Concept phase provides the basis for Agile development. The process begins with establishing the business need, project vision, and primary goals. Stakeholders, including clients, product owners, and team members, work together to establish requirements in the form of user stories, which are brief, basic descriptions of a feature told from the end user’s perspective. These user stories are added to the product backlog, which is a dynamic list of all needed features and enhancements.

Unlike traditional models, which demand extensive documentation up front, Agile encourages just enough detail to start work. Prioritization is also important at this phase; features that provide the most value are placed at the top of the backlog. The goal is to learn what the consumer wants and identify Minimum Viable Product (MVP) features that will provide early value. This phase establishes the tone for ongoing involvement, adaptation, and value-driven development across the Agile life cycle.

Planning

The Planning phase of Agile model determines the route for each iteration or sprint, which typically lasts 1-4 weeks. In this phase, the team holds a Sprint Planning Meeting to choose the highest-priority items from the product backlog and convert them into a sprint backlog—a focused list of activities to be done during the current sprint. Each user story is divided into tasks and calculated using methods such as story points and planning poker. The team establishes defined sprint goals and agrees to deliver a potentially shippable product increment after the sprint.

Unlike traditional models, which require rigid prior planning, Agile planning is flexible, fostering flexibility and response to change. The Scrum Master facilitates the process, while the Product Owner ensures that priorities are aligned with business requirements. This phase promotes shared knowledge, ensures that the team is not overly committed, and aligns everyone around common goals, preparing the path for efficient and focused execution.

Design

In the Design phase of the agile model, Agile teams design a lightweight and adaptable architecture to fulfill sprint objectives. Unlike traditional techniques, which demand extensive design documentation before development, Agile encourages emergent design, allowing the architecture to evolve with each iteration. The design is often based on selected user stories from the sprint backlog and prioritizes modularity, scalability, and simplicity. Agile design involves selecting relevant technologies, establishing user interfaces, creating wireframes, and planning database architectures.

Collaboration is essential design decisions are frequently determined during team meetings, whiteboard sessions, and fast prototyping. The purpose is not to produce a complete plan, but to lay a foundation that allows developers to begin coding. Agile teams can react to changing needs and reduce rework by maintaining an iterative design process. This strategy also encourages constant input, allowing teams to revise and improve the design as the product matures, ensuring that it meets customer expectations.

Development

The agile model development phase is where the actual coding occurs. Developers write code to build the selected features based on the sprint backlog, collaborating closely with the Product Owner and Scrum Master to ensure alignment with user expectations and sprint goals. Agile encourages approaches such as Test-Driven Development (TDD), which involves writing tests before writing code, and pair programming, in which two engineers cooperate at a single workstation to improve code quality.

Continuous integration (CI) is encouraged in Agile, which requires developers to routinely merge their code into a shared repository in order to spot bugs early on.

This phase is extremely collaborative and iterative, with frequent peer evaluations, stand-up meetings, and real-time problem solutions. Unlike traditional development, where coding can take place in isolation, Agile development is visible, incremental, and focuses on delivering a working product increment after each sprint. This guarantees that features are consistently shippable and ready for testing, deployment, or feedback.

Testing

In Agile, testing is integrated continuously throughout the sprint rather than as a discrete step at the end of development. Agile teams adhere to the continuous testing principle, which states that code should be tested as soon as it is developed to ensure functionality, performance, and stability. Testers, developers, and even product owners work together to ensure that features fulfill the definition of done (DoD). Automation testing, unit testing, integration testing, and regression testing are all common techniques.

Because user feedback is prioritized, teams may do acceptance testing to ensure that the program performs as expected from the user’s perspective. Agile promotes Test-Driven Development (TDD), in which tests are written before actual coding begins. This step aids in fault detection, reduces rework, and ensures excellent product quality. Agile makes testing a continual effort, ensuring that the product remains stable and reliable throughout its lifecycle.

Deployment

The Release or Deployment phase of Agile model takes place at the end of each sprint, when the team provides a potentially shippable product iteration. Agile stresses frequent releases, allowing teams to get the working product into users’ hands early and often. Continuous Deployment (CD) pipelines can automate the deployment process, allowing changes to be delivered quickly and safely. Even if a feature is not made available to the public, it should be completely built, tested, and deployed.

Before release, a final check is performed to confirm that all acceptance criteria are met, the product is stable, and all dependencies are resolved. Stakeholders are then granted access for comments or live operation. This phase enables early validation, real-world testing, and a faster return on investment. It also adheres to Agile’s premise of releasing working software frequently. Regular, smaller releases decrease risk, increase customer happiness, and allow for rapid iterations based on genuine user feedback.

Review or Feedback

After each sprint, Agile teams have a Sprint Review to showcase completed work and solicit feedback from stakeholders. This Review step is critical for determining whether the product increment meets business and user requirements. During the review, the team introduces new features, explains development decisions, and compares what was done to what was intended. Clients, product owners, and users provide rapid feedback, make improvements, and propose new ideas.

This feedback loop ensures that the product is always in sync with client needs and allows for course corrections if necessary. The Product Owner adjusts the product backlog accordingly, reprioritizing items depending on the feedback. This phase underscores Agile’s key philosophy of prioritizing customer collaboration over contract negotiations. Agile develops a strong feeling of ownership, increases transparency, and ensures that the emerging product provides actual value with each sprint by engaging stakeholders on a regular and iterative basis.

Agile manifesto

The agile manifesto is a document that identifies 4 key values and 12 principles.  These principles focus on customer satisfaction, collaboration, adaptability, and continuous improvement. It was produced by 17 developers on 2001, at snowbird ski resort in utah. The document was called the Manifesto for Agile Software Development. This document consists of 4 Agile Values and 12 Agile Principles, emphasizing collaboration, flexibility, and customer satisfaction. These 12 principles and 4 agile values provide a guide to Software Developers. 

