 Hey there, in this video, I'm gonna give you an overview of what Agile is, how companies use it to develop software and why it's still relevant today. Hi, I'm Spencer, a product designer and a workshop facilitator. Now over the past 10 or so years, I've developed hundreds of products in many startups and corporates using different processes like the design sprint, design thinking, and of course Agile. Agile's been a staple of many innovative software companies. For over 20 years, there's still lots of misconceptions about what Agile is and how companies should properly implement it. So if you've heard the term but aren't sure exactly what it means or if you're a facilitator curious about the applications of Agile, you're in the right place. Now while you're watching this video, if you've got any questions at all about Agile, please leave them in the comments below. And if you're interested in innovation processes like Agile and design sprints or facilitation in general, sign up for our free facilitation community where you can connect with thousands of designers and facilitators sharing incredible insights, tricks, and resources. The link to facilitator club is in the description below. So what actually is Agile methodology? Well, the truth is that Agile is not actually a methodology at all but there are methodologies associated with Agile. Agile is actually a set of principles and values that enable a team to be as flexible or Agile as possible. This is one of the reasons that even after 20 years, Agile is so relevant today. The world is constantly changing so businesses and individuals need to constantly adapt and make improvements. In a nutshell, Agile is an iterative and incremental approach to product management and software development that emphasizes flexibility, collaboration, customer satisfaction and speed of execution. Let's take a moment to explore the origins of Agile. The concept of Agile development can be traced back to the early 1990s but it really took shape in 2001 with the creation of the Agile manifesto. The Agile manifesto outlines four core values. Individuals and interactions over processes and tools, working software over comprehensive documentation, customer collaboration over contract negotiation and responding to change over following a plan. These values emphasize the importance of people, collaboration and adaptability in the software and in the development process. As previously mentioned, whilst Agile itself isn't a methodology, there are methodologies that have been developed that align to the Agile principles and values. Let's explore some of the most popular methodologies that fall under the Agile umbrella. Each of these methodologies is built on the core principles of Agile but they have a unique characteristics that make them suitable for different situations and teams. First up, it's scrum. Perhaps the most widely recognized Agile methodology, scrum focuses on dividing projects into smaller manageable tasks called user stories which are then completed within a fixed length iteration cycles called sprints. Sprints usually last between one and six weeks. At the end of each sprint, the team reflects on the work they've done and makes adjustments as needed. One of the key roles in scrum is the scrum master. This is someone who facilitates the team's progress and ensures that the scrum principles and framework are followed. Next up is Kanban. Kanban is an Agile methodology that uses a Kanban board to visualize and track the progress of tasks through different stages of the workflow, aims to optimize the flow of work and minimize bottlenecks. Unlike scrum, Kanban does not have fixed iterations which makes it a bit more flexible and adaptable to change. The most simple Kanban board has just three stages that a task needs to go through. The backlog, which is like your to-do list, in progress, which are the items that are being worked on right now and done. Well, of course, that's the stuff that's been completed. But you can also add stages to suit your projects such as blocked, testing, and what's up next. And the final Agile methodology is extreme programming or XP. XP is a software development methodology that emphasizes engineering practices such as test-driven development, paired programming, and continuous integration. It's designed to improve software quality and responsiveness to changing requirements, making it a great fit for projects with rapidly evolving needs. Each of these Agile methodologies offers its own approach to product management and software development, while still adhering to the core principles of Agile. Depending on the project's nature, the team size, and specific goals, one of these methodologies may be more suitable than the others. In fact, the exact approach that's used might actually be a combination of these, but it's important to understand how they all work before designing something new. Regardless of the specific methodology being used, Agile's all about breaking down larger projects into smaller tasks that are tackled in short, iterative cycles. This continuous improvement and adaptability makes Agile a highly effective methodology for managing projects and responding to changing requirements. So how do big companies like IBM, Spotify, and Google use Agile to innovate, develop software, and improve processes? Let's take a closer look at each of these companies to see how they've customized the Agile methodologies to suit their specific needs. IBM. IBM has been a pioneer in adopting Agile, as well as design thinking methodologies, transforming its software development processes to become more flexible, efficient, and customer centric. They've implemented Agile on an enterprise scale with thousands of employees across various teams working collaboratively. IBM has found that Agile's helped them increase productivity, reduce time to market, and improve software quality. Spotify. Spotify has a unique take on Agile, known as the Spotify model. This model focuses on building small autonomous teams called squads that have full ownership of their project. These squads are organized into larger groups called tribes, which share resources and knowledge. Spotify's Agile implementation emphasizes autonomy, communication, and strong engineering culture, allowing them to rapidly innovate and adapt to changing market conditions. Finally, Google. Google's approach to Agile was centered around their 20% time policy, which allows engineers to spend 20% of their time working on passion projects. This encourages innovation and fosters a culture of continuous improvement. Google's also implemented a mix of Agile methodologies like Scrum and Kanban, depending on the project's nature and team requirements. This flexible approach has helped Google stay nimble and responsive to change, leading the development of groundbreaking products and services. As you can see, the adoption of Agile methodologies has had an enormous impact on these organizations. By customizing Agile approaches to fit their specific needs and organizational structures, companies like IBM, Spotify, Google, and lots more have experienced faster development cycles, improved product quality, and increased customer satisfaction. Understanding how these big players use Agile to innovate can offer valuable insights and inspiration for other organizations looking to adopt Agile methodologies. Now, let's talk about how Agile relates to facilitation. Scrum Masters or Agile coaches play a vital role in guiding and supporting Agile teams. They often use workshops and other facilitated sessions to increase speed, remove roadblocks, and create an environment that fosters continuous improvement and collaboration. Here are some specific workshops that relate directly to Agile practices. So we believe that design sprints are the best way to identify what teams should be working on before starting an Agile sprint process. You don't need to be doing a design sprint for every Agile sprint cycle, but for big projects, it's the best way to validate ideas and de-risk your projects before starting development with your Agile team. Sprint-palling workshops take the overall concepts from things like design sprints and turn that into a short-term execution plan. This is where the most critical user stories are prioritized and placed into the backlog, ready for the team to start working on. Daily stand-ups are a short activity that are designed to identify the most important blockers that are holding people up. They're called stand-ups because they're deliberately intended to be very quick. Good facilitation skills are perfect to make sure these meetings stay short and are super high value. Finally, the sprint retro is a great opportunity to run a workshop. There are lots of ways to run retros, but one of our favorite tools is a sailboat retro that we use in our Lightning Decision Jam. And that wraps up our introduction to Agile methodology. We hope you have a better understanding of what Agile is, how it works, and its importance in the world of innovation and software development. As a facilitator embracing Agile can be an excellent way to diversify your skillset and stay relevant in today's fast-paced world. If you liked this video and want to see more videos like this, make sure you subscribe. Don't forget to hit that notification bell and if you're interested in innovation processes like Agile and design sprints or again, facilitation in general, sign up for our free facilitation community where you can connect to thousands of designers and facilitators, sharing their incredible insights, tricks, and resources. The link to the community is of course in the description below. Thanks for watching. I'll see you next time.