Older methods of software development require developers to match the specifications for a product. This means that developers are limited by the original plans for a feature. If they come up with an idea during development that would improve the product, it may not be possible to get the documentation changed. Even if the new method would be superior, it wouldn’t be what the team planned for the feature. Unfortunately, teams often learn more about a feature as they work on it. Making plans at the very beginning may leave them with documentation that isn’t ideal for the planned feature.
With Agile placing emphasis on working software, the methods and documentation matter less. There are multiple benefits to this. Most importantly, it allows developers to work toward the most efficient way to design a feature. Not only does it create a better product, but it removes unnecessary documentation. Instead of looking through pages and pages of specifications, documentation is kept to what is absolutely required. This means that Scrum team members can spend less time reading about a feature, and more time working on it.
Customer Collaboration
Software development has traditionally been a 1-way street. Customers tell a company what they want, and the developers create it. There can be some initial negotiation on the contract, but once both parties agree, the conditions are mostly static.
Recommended Further Reading
The following materials may assist you in order to get the most out of this course:
Course Contents
Section 1: Agile Project Management
Section 2: Using the Agile Manifesto to Deliver Change
Section 3: The 12 Agile Principles
Section 4: The Agile Fundamentals
Section 5: The Declaration of Interdependence
Section 6: Agile Development Frameworks
Section 7: Introduction to Scrum
Section 8: Scrum Projects
Section 9: Scrum Project Roles
Section 10: Meet the Scrum Team
Section 11: Building the Scrum Team
Section 12: Scrum in Projects, Programs & Portfolios
Section 13: How to Manage an Agile Project
Section 14: Leadership Styles
Section 15: The Agile Project Life-cycle
Section 16: Business Justification with Agile
Section 17: Calculating the Benefits With Agile
Section 18: Quality in Agile
Section 19: Acceptance Criteria and the Prioritised Product Backlog
Section 20: Quality Management in Scrum
Section 21: Change in Scrum
Section 22: Integrating Change in Scrum
Section 23: Managing Change in Scrum
Section 24: Risk in Scrum
Section 25: Risk Assessment Techniques
Section 26: Initiating an Agile Project
Section 27: Forming the Scrum Team
Section 28: Epics and Personas
Section 29: Creating the Prioritised Product Backlog
Section 30: Conduct Release Planning
Section 31: The Project Business Case
Section 32: Planning in Scrum
Section 33: Scrum Boards
Section 34: Sprint Planning
Section 35: User Stories
Section 36: User Stories and Tasks
Section 37: The Sprint Backlog
Section 38: Implementation of Scrum
Section 39: The Daily Scrum
Section 40: The Product Backlog
Section 41: Scrum Charts
Section 42: Review and Retrospective
Section 43: Scrum of Scrums
Section 44: Validating a Sprint
Section 45: Retrospective Sprint
Section 46: Releasing the Product
Section 47: Project Retrospective
Section 48: The Communication Plan
Section 49: Formal Business Sign-off
Section 50: Scaling Scrum
Section 51: Stakeholders
Section 52: Programs and Portfolios