Wk1: Introduction to Agile: Principles and Comparison

• Agile Team Development
• Higher Education (degree)

Welcome to Week 1

Introduction to Agile: Principles and Comparison

Module Lecturer: Dr Raghav Kovvuri

Email: [e-mail]

Learning Objectives

• Understand the importance of Agile methodologies in software development.
• Learn the Agile Manifesto and its principles.
• Compare Agile with traditional development methodologies.
• Begin developing user stories

What is Agile?

• Agile is an iterative approach to software development.
• Focuses on collaboration, customer feedback, and rapid delivery.
• Encourages adaptability and incremental progress.

Example: Major companies using Agile (Google, Spotify, Microsoft).

Traditional vs Agile Development

Traditional (Waterfall) Approach

• Linear and sequential.
• Fixed requirements before development starts.
• Late-stage testing and high risk of failure.

Agile Approach

• Iterative and flexible.
• Continuous customer feedback and testing.
• Faster delivery with minimal risks.

The 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.

Agile Principles

• Deliver working software frequently.
• Welcome changing requirements.
• Promote sustainable development.
• Continuous attention to technical excellence.
• Reflect and adjust regularly.

Scrum vs. Kanban

Scrum:

• Sprint-based development.
• Daily stand-ups and retrospectives.
• Well-defined roles (Scrum Master, Product Owner, Developers).

Kanban:

• Continuous delivery with a visual task board.
• Focus on work-in-progress (WIP) limits.
• No fixed iterations.

Agile Team Roles (1)

• Scrum Master: Facilitates meetings, removes blockers.
• Product Owner: Represents customer needs, manages backlog.
• Developers: Build, test, and deploy the software.
• QA/Test Engineers: Ensure quality and functionality.

Agile Team Roles (2)

Introduction to User Stories

Format:

"As a [user], I want [feature] so that [benefit]."

Example:

"As a project manager, I want to assign tasks to team members so that work is distributed efficiently."

Activity - Writing User Stories

Scenario:

• You are developing a Task Management Web App.
• Write three user stories based on given requirements.
• Define acceptance criteria for each user story.