Important Questions to Ask Yourself before Committing to Agile
Agile isn’t a process that can be instituted into your team or organization overnight. This iterative, test-as-you-go methodology is something that requires dedication in order to effectively and successfully enact it, and this sort of fundamental shift can be frightening.
Will my team succeed under agile? Is it worth the time investment to find out? Is agile even right for my company? A head full of indecision is a common occurrence as you inch closer and closer toward a resolution, so in order to lessen this fear and push forward with a clearer mind, you need to ask yourself a few important questions.
What personality hurdles need to be crossed? Every team is different, so as you’re planning to become agile, it’s critical that you define the obstacles in your way and craft a game plan. Do you need to improve team cohesion? Are there people in your organization who are opposed to the methodology? Will certain team members follow through with agile? Maybe you can’t solve every problem, but it’s important to prepare to the best of your abilities.
Is agile the right fit for your company culture? Agile isn’t a cure-all solution. Depending on your situation, nonagile methods might actually be more applicable to your business. Research other options before moving forward with agile.
Are you OK without deadlines? Agile is a continuous, iterative process where instead of setting strict deadlines, development and testing happens in a more freeform, uninterrupted manner. If that style of work is something that you’re either uncomfortable with or you feel might not work to the benefit of specific teams who need tighter windows, agile might not be the best choice.
If you can answer these and any other questions that are floating around in your head and still feel ready to make the move, then it might be time to start looking for an agile coach. But once again, it’s important to stay patient throughout the process. According to Zephyr founder and CEO Samir Shah, it takes time to change your frame of mind.
“Agile is not a switch that you just throw, that just turns on agile automatically for you. It's a process that you transition into,” Shah told AgileConnection. “Getting to the state of agile testing, of being able to test in an agile way—is a journey, the way I look at it.”
