Main Agile Models and Frameworks
Origin of agile management
If one had to pinpoint the origin of agile project management, in the absence of better information, it would have to be placed in the practices adopted by the most successful technology product development companies of the late 20th century: Canon, Fuji-Xerox, Honda, NEC, Epson, 3M, and Hewlett-Packard, among others. Nonaka and Takeuchi analyzed these practices in the article The New New Product Development Game (Harvard Business Review, 1986) and coined the term "Scrum" to describe them.
Building on those observations, Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland formalized Scrum for software development in 1995. In parallel, Kent Beck was developing Extreme Programming (XP), and other authors were creating Crystal, DSDM, and FDD.
In 2001, representatives of these movements met and signed the Agile Manifesto, which gave them a name and a shared conceptual foundation.
Agile models and methods
Project management frameworks
- Scrum: the most widely adopted framework. Short iterations (sprints), three roles, five events, three artifacts. Especially suited to product development with high requirements uncertainty.
- Kanban: continuous flow without sprints, regulated by WIP limits. Especially suited to support teams, maintenance, and variable workflows.
Agile Development Methodologies
- Extreme Programming (XP): a set of technical software engineering practices: TDD, pair programming, continuous integration, and refactoring. It complements Scrum with the technical practices that Scrum does not prescribe.
- Crystal: a family of methodologies adapted to team size and system criticality.
- DSDM: (Dynamic Systems Development Method). A forerunner of agility in the business context. Origin of the MoSCoW prioritization method.
- Feature-Driven Development (FDD): development driven by features, for large teams.
- Lean Software Development: the application of lean principles to software. Poppendieck's seven principles.
Scaling frameworks
- SAFe (Scaled Agile Framework): the most widely adopted for scaling agility in large organizations.
- Nexus: an extension of Scrum for 3 to 9 teams.
- LeSS (Large-Scale Scrum): Scrum with the minimum possible additional structure.
- Spotify Model: squads, tribes, chapters, and guilds. It is not a prescriptive framework.
Complementary Tools
Many organizations combine a base framework (Scrum or Kanban) with tools from other methodologies depending on the context:
- Design Thinking techniques for the discovery phase.
- Lean Inception for defining the MVP.
- OKRs for strategic alignment.
- XP practices (TDD, pair programming) for technical work.
Common mistake
Looking for "the best agile framework." It doesn't exist. Scrum, Kanban, XP, and SAFe address different needs and contexts. A framework that excels in one context may be unsuitable in another. The right choice starts with understanding the type of work, the team's maturity, and the organization's culture, not the framework's popularity.
References
- Beck, Kent et al. (2001). Manifesto for Agile Software Development. agilemanifesto.org.
- Nonaka, Ikujiro; Takeuchi, Hirotaka. (1986). "The New New Product Development Game". Harvard Business Review.
See also
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