Advantages:
- Customer satisfaction by rapid, continuous delivery of useful
software.
- People and interactions are emphasized rather than process and
tools. Customers, developers and testers constantly interact with
each other.
- Working software is delivered frequently (weeks rather than
months).
- Face-to-face conversation is the best form of
communication.
- Close, daily cooperation between business people and
developers.
- Continuous attention to technical excellence and good
design.
- Regular adaptation to changing circumstances.
- Even late changes in requirements are welcomed.
The Agile methodology was firstly developed for
the software industry.
The task was to optimize and improve the development
process and to try to identify and quickly correct
problems and defects.
This methodology allows to provide a better
output, more quickly, through short and interactive
sessions / sprints.
In the era of digital transformation, where many organizations
are migrating to a digital workplace, the Agile methodology suits
perfectly in companies that are looking to transform the
way in which projects are managed and the way they operate
as a whole.
If we consider the benefits for the company,
the digital workplace and the Agile methodology provide:
- More flexibility;
- More productivity;
- More transparency;
- Products of superior quality;
- Decreased risk of missed goals;
- Greater involvement and satisfaction of stakeholders.
In the field of project management, the
Agile methodology gives teams, sponsors, project
managers and customers many specific advantages, including:
- Faster implementation of solutions;
- Waste reduction thanks to the minimization of
the resources;
- Greater flexibility and adaptability to change;
- More success thanks to more focused
efforts;
- Faster delivery times;
- Faster detection of problems and defects;
- Optimized development processes;
- A lighter/less complicated structure;
- Excellent project control;
- Greater attention to specific customer needs;
- Increased collaboration frequency and feedback.
Disadvantages:
- In case of some software deliverables, especially the large
ones, it is difficult to assess the effort required at the
beginning of the software development life cycle.
- There is lack of emphasis on necessary designing and
documentation.
- The project can easily get taken off track if the customer
representative is not clear what final outcome that they want.
- Only senior programmers are capable of taking the kind of
decisions required during the development process. Hence it has no
place for newbie programmers, unless combined with experienced
resources.
- As with any other methodology, even the Agile
approach is not suitable for any project.
- It is therefore recommended to do an adequate analysis
in order to identify the best methodology to apply in
every situation.
- Agile may not work as expected, for example, if a client is not
clear about the goals, if the project manager or the team has no
experience or if they do not “work well” under pressure.
- Because the Agile methodology has less formal
and more flexible processes, it may not always be easily included
into larger and more traditional organizations.
- Here, in fact, processes, policies or teams could be
rigid.
- The Agile methodology is also difficult to implement when
clients follow rigid processes or methods.
- Furthermore, given that this methodology focuses mainly on the
short term, the risk that the long-term vision
will be lost does exist.