AoAD2 Chapter: Improvement (introduction)

This is an excerpt from The Art of Agile Development, Second Edition. Visit the Second Edition home page for additional excerpts and more!

This excerpt is copyright 2007, 2021 by James Shore and Shane Warden. Although you are welcome to share this link, do not distribute or republish the content without James Shore’s express written permission.

Improvement

At regular intervals, the team reflects on how to become more effective, then tunes and adjusts its behavior accordingly.

Manifesto for Agile Software Development

Feedback and adaptation are central to Agile, and that applies to the team’s approach to Agile itself. Although you might start with an off-the-shelf Agile method, every team is expected to customize its method for itself.

As with everything else in Agile, this customization happens through iteration, reflection, and feedback. Emphasize the things that work; improve the things that don’t. These practices will help you do so:

  • The “Retrospectives” practice helps your team continually improve.

  • The “Team Dynamics” practice improves your team’s ability to work together.

  • The “Impediment Removal” practice focuses your team’s improvement efforts where they’ll make the most difference.

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