Agile work made simple: methods and benefits

Agile work: key takeaways

• Agile work means: completing tasks in small, reviewable steps and adjusting decisions regularly based on current interim results.
• Core elements of agile work: short cycles, clear priorities, transparent workflows and consistent feedback.
• Scrum and Kanban: the most widely used methods in agile work.
• When agile work is most effective: when requirements evolve during the process, feedback is readily available and the team is expected to make decisions independently.

What does agile work stand for?

Instead of relying on one large overall plan, agile work is based on short work cycles that are reviewed continuously. This iterative approach creates a rhythm in which feedback can be incorporated at any time.

• Kurze Zyklen: Arbeit wird in überschaubare Schritte geteilt.
• Feedback: Ständig werden Zwischenergebnisse sichtbar und Rückmeldungen können einfließen.
• Fortlaufende Verbesserung: Teams passen ihr Vorgehen und die Prioritäten regelmäßig an.
• Offenheit: Aufgaben, Fortschritte und Hindernisse werden offen dargestellt.

How does agile work unfold?

Work is continuously prioritised, made transparent and adjusted based on the information available at that moment. This creates an approach that stays focused on the goal while allowing plenty of room for adaptation along the way.

1. Clarify the goal or problem: Start with a defined goal or a problem that needs solving, for example developing an app.
   
   
2. Prioritise the work packages: Gather the required tasks, assess them and sort them by importance.
   
   
3. Plan short work cycles: The team decides which tasks will be tackled in the next cycle, such as a sprint or a week.
   
   
4. Execute in small steps: The work packages are completed step by step. Dependencies and obstacles become visible early.
   
   
5. Review results and gather feedback: Results are presented, checked and compared with user expectations or client needs.
   
   
6. Adjust the approach (retrospective): The team reflects on what worked well and what did not, then adapts its way of working accordingly.

Which routines are typical in agile work?

• Daily stand up: a short daily meeting of about fifteen minutes to set priorities and discuss any current obstacles.
• Planning sessions: the team decides which tasks will be completed in the upcoming cycle.
• Review or demo: the team presents interim results and receives immediate feedback.
• Retrospective: a meeting focused on continuously improving collaboration and working methods.

Which methods are used in agile work?

The best known methods in agile work are Scrum and Kanban. They differ in structure but share the same goal: they make planning transparent, show how results become visible and ensure that feedback shapes the next steps.

Scrum

Scrum organises work in fixed iterations known as sprints, including defined roles, events and deliverables. A sprint lasts between one and four weeks and always ends with a result that can be reviewed.

Core elements of Scrum:

• Fixed cycles: work is planned and completed in sprints.
• Roles: Product Owner (prioritisation), Scrum Master (process), Developers (implementation).
• Transparency: backlogs, goals and progress are kept visible at all times.
• Feedback: each sprint ends with a review of the result and adjustments to the approach.

Scrum is especially suitable when requirements are dynamic, meaning they cannot be fully defined at the start and must be reviewed regularly.

Kanban

Kanban improves the flow of work without relying on fixed iterations. Tasks are shown visually on a board and move through defined process steps.

Core elements of Kanban:

• Visualisation: tasks are displayed on a board so the current state of work is always clear.
• Work in progress limits: each stage has limits to prevent overload and keep the flow steady.
• Continuous flow: work moves through the process without fixed cycles.
• Ongoing improvement: teams analyse bottlenecks and refine the workflow over time.

Kanban is particularly well suited to areas with continuous workflows, for example support, operations, marketing or HR.

What conditions are needed for agile work?

Teams that work in an agile way align themselves with the current goal, need the freedom to make decisions, require transparent workflows and rely on a team culture where open feedback is possible.

• Goals and priorities: teams need a shared understanding of what they are working on and why. Priorities must be clear and reviewed regularly.
• Decision making freedom: agility requires that the team can make decisions within defined boundaries.
• Visibility of work and progress: tasks, status and current bottlenecks should be transparent at all times.
• Cross functional skills: the team should cover as many required capabilities as possible.
• Psychological safety: team members must be able to raise issues without fear of negative consequences. Only then will problems, mistakes and obstacