What is Agile?

bonds — Sun, 08 Jan 2023 17:52:24 +0000

(January 2023)

Agile Methodology is the underlying ideology for how software delivery should take place. It does not, however, define the actual procedures needed to carry out this ideology. Those are addressed in frameworks like Scrum, XP, FDD, and Kanban (which provide “operating procedures” for software development).

The 1950s

The Waterfall Model, a prior and conventional software development model whose beginnings date back to 1956, also outlined how software development should be done. The model entailed the development of software in linear sequential phases. Each phase was dependent upon the deliverables of the previous phase. Workflow was one directional like a “waterfall”. However, it failed to meet the needs of the rapidly changing software industry. It was not flexible. It’s linear / non-iterative design created complications. There were other models developed during the same period that proposed “Iterative and incremental” software development methods. However, it wasn’t until 2001, when the Manifesto for Agile Software Development was published did the idea of iterative and incremental software development take off. The manifesto was a collaborative effort of seventeen software developers. These seventeen engineers believed that the process of software development needed to keep in step with the fast-paced software industry. Agile meets those needs through a process of iterative and incremental development. Agile picked up where Waterfall fell short.

The Manifesto for Agile Software Development

The manifesto defined four (4) core values for Agile software development. The values are:
-Focus on individuals and interactions rather than processes and tools
-Focus on delivering working software rather than comprehensive documentation
-Focus on customer collaboration rather than contract negotiation
-Focus on responding to change rather than following a plan

As previously stated, Agile is a methodology or “ideology” and must be differentiated from its associated “frameworks”. Out of the Agile Methodology came many frameworks each of which describe in detail how agility is to be achieved. According to Zippia, an expert in the career development space, at least 71% of U.S. companies are now operating under an Agile framework. TechBeacon cites the following companies as utilizing Agile Methodologies:

Cisco
Lego
Barclays
PlaStation Network
Royal Philips
Panera Bread
Fitbit
Ericsson

Agile Frameworks

Adaptive software development (ASD)
Agile modeling
Agile unified process (AUP)
Disciplined agile delivery
Dynamic systems development method (DSDM)
Extreme programming (XP)
Feature-driven development (FDD)
Kanban
Lean software development
Lean startup
Rapid application development (RAD)
Scaled agile framework - SAFe
Scrum
Scrumban

Conclusion

Agile is an umbrella term that describes the most current thinking on how to do software development. It has become a critical part of IT in the United States. Agile methods enable organizations to release software more frequently and deliver innovative products faster. By implementing its advanced techniques engineers are better able to meet the demands of the rapidly moving world of software engineering.

For more on the 12 principles of agile as well as the history behind the making of the Agile Manifesto for Software Development, visit the Official Agile Manifesto Website

For more tech content, please browse the JustTechMeAt website and YouTube Channel.

Sources:
16 Agile Statistics [2022]: What You Need to Know About Agile Project Management – Zippia. 14 Sept. 2022, www.zippia.com/advice/agile-statistics.

Christopher. “10 Companies Killing It at Scaling Agile.” TechBeacon, 15 Oct. 2020, techbeacon.com/app-dev-testing/10-companies-killing-it-scaling-agile.

Wikipedia contributors. “Agile Software Development.” Wikipedia, 26 Sept. 2022, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agile_software_development.

(originally posted to the website)

~Invitation~
I invite you to join me on my blog and YouTube Channel where I post tech content covering various topics.

~Relevant Blog and Channel Topics~
Computer Science
Software Engineering
Data Engineering
Artificial Intelligence
Machine Learning
Cognitive Computing
Blockchain
NFT
Virtual Reality
Augmented Reality
Leetcode
Computer Networking
FAANG
Tech Hubs
Agile
Hacker Rank
Data Structures
Algorithms
Time Complexity
Big Data
Python
Java
R Programming

Best Selling Computer Science Books (Sept 2021)

bonds — Sun, 26 Sep 2021 05:17:21 +0000

[Update: Visit the website for current listings of certification books, textbooks, and Amazon Best Sellers. There you can also browse the offerings of Abe Books for international purchases.]

(Disclosure: As an Amazon Associate, I earn on qualifying purchases resulting from clicks on links listed below.)

There are a number of books appearing on Amazon's Best Seller's List for Computer Science. This article includes a small selection from that list. I've added a few of them to my own personal reading queue.

Amazon Best Seller's List: Computer Science
(25 September 2021)

Python Crash Course: A Hands-On, Project-Based Introduction to Programming by Eric Matthes Check it out

CompTIA A+ Certification All-in-One Exam Guide, Tenth Edition (Exams 220-1001 & 220-1002) 10th Edition by Mike Meyers Check it out

Automate the Boring Stuff with Python : Practical Programming for Total Beginners Check it out

Python for Data Analysis: Data Wrangling with Pandas, NumPy, and IPython by Wes McKinney Check it out

Design Patterns: Elements of Reusable Object-Oriented Software by Erich Gamma Check it out

Introduction to Algorithms, by Thomas H. Cormen Check it out

SQL QuickStart Guide: The Simplified Beginner's Guide to Managing, Analyzing, and Manipulating Data With SQL Illustrated Edition by Walter Shields Check it out

The Art of Doing Science and Engineering: Learning to Learn by Richard W. Hamming Check it out

Algorithms to Live By: The Computer Science of Human Decisions by Brian Christian Check it out

A Common-Sense Guide to Data Structures and Algorithms, Level Up Your Core Programming Skills by Jay Wengrow Check it out

The Big Score: The Billion Dollar Story of Silicon Valley Hardcover by Michael S. Malone Check it out

Head First HTML and CSS: A Learner's Guide to Creating Standards-Based Web Pages by Elisabeth Robson, Eric Freeman Check it out

Machine Learning: 4 Books in 1, A Complete Overview for Beginners to Master the Basics of Python Programming and Understand How to Build Artificial Intelligence Through Data Science – Unabridged Samuel Hack (Author), Sean Antony (Narrator) Check it out

Networking and Kubernetes: A Layered Approach by James Strong, Vallery Lancey Check it out

Hands-On Machine Learning with Scikit-Learn, Keras, and TensorFlow: Concepts, Tools, and Techniques to Build Intelligent Systems by Aurélien Géron Check it out

Fundamentals of Software Architecture: An Engineering Approach – Unabridged Mark Richards and Neal Ford (Authors), Benjamin Lange (Narrator) [A free audio version is available but buy the book so that you can add your own notes to the margins.] Check it out