4 core values of Agile Manifesto

• Individuals and interactions over processes and tools.
• Working software over comprehensive documentation.
• Customer collaboration over contract negotiation.
• Responding to change over following a plan.

12 principles of the agile manifesto

• Customer satisfaction through early and continuous delivery.
• Accepting changing requirements even when late in development.
• Deliver working software frequently.
• Collaboration between business stakeholders and developers.
• Build projects around motivated individuals.
• Communicating face-to-face regularly.
• Using completed work to measure progress.
• Creating processes that promote sustainable efforts and a constant pace of work.
• Requiring continuous attention to excellence through good design.
• Encouraging simplicity.
• Recognizing that the best work emerges from self-organized teams that deliver the best architectures and designs.
• Reflecting regularly on how the team can be more effective and fine-tuning and adjusting the approach.

When to Use Agile model?

When

• Projects with evolving requirements
• Software products requiring regular updates
• Startups and innovative projects
• Cross-functional teams that work closely together
• Companies wanting a faster go-to-market

Agile Frameworks and agile Models

Scrum

Scrum is a structured Agile framework that employs short development cycles known as sprints, which typically run 1-4 weeks. It has three specified roles: Product Owner, Scrum Master, and Development Team. Work is structured into a Product Backlog, and tasks are assigned during Sprint Planning. Scrum relies on regular meetings such as Daily Standups, Sprint Reviews, and Retrospectives to assure progress and adaptation. The goal is to have a working product increment at the end of each sprint. Scrum encourages cooperation, openness, and continual improvement, making it suitable for fast-paced, dynamic environments. It works well for cross-functional teams and projects that require regular client feedback.

Crystal

Crystal is a lightweight Agile model focused on people, interactions, and adapting to project needs. It prioritizes team communication, skills, and collaboration over formal processes or tools. Crystal is available in a variety of versions (such as Crystal Clear and Crystal Orange) that are matched to the size and intricacy of your project. It prioritises frequent delivery, minimal bureaucracy, and flexibility, making it suited for small to medium-sized teams. There are few established rules, allowing teams to pick the practices that work best for them. Crystal encourages reflective improvement and prioritizes humans and interactions, making it a human-centered approach to Agile software development.

Dynamic Software Development Method(DSDM)

DSDM is an Agile model that offers a comprehensive project management strategy. It stresses timely delivery, active user participation, and regular iterations. DSDM has excellent governance, making it appropriate for large enterprises and regulated situations. It categorizes features using MoSCoW prioritization (Must, Should, Could, and Won’t have) and manages scope via timeboxes. Roles such as Business Sponsor, Developer, and Facilitator are well defined. Its organized character allows for both agility and control, spanning the gap between flexibility and formality. DSDM is suitable for firms that want to integrate Agile methods with effective project planning, risk management, and stakeholder alignment.

Feature Driven Development(FDD)

Feature-Driven Development (FDD) is a model-driven Agile model that prioritizes producing client-valued features. The process begins with creating a domain model, followed by identifying and planning features. Each feature is modest, well-defined, and created in short cycles. FDD focuses on code ownership, design before implementation, and continuous integration. It is suitable for larger teams that require disciplined Agile procedures with predictable results. Compared to Scrum or Kanban, FDD is more prescriptive and detail-oriented. It works well in complicated systems where scalability and accountability are critical. FDD mixes Agile flexibility with traditional project management by emphasizing measurable, feature-based progress.

Lean Software Development

Lean Software Development applies Lean manufacturing principles to software, with a focus on minimizing waste, delivering quickly, and maximizing value. It focuses on continual improvement, team empowerment, and customer-centric thinking. Lean methodology promotes making decisions at the latest possible time, delivering in small batches, and optimizing the entire development cycle. It’s less prescriptive than Scrum and pairs nicely with Kanban. Key ideas include reducing waste, incorporating quality, delivering quickly, and respecting people. Lean is ideal for teams looking to increase workflow efficiency and speed while retaining excellent product quality. It encourages adaptation, making it excellent for competitive and dynamic software markets.

eXtreme Programming(XP)

Extreme Programming (XP) is an Agile framework from agile model that emphasizes technical excellence, rapid feedback, and high-quality code. It encompasses approaches such as Test-Driven Development (TDD), Pair Programming, Continuous Integration, and Refactoring. XP actively incorporates the customer, ensuring regular input and clear requirements. Development takes place in short cycles, with the goal of providing working software on a regular basis. XP is ideal for teams with rapidly changing requirements or working on complicated, high-risk projects. Unlike Scrum, which prioritizes workflow, XP focuses on technical practices. XP encourages cooperation, clean code, and adaptability, but it requires strong team discipline and expertise to be used successfully and sustainably.

Advantages of the agile model

• The agile model is driven by the customer’s description of what is required.
• Easy to control and flexible for developers.
• Promotes teamwork and cross-training.
• You can save your time and money by applying the agile model.
• Software changes can be made during the development.
• The best form of communication is face-to-face conversation.
• The agile model provides proper attention to technical excellence and design.
• The product is delivered frequently after development.

Disadvantages of the agile model

• The agile model is a higher-cost model than other development methodologies.
• The agile model is useful for large projects.
• More risk of sustainability, maintainability, and extensibility.
• Expert project members are required in the decision-making process.
• Not analyzing the requirement properly may lead the project to go off track.
• There is a lack of strength in necessary design and documentation in agile model.
• Insufficient documentation can lead to trouble in testing.