Agile is a set of values and principles that govern organizations. It is defined as a collection of beliefs teams use when making decisions about how to do the work when developing software.
When building an agile team, organizations are guided by the agile manifesto which says; we are uncovering better ways of developing software by doing it and helping others do it.
Through this work, we have come to value;
Individuals and interactions over Processes and tools. Working software over Comprehensive documentation,
Customer collaboration over Contract negotiation,
Responding to change over Following a plan.
Meaning while the items on the right have their values, we value those on the left more. To explain further, the manifesto suggests that software can be developed better by valuing the items on the left side of the list more than the items on the right side.
Steps to Building an Agile Team
Although teams have been referred to as the foundation of agility, in the past years, they have faced various issues that may not have hindered productivity but have slowed it down. One of these issues is limited transparency; not knowing what happens outside your area of expertise.
Hence, one of the first steps to go through when building an agile team is to improve transparency by breaking down the barriers and creating teams of people from different areas of expertise relating to the project at hand. As each team represents different areas, it gives you a better understanding of the entire project, making it easier to identify problems and to make adequate improvements when necessary.
The next step is identifying the right members for your team. An agile team requires not only the people in charge of developing and maintaining the project but also the client who has an in-depth understanding of the aim of the project and what the prospective customers need, and the scrum master, who will ensure the project is carried out efficiently.
Conclusion
As mentioned earlier, teams are the foundation of agility, and agile gives teams the foundation needed to make better software development decisions. Therefore, they should be well prepared and motivated to enable them to tackle the problems they’re faced with.
