In 2001, an organisation of software developers laid down a revolution in the world of tech where they established a new way of managing product development.
During those times, people using older models of product management like waterfall were becoming old. In the unexpected world of tech, faster and more creative teams win. In most cases, startups can beat out big organizations to create industry-leading products. Due to this unpredictable and competitive environment, using frameworks like a waterfall won’t give the teams the capacity or enough space to build competitive products.
However, to keep up with this change that is where Agile is introduced in difference for speed and adaptability. Most companies find it hard to keep up with speed and get the right knowledge on how to run an agile process which can be tough.
With plenty of resources out there about agile product management, people still find it hard to understand how to use agile for their product or how to make use of it and how to become an expert.
What is agile product management?
This can be defined as an adaptive approach to product planning and execution so organizations can respond fast to feedback and create products that customers love.
Benefits of agile product management
- It helps you learn from customers throughout the product life cycle
- Ability to respond quickly to new and changing rules
- Collaborate with engineering to help you deliver work quickly
- Deliver value to customers in a gradual way
Furthermore, Agile delivers a more flexible method than traditional software planning and development. It helps products to be built in short increments and allows product managers to adjust the plan along the way.
Let’s look at the best resources we have compiled for you to learn agile development and become an expert agile product manager.
- The foundation: The Agile Manifesto
When starting anything new, you have to look at the foundation of whatever you plan to get into. In 2001,17 software developers wrote some set of the values and principles that shaped the theoretical foundation of agile development which is called the Agile Manifesto Is the document that started it all and serves to help development teams work efficiently and sustainably. The 4 values include:
- Prioritize individuals over processes and tools
- Prioritize creating working software rather than comprehensive documentation
- Collaboration with customers rather than the contract negotiation
- Acknowledge change rather than stick to a plan
However, with these, agile development has undergone notable changes over the last couple of decades, and these basic principles continue to be the foundation for agile philosophy.
- The 12 agile principles
The Agile Manifesto does not have the 4 values theory alone; it also includes 12 principles to lead agile teams towards fulfilling those values.
The principle was designed to improve software development methods and to help Figure out which principles align with which values are not immediately obvious in the original Manifesto. Some of the principles are that clients and developers must work together daily throughout the project, Constant attention to technical excellence and good design enhance agility and many more. The principles have been proven over years.
- Embrace Agile methods
Most managers hardly fully comprehend the agile approach and because of this, they continue to manage in ways that run counter to agile principles and practices, weakening the effectiveness of agile teams” that report to them. An article was written by Darrell K. Rigby, Jeff Sutherland, and Hirotaka Takeuchi titled Embracing agile which describes the basics of implementing agile development at your company.
Real agile development works. This is carried out through special methods like Scrum and Kanban, which contain particular roles like product owner and scrum master as well as specific techniques such as sprints, stand-ups, and many more.
- Describing agile to your team
Often teams can misuse agile processes, explaining agile to your developers can help them take responsibility to change and work together. This can make developers fall in love with agile development again.
In getting the best agile product management resources there are two very popular methodologies for applying agile principles directly to a development process which have been used over the years and they are: Scrum and Kanban, let’s give you an overview of both and provide tips on how to get started each.
Overview of Scrum
Scrum has been described to be very fast and cheap, and its the ability to cope with change and uncertainty than when using waterfall methods. The scrum framework is quite simple because rules, roles, artefacts, and events are easy to comprehend. Its semi-prescriptive method helps remove the uncertainty in the development process while giving sufficient space for companies to install their flavour to it.
Takeshi Yoshida wrote an article, A pretty good Summary of Lean, Agile, Scrum, which cautions that Scrum fails when managers run sprints as mini-waterfalls and don’t explain the procedure to the non-product teams at their company, or don’t allow for comeback time in-between sprints.
A scrum team needs three specific roles for the scrum’s success: product owner, scrum master, and development team.
Overview of Kanban
Getting work done in a fast and efficient way could be a challenge. The Kanban Method proposes a strategy of organizing the flow of work with continuous improvement without overburdening the development team that focuses on productivity and efficiency.
There are six core properties you need to observe for successful Kanban implementation. These methods are: visualize workflow, limit work in progress, manage flow, use feedback loops, improve collaboratively and
make process policies explicit. This method helps you visualize where inefficiencies in your development process exist and then how to make the applicable adjustments.
Conclusion
Lastly, agile product management is a continually growing and evolving framework. Companies and teams are using agile in different ways and in different contexts every day. It’s helpful to follow regular publications like blogs, podcasts, and online courses that can be a key in getting you to the point where you can successfully carry out an agile process at your organization and manage agile development.
You can also read books that can expand your knowledge like The Lean Startup or take part in related online communities to stay relevant on the most recent trends, discoveries, and best practices.
Online Communities like; This is Product Management, this weekly podcast interviews product managers within the tech industry and product management leaders to discuss their ideas about building great products and great product teams. These resources can help you carry out agile product management successfully.
