Do you know that feeling of hitting a dead end when developing a new product? That once again, valuable resources haven't yielded a satisfactory result? Why not try a new approach? Agile methodologies have established themselves in recent years as a serious alternative to traditional product and project management methods. In the following article, we'll explain exactly what they are and what advantages they offer.

Agile methods for dynamic companies

Originally developed within the field of software engineering, agile project management methods are now increasingly being used outside of IT for product development and process optimization. This is hardly surprising in light of the results of a study by the BPM Lab at the University of Koblenz:

Nine out of ten respondents rated working with agile methods as "very good" or "good," and the success rate of projects implemented using this method was rated significantly higher than when implemented with traditional project management methods. Intrigued? Learn more about working with agile methods in the following section.

What characterizes agile project management?

Agile project management methodologies are based on core values ​​and principles first laid out in the Agile Manifesto in 2001. Given the assumption that projects beyond a certain size can no longer be consistently planned, an alternative approach should be developed. The most widespread agile project management methods are Scrum, Kanban, and Extreme Programming. You can learn more about Scrum here on our blog .

The crucial difference to classic, linear project management methods such as the waterfall model lies in the iterative and incremental approach of agile project management.

Specifically, this means dividing the project into individual iterations, i.e., smaller time-based phases of a maximum of four weeks. During this time, the team works independently on implementing the previously defined vision of the final product. At the end of an iteration, a functional intermediate product, also called an increment, is produced. This is presented to the client and further developed based on their feedback.

This approach enables

• Rapid implementation of change requests even after the project work has started.
• Finding quick solutions for unexpected problems that arise during project work and were not foreseeable in advance
• A subsequent change to the original product vision without significant additional effort

Implementing subsequent change requests that deviate from the original plan poses a significant problem for linear approaches such as the waterfall model, and one that can only be overcome with considerable additional effort.

Agile marketing leads to more effective advertising measures.

Agile methodologies have now been adapted to other areas beyond product development and process optimization, such as marketing. The use of agile methods is particularly relevant in online marketing, which requires different concepts than simply using traditional channels.

As a counterpoint to the concept of classic campaigns, which are perceived as sluggish, agile marketing relies on the following values, which are enshrined in the "Agile Marketing Manifesto" of 2012:

• Validated learning instead of opinions and conventions
• Customer-focused collaboration instead of silos and hierarchies
• Adaptable and iterative campaigns instead of large-scale big-bang campaigns
• The process of customer insight instead of static predictions
• Flexible instead of rigid planning
• Responding to changes instead of following a plan
• Many small experiments instead of a few big bets

In agile marketing, the customer or user is always the focus. The iterative approach allows for rapid adaptation of marketing campaigns to changing market conditions, customer needs, or new target groups.

Useful PowerPoint templates for working with agile methods

To make implementing agile methodologies in your company a little easier, we've expanded our portfolio to include a range of products for agile project management. Our agile management bundle contains a number of useful tools in the form of PowerPoint templates.

In addition to background information on the fundamentals of agile methods, such as the principles of the Agile Manifesto, the products offer useful tools for planning and implementing your projects. Whether presenting your approach to interested clients, planning project workflows, or documenting project work internally, the included products will always be helpful companions in your daily work.