Agile methods have revolutionised project management: flexible, collaborative team management, permanent product alignment with customer expectations, continuous testing... All very well, but which solution should you choose? Discover the most popular agile repositories and learn how to identify the one best suited to your needs.
Prioritise customer satisfaction, collaborate and adapt. These are just some of the principles of agile methods as they were conceived in the 1990s and popularised by the manifesto drawn up in 2001 in the United States by 17 software development specialists.
There is a before and an after to agile methods. They have revolutionised the overall approach to project management, what the experts call "agile project management". project 'life cycle.
Le IT sector was the pioneerThe company is looking for more flexible and responsive working methods in response to frequent product updates and customer expectations.
Agile methods have made it possible to speed up development cycles, encourage closer collaboration between teams and better respond to changing market needs. They have since been adopted by other sectors, demonstrating their effectiveness and adaptability in a variety of professional contexts.
However, 30 years after they first appeared, agile methods have become a maze that is difficult for non-specialists to decipher. On the one hand, the multitude of approaches available can be confusing. On the other hand, their technical jargon can seem impenetrable to the uninitiated.
Choosing the right agile method: a challenge for the project manager
Where should you start? Which approach should you choose? With so many different methods to choose from, it's crucial to understand each solution in order to select the one that best suits your needs.
Choosing an approach involves first considering the specifics of your project Type of product or service developed, size of team, company organisation, complexity of project, budget allocated, deadlines set....
And, surprise, depending on the nature of your project, agile methods may not necessarily be the most appropriate.
Before agile: traditional project management methods
Traditional methods (waterfall, integration, V-cycle, etc.) use a sequential approach, with the project broken down into successive phases and stages.
Cascade model or waterfall
Developed in industry and construction, this is the oldest model (1966-70). The waterfall model involves dividing a project into linear and sequential phases. Once a stage has been completed and validated, you can move on to the next stage, without returning to the previous phase.
The phases follow on from each other, hence the name cascade model.
This model usually includes the following phases:
- Definition of needs (or requirements)
- Analysis (specifications)
- Design
- Implementation (development for a digital project)
- Testing
- Deployment or operation
- Maintenance
Implementing this method requires a great deal of preparation and planning with the drafting of detailed specifications. If the project has been well defined beforehand, it will give you a clear idea of the objectives and progress of the project. Once the project is underway, it's difficult to make adjustments or backtracking. However, if a phase is not validated, you can go back to the previous phase.
Recommended for Small, uncomplicated, short projects...
Not recommended for :
- Long-term projects (more than one year)
- Complex projects, with many stakeholders
- Projects where the environment is changing too quickly or is evolving
- Projects that reveal functional requirements during development
- Problems not discovered before testing
V-cycle
This is the classic project management model par excellence. Derived from the waterfall model, it has been used since the 1980s, particularly in software development, to manage a project while respecting the imperatives of quality, cost and deadlines.
It is characterised by two phases, a top-down design and development phase, followed by a bottom-up testing and validation phase.
Recommended for :
- Projects with clearly defined and stable requirements
- Projects requiring detailed documentation at every stage
- Projects with long, planned production cycles
Not recommended for :
- Projects requiring rapid delivery (validation phases can delay availability)
- Short projects
- Projects with changing and uncertain needs
- Projects requiring a close relationship with the user
The most popular agile methods
As we have seen, traditional project management methods lack the flexibility to respond to change. They also lead to the notorious tunnel effect which occurs when a team or an individual loses sight of the final objective of a project because they are too focused on the immediate tasks.
Some examples :
- A software development team so focused on writing code that it fails to notice that the customer's requirements have changed.
- A project manager so focused on keeping to schedule that he fails to notice that the team is burning out.
- A marketing team so focused on its advertising campaign that it fails to notice that the competition has launched a new product.
The consequences can be deleterious: budget overruns, delays, poor quality or unsuitability of the final product for the market, demotivation of the team, customer dissatisfaction, etc.
Fortunately, agile methods have come to the rescue.
Scrum: the best agile approach for digital projects
Developed in 1995 in the United States, Scrum has become the most popular agile project management approach, particularly in software development. More than just a method, Scrum is a framework that advocates an iterative and adaptive approach.
Scrum is based on clearly defined roles: the Scrum Master who leads the team, the Product Owner which represents the customer's needs, as well as short sprints (1 to 4 weeks), regular meetings and close collaboration between the various players.
This approach promotes flexibility, transparency and continuous improvement, enabling rapid adaptation to changes and feedback from users.
Recommended for :
- Software development, web projects, changing environments where requirements frequently evolve...
Not recommended for :
- projects with very tight deadlines (a few days or weeks)
- simple or predictable projects
- projects with an environment that changes too quickly or too frequently
- multi-team or multi-product projects
The best tools for Scrum
- Project management agile : Jira for monitoring product development: product backlog (product owner) or sprint and schedule planning burndowns (scrum master), Bubble Plan, Sprint.ly, Gitlab or Jixee
- Communication: Teams or Slack to communicate as a team via messaging or videoconferencing
- Documentation : Confluence to manage collaborative documentation
- Protyping : Adobe XD, Figma, Invision...
- Data analysis : Google Analytics, Amplitude, Matomo, Semrush, Hotjar...
- Collection of user feedback : User Testing, Clicktale, Google Form, SurveyMonkey...
Kanban: the most visual of all agile methods
Created in the 1950s, Kanban was devised by Taiichi Ōno, an engineer at Toyota factories, to help teams plan and optimise production.
The idea is to create a number of shared boards to list each objective, which can be divided into sub-objectives or different tasks to be completed beforehand. It uses virtual post-it notes, Kaban meaning "label" in Japanese. This visual method focuses on the workflow. The online solution Trello is a good example.
It facilitates monitoring and provides at-a-glance visibility of tasks, their priorities, the people involved and the progress of each task.
Recommended for Software development, web projects, changing environments where requirements frequently evolve...
Not recommended for :
- projects with unclear roles and responsibilities
- projects with tasks that are highly dependent on each other
- complex or large-scale projects: Kaban is overwhelmed by the large number of tasks, and therefore of virtual post-its
- projects requiring a strong hierarchy and centralised control: Kanban encourages autonomy and collaboration between employees
The tools :
- Trello or Jira for tables
- Concept and Asana
- Miro as a virtual whiteboard
Extreme Programming (XP): for small teams
Dating back to 1996, this rigorous approach is particularly adapted to small teams working in a changing environment. It focuses on communication, collaboration, automated testing and feedback.
Lean Software Development: for complex agile projects
Inspired by the principles of lean manufacturing, this method aims to eliminate waste and optimise the value stream. It is particularly useful for teams developing complex software products.
SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework) : to get several teams working
A framework for scaling agile practices to large organisations. It offers a structured approach for coordinating the work of several agile teams, which is not possible with Scrum or XP.
In conclusion, agile methods are not suitable for all projects. Firstly, because a project is strongly linked to the structure and culture of a company. Secondly, because the size of the project or team(s) may require other approaches.
