Embracing Flexibility: The Power of Disciplined Agile Delivery
In the ever-evolving landscape of agile frameworks, a one-size-fits-all approach simply doesn’t cut it. Tech companies are constantly innovating and launching new agile frameworks to cater to their unique needs. Just as a construction site requires a tailored approach to design and materials based on its purpose and location, agile methods like Scrum, Kanban, and XP serve as reliable guidelines, but may not address all the challenges and requirements of your specific project. This is where Disciplined Agile Delivery (DAD) comes in – a flexible agile method that adapts to your team’s needs rather than the other way around.
What is Disciplined Agile Delivery?
Disciplined Agile is a toolkit that acknowledges every organization and team has its own culture, strengths, and areas of improvement. Instead of a rigid set of non-tailorable rules, DAD offers a flexible approach that can be tailored to your project’s unique requirements. For instance, whereas Scrum teams operate in sprints and have daily standup meetings, a team using DAD might find that holding biweekly sprints and thrice-a-week standups work better for them, given the nature of their project and team dynamics.
The Big Agile Picture
While many agile frameworks provide practices for specific parts of the delivery lifecycle, DAD views the organization as a whole, acknowledging interconnected areas, from finance and sales to governance and product delivery. This holistic approach enables teams to incorporate marketing processes smoothly, ensuring that, as the product is developed, product marketing deliverables are ready to go, creating a cohesive product launch.
Benefits of Adopting a Disciplined Agile Approach
The primary advantage of Disciplined Agile is that it gives you more breathing room than other agile frameworks. Specific benefits include:
- Adaptability: DAD champions flexibility, enabling product teams to make real-time adjustments and on-the-fly product enhancements.
- Holistic View: Disciplined Agile offers a panoramic perspective, allowing teams to concurrently align their app development with compliance and finance departments.
- Customization: DAD recognizes the unique dynamics of each team, enabling them to introduce variable review periods, making their process more adaptive to changing demands.
- Continuous Improvement: DAD emphasizes consistent evolution, hosting retrospectives after every software update, ensuring real-time adaptation and quick process development.
- Inclusivity: Disciplined Agile is more accommodating, enabling teams to start with fundamental agile practices and gradually expand as they grow more confident.
Disciplined Agile vs. Scrum vs. SAFe
To put this in context, let’s compare Disciplined Agile with Scrum and SAFe. While Scrum provides practices for specific parts of the delivery lifecycle, DAD views the organization as a whole. SAFe, on the other hand, is a more prescriptive framework that may not adapt as easily to changing requirements.
Key Components of Disciplined Agile
Disciplined Agile is not a one-size-fits-all framework. Recognizing that different projects and organizations have unique needs, DAD offers a variety of lifecycles and configurations to match these requirements. From “Continuous Delivery: Agile” to “Exploratory” and several in between, each version is tailored to cater to specific contexts and objectives.
Phases of Disciplined Agile
The “Continuous Delivery: Agile” lifecycle is the most popular and widely used delivery lifecycle under Disciplined Agile. It consists of three phases:
- Inception Phase: The team aligns on the vision of the project/product/major feature/or set of features, identifying high-level requirements, significant risks, and a preliminary plan.
- Construction Phase: Work is done in cycles called iterations, usually lasting two to four weeks. Each iteration involves analyzing, planning, designing, coding, and testing.
- Transition Phase: The team collaboratively feels the product (or a significant increment of it) is ready, involving final testing, training (if necessary), and releasing the product to users.
Disciplined Agile Certifications
The Project Management Institute (PMI) offers a wide range of Disciplined Agile certifications with different prices and eligibility criteria. Some of these certifications include:
- Disciplined Agile Scrum Master (DASM) Certification
- Disciplined Agile Senior Scrum Master (DASSM) Certification
- Disciplined Agile Coach (DAC) Certification
- Disciplined Agile Value Stream Consultant (DAVSC) Certification
Final Words
Disciplined Agile Delivery isn’t a rigid framework – it’s a toolset that can fit what any team might need. No matter your role, using DAD can shift how you work on and share products. The trick is always to keep improving.