History of Agile
The term "Agile" was introduced in 2001 to categorize a family of development methods that had clearly distinguished themselves from the traditional ones, primarily the Waterfall method. With the Waterfall method, the project life cycle is split into multiple linear phases and one phase begins only after its predecessor has been completed. Phases are done in a fixed order and the order is never reversed or changed (hence "Waterfall"). Common project phases of the Waterfall method are:
- Requirements gathering (specifications)
- Architecture Design
- Coding & Development
- Testing (QA)
- Deployment & Maintenance
In the Waterfall model, after initial requirements gathering phase, the stakeholders are disengaged from the project for an extended period, only to get re-engaged at testing or deployment time. Stakeholders have little control over the project direction once it is started. Frequently, the result is a project that differs significantly from the stakeholders' original vision. And in the rare event that the system matches initial requirements perfectly, the stakeholders' requirements have undoubtedly changed over the course of the project.
Agile development offers stakeholders the following key benefits compared to traditional approaches:
- Greater control over project priorities and direction
- Much quicker and more useful feedback
- Reduced financial and product risk
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