Module 4

• Agile project management principles - Agile

manifesto - Agile technical team: Roles and
responsibilities, team empowerment, leadership
collaboration.
• Agile practices: iterative development methodologies
– SCRUM and XP modelling, time-boxing – Agile
project planning – Sprint planning - Agile approach to
estimating.

Manoj Krishnan
Agile Principles

Core Principles of Agile Project Management

 What are Agile Principles?

Agile principles guide teams in delivering high-quality

software through collaboration, flexibility and iterative
development. These principles encourage continuous
improvement and customer satisfaction.
Agile Principles
1. Customer satisfaction through early & continuous
delivery
2. Welcome changing requirements, even late in
development
3. Deliver working software frequently (weeks rather
than months)
4. Close collaboration between business and
developers
5. Build projects around motivated individuals
6. Face-to-face conversation is the most effective
communication method
7. Working software is the primary measure of progress
8. Maintain a sustainable development pace
9. Continuous attention to technical excellence
enhances agility
10. Simplicity is essential
11. Self-organizing teams create the best designs
12. Regular reflection & adaptation for continuous
improvement
Agile Manifesto

Core Values and Principles of Agile Project Management

4 Core Values of Agile Manifesto
1. Individuals and Interactions over Processes and
Tools
2, Working Software over Comprehensive
Documentation
3. Customer Collaboration over Contract Negotiation
4. Responding to Change over Following a Plan
Agile Technical Team
Roles and Responsibilities in Agile Project Management
Product Owner (PO)
📌 Role: Represents the customer and business needs.

✅ Responsibilities:
• Defines and prioritizes the Product Backlog
• Works closely with stakeholders and the
development team
• Ensures user stories meet customer expectations
• Accepts or rejects completed work
Scrum Master (Agile Coach)
📌 Role: Facilitates Agile processes and removes
obstacles for the team.

✅ Responsibilities:
• Coaches the team in Agile principles and best
practices
• Removes blockers that impact productivity
• Ensures efficient execution of Scrum ceremonies
• Shields the team from unnecessary distractions
Development Team (Developers, Testers, UX
Designers)
📌 Role: Self-organizing professionals responsible for
developing the product.

✅ Responsibilities:
• Break down user stories into tasks and estimate
effort
• Write high-quality, maintainable code
• Continuously integrate and test code (CI/CD)
• Participate in sprint planning, retrospectives, and
standups
Agile Tester (Quality Assurance - QA)
📌 Role: Ensures the product meets quality standards
before delivery.

✅ Responsibilities:
• Write and execute test cases (manual and
automated)
• Perform Test-Driven Development (TDD) and
Behaviour-Driven Development (BDD)
• Work with developers to prevent defects early
• Validate user stories and acceptance criteria
UX/UI Designer
📌 Role: Ensures the product provides a seamless user
experience.

✅ Responsibilities:
• Design wireframes and prototypes
• Conduct user research and usability testing
• Work closely with developers to implement intuitive
UI designs
DevOps Engineer
📌 Role: Automates and manages the infrastructure for
smooth deployment.

✅ Responsibilities:
• Set up CI/CD pipelines for continuous integration and
deployment
• Monitor system performance and scalability
• Improve security and automation in the development
process
Agile Architect (Optional Role)
📌 Role: Provides technical direction and ensures
system scalability.

✅ Responsibilities:
• Define architecture best practices
• Guide the team on design patterns and frameworks
• Support the integration of new technologies
Key Takeaways
✔ Agile teams are self-organizing and cross-functional.
✔ Each role collaborates continuously to ensure fast
delivery.
✔ The focus is on high-quality, working software.
Agile Team Empowerment & Leadership
Collaboration

How Agile Teams Thrive with Strong Leadership Support

Agile Team Empowerment
Agile teams are self-organizing and take ownership of
their work.

✅ Key Elements of Empowerment:

1️⃣ Decision-Making Authority
2️⃣ Clear Goals & Vision
3️⃣ Trust & Accountability
4️⃣ Continuous Learning & Innovation
5️⃣ Supportive & Safe Environment
Leadership Collaboration in Agile
Agile leaders act as facilitators, mentors and enablers.

✅ Best Practices:
✔ Servant Leadership
✔ Empowerment over Micromanagement
✔ Open Communication & Collaboration
✔ Adaptability & Flexibility
✔ Encouraging Innovation
Benefits of Agile Empowerment & Leadership

✅ Increased productivity & innovation

✅ Higher team motivation & job satisfaction
✅ Faster decision-making & improved problem-
solving
✅ Stronger alignment with business goals
✅ Improved product quality & customer
satisfaction
Agile Practices: Iterative Development
Methodologies

Understanding Agile's Iterative Approach to Software

Development
What is Iterative Development?
Agile development follows an incremental approach,
where the product is built in small iterations.

✅ Key Features:
• Continuous Planning, Development, Testing and
Review
• Frequent Delivery of Working Software
• Flexibility to Adapt Changes Quickly
• Reduces Risk and Improves Customer Satisfaction
Scrum: Agile Framework for Iterations
📌 Scrum is a structured Agile framework that delivers
product increments in Sprints* ( *Fixed length development
cycles of 1-4 weeks).

✅ Key Components:
• Roles: Product Owner, Scrum Master, Development Team
• Ceremonies: Sprint Planning, Daily Stand-ups, Sprint
Review, Retrospective
• Artifacts(tangible items that are created and used
throughout the development): Product Backlog, Sprint
Backlog, Increment
• Best For: Teams working in fast-paced, evolving
environments.
Extreme Programming (XP)
📌 A highly disciplined Agile methodology focusing on
engineering excellence.

✅ Key Practices:
• Test-Driven Development (TDD)
• Pair Programming
• Continuous Integration
• Simple Design & Frequent Releases
• 🔹 Best For: Teams that require continuous code
improvement.
Why Use Iterative Development?
✅ Faster delivery of working software
✅ Continuous feedback & improvement
✅ High adaptability to changes
✅ Reduced risks & early issue detection
✅ Enhanced customer satisfaction
SCRUM & XP: Modeling and Time-Boxing

Understanding Agile Methodologies for Efficient

Software Development
What is Scrum Modeling?
📌 Scrum follows an iterative model where work is
divided into:

✅ Sprints (Fixed-length development cycles, 1-4

weeks)
✅ Product & Sprint Backlogs to manage priorities
✅ Scrum Artifacts (Increment, Definition of Done,
Burndown Charts)

Ensures structured and predictable software delivery.

Scrum Time-Boxing
⏳ Time-boxing ensures fixed durations for tasks to maintain
focus:

✅ Sprint Planning: 2-4 hours

✅ Daily Stand-up: 15 minutes
✅ Sprint Review: 1-2 hours
✅ Sprint Retrospective: 1 hour
✅ Sprints: 1-4 weeks

Helps in maintaining discipline and ensuring timely delivery.

Extreme Programming (XP) Modeling
📌 XP focuses on delivering high-quality software
through best practices:

✅ Test-Driven Development (TDD)

✅ Pair Programming
✅ Continuous Integration
✅ Refactoring for better code quality

🔹 Aims for frequent releases and high adaptability.

XP Time-Boxing
⏳ XP ensures small, time-boxed releases to maintain
flexibility:

✅ Short Iterations: 1-2 weeks

✅ Pair Programming Sessions: 1-2 hours
✅ Customer Feedback Cycles: Continuous
✅ Refactoring & Testing: Ongoing within iteration limits

Enables rapid feature development with high-quality code.

Scrum vs. XP: Key Differences
✅ **Scrum:** Focuses on team collaboration &
structured sprints.
✅ **XP:** Focuses on engineering excellence &
continuous development.

🔹 Scrum uses fixed-length Sprints (1-4 weeks), whereas

XP has shorter iterations (1-2 weeks).
🔹 Scrum follows structured planning,
while XP follows continuous planning and adaptability.
Agile Project Planning: Sprint Planning &
Agile Estimation

Understanding Key Concepts for Effective Agile

Execution
Sprint Planning in Agile
📌 Sprint Planning defines what can be delivered in the next
sprint:

✅ Review Product Backlog

✅ Define Sprint Goal
✅ Select Stories for Sprint
✅ Break Down Tasks
✅ Estimate Effort
✅ Commit to the Sprint Scope

🔹 Outcome: A well-defined Sprint Backlog and shared

objectives.
Agile Approach to Estimating
📌 Agile estimation predicts effort without over-
planning:

✅ Uses relative estimation techniques.

✅ Focuses on complexity, risk, and effort.
✅ Helps in prioritization and better sprint planning.
Story Points in Agile Estimation
📌 Story points measure effort instead of time:

✅ Based on complexity, risk and effort.

✅ Uses Fibonacci sequence (1️, 2️, 3️, 5️, 8, 1️3️…).
✅ Ensures relative comparisons across backlog
items.
Planning Poker: Collaborative Estimation
📌 A group-based estimation technique:

✅ Team members assign story points anonymously.

✅ Discuss discrepancies and reach consensus.
✅ Encourages collaboration and reduces bias.
Other Agile Estimation Techniques
📌 Ideal Days:
✅ Estimates based on the number of days in ideal
conditions.
✅ Helps compare work across different sprints.

📌 T-Shirt Sizing:
✅ Uses Small (S), Medium (M), Large (L), XL for rough
estimates.
✅ Quick and useful for early backlog refinement.
Benefits of Agile Sprint Planning & Estimation

✅ Aligns development with business priorities.

✅ Improves forecasting and risk management.
✅ Encourages team collaboration and ownership.
✅ Ensures predictable and achievable sprint goals.
✅ Helps teams adapt quickly to changing
requirements.