Implementing an Agile Project

Once an Agile project gets started, it is generally a self-sustaining process. However, there are certain practices in place to keep development functioning efficiently. With these guidelines in place, a Scrum team can stay on track and maintain productivity.

Daily Stand-Up

One of the most distinctive features of Agile software development is the daily stand-up meeting. As the name implies, this is a daily meeting where individuals update the Scrum team with their progress. To keep the meeting short, participants stand up during the meeting.

There are 3 main pieces of information that team members share with each other. They must explain what they did the previous day, what they plan to do that day, and if they’re having any problems. Requiring only that basic information means the team doesn’t spend any unnecessary time in meetings. If there are issues, team members are encouraged to make note of it, then handle it after the meeting. This means that only the parties involved must spend time on the problem.

Are stand-up meetings really helpful, though? Absolutely, they are the best way to keep everyone engaged and informed. Daily meetings with supervisors can be ignored or overlooked. Singling out everyone means that they must confront issues immediately. This keeps development on pace, instead of tying up team members for a long time over undisclosed issues.

A nice facet of the daily standup meeting is how modular it is. They are kept short, so they don’t tie up much time reserved for other work. This means that individuals can be involved with multiple stand-up meetings without much investment. Management can step in on stand-up meetings from time to time to see how things are going and catch a quick update. Important news can reach a wide portion of an organization, in person, without going out of the way to hold a meeting. Daily stand-up meetings can be hosted in a number of different ways, depending on what the organization needs.

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