Tech companies have quickly and broadly embraced agile methodologies in their teams and organizations. The agile approach has replaced traditional project management because it has proven to be more effective in allowing teams to rapidly adapt their ambitions and priorities, make quick reflections on their progress, and myriad other symptoms that lead to more efficient product execution.
But agile doesn’t have to be a godsend for just those working in the tech industry or with various shades of software. Consider these four agile tenets as best practices for your business and personal life, too.
Check in. A daily scrum is a popular facet of many agile teams. It allows teams to get a daily perspective of where they are in their work and how well their efforts are going. The best part of a daily scrum is that it is short, sweet, organized, and forward focused. Agile it up and check in on your personal relationships. Talk to a coworker, friend, or family member and see how and what they’re doing. It will help to build your network, put your problems in perspective, and enrich your social well-being.
Digest in pieces. When an agile team has a project, the goal isn’t to finish the product in one sprint. Set short term goals and measuring points to work towards. It makes the project less daunting and defects easier to fix. The meal of life is much easier when you are taking manageable bites rather than approaching it like an eating contest.
Celebrate. Reflect on your success. Reflect on your failures, too, but learn from those and move on. Bask in your success for a moment. In agile methodologies, it's important to take a victory lap because there is always a new sprint, no matter if it's with this product or the next. Life is really the same way. Just ask Albert Camus and his Myth of Sisyphus. Pat yourself on the back once in a while. It will remind you of all the things you are doing right and put you in a better mood to tackle your personal and professional to-do lists.
Recalibrate expectations. If you understand what it truly means to be agile, then you’ll understand that life throws you curveballs, and the available information will change as you and the project grow. Just because you can't deliver on the entirety of your goal doesn't mean failure. It just means your original expectations and goals may have been unrealistic. But be wary, this new agility doesn’t give you permission to become content with incomplete efforts—it means you have permission to accept and adapt your expectations.
Using these ideals of the agile process, you can make your life a little bit easier and your actions all that more effective.
What aspects of agile bleed into your daily life? What habits or actions have you always implemented that you've come to realize are agile in nature? Tell us in the comments below.
