Blog Series: Did You Pack the 12 Agile Principles on Your Agile Journey? Pt. 2: Changing Requirements

Agile Principle #2: Welcome changing requirements, even late in development. Agile processes harness change for the customer's competitive advantage.

Common Issues that Lead Organizations Astray

• Welcoming change can be terrifying. And late in development can be even more terrifying.
• Not all change is good change. It's often difficult to navigate what should, or should not, change.
• Agile processes have not been fully implemented, or implemented at all, making it nearly impossible to welcome change at any time during development.
• The plan, Gantt charts, and requirements documents have already been created. It would be a crime to lose all that upfront work and effort.
• There is a lack of understanding for what will give the customer a competitive advantage.

Solutions that Lead Organizations Back on Course

• Focus on short term goals without losing sight of the long-term vision.
• Planning is vital, but a plan can be worthless. Only plan for what's in front of you. If the landscape changes, it will be easier, and quicker, to pivot.
• Engage the customer frequently. It's easier to know what changes should, or should not be implemented when there's a common understanding of what the customer desires.
• Make sure stories are written such that they encompass all phases of software delivery. Ensure teams have all of the skill sets needed to deliver end-to-end working software.
• Seek to understand the customer and the terrain in which the customer operates. This will help navigate changes to enable the customer's competitive advantage.

Click here to download CapTech's 12 Principles of Agile Poster

Blog Series: Did you Pack the 12 Agile Principles on Your Agile Journey?

• Part 1: Deliver Value
• Part 2: Changing Requirements
• Part 3: Deliver Frequently
• Part 4: Work Together
• Part 5: Motivated Individuals

Part 6: Face-to-Face Conversation

Part 7: Working Solutions

Part 8: Sustainability

Part 9: Technical Excellence

Part 10: Simplicity

Part 11: Self-Organizing Teams

Part 12: Reflect