What is Agile development?
Agile development is a software development methodology that emphasizes iterative progress, collaboration, and flexibility to adapt to changing requirements. It aims to deliver small, workable increments of the software frequently.
Why is Agile development important?
Agile development allows teams to quickly respond to changes, deliver value incrementally, and ensure continuous alignment with customer needs. This results in higher customer satisfaction, reduced risk, and improved product quality.
What are the core principles of Agile development?
Core principles include customer collaboration over contract negotiation, responding to change over following a plan, delivering working software frequently, and valuing individuals and interactions over processes and tools.
What is the Agile Manifesto?
The Agile Manifesto is a document that outlines the key values and principles of Agile development, created by a group of software developers in 2001. It emphasizes customer collaboration, adaptive planning, and continuous improvement.
How does Agile development differ from traditional Waterfall development?
Unlike the linear and sequential Waterfall approach, Agile development is iterative and incremental. Agile allows for continuous feedback and adaptation, whereas Waterfall follows a fixed plan with distinct phases.
What are common Agile frameworks?
Common Agile frameworks include Scrum, Kanban, Extreme Programming (XP), and Lean. Each framework has its own practices and processes but shares the underlying Agile principles.
Who is involved in an Agile development team?
An Agile team typically includes roles such as the product owner, Scrum Master (or Agile coach), developers, testers, and designers. The team is cross-functional and self-organizing, collaborating closely to deliver increments of value.
What is the role of the product owner in Agile development?
The product owner is responsible for defining and prioritizing the product backlog, ensuring the team works on the most valuable features. They act as the liaison between the development team and stakeholders.
What is a sprint in Agile development?
A sprint is a time-boxed period, usually lasting one to four weeks, during which the Agile team works on a set of tasks from the backlog. The goal is to complete a usable increment of the product by the end of the sprint.
How does Agile development handle changes in requirements?
Agile development embraces changes, even late in the development process. Teams are encouraged to adapt their plans and priorities based on feedback, new insights, and changing market conditions to deliver maximum value.
What are user stories in Agile development?
User stories are short, simple descriptions of a feature or functionality written from the perspective of the end user. They help the team understand the requirements and context, guiding the development process.
What is continuous integration in Agile development?
Continuous integration is a practice where developers frequently integrate their code changes into a shared repository. Automated tests are run to detect and fix issues early, ensuring the software remains stable and functional.
How is progress measured in Agile development?
Progress is measured through various metrics such as velocity (the amount of work completed in a sprint), burn-down charts (tracking remaining work), and the delivery of working software increments.
What are the benefits of Agile development?
Benefits include increased flexibility, improved customer satisfaction, faster time-to-market, higher quality products, and better team collaboration and morale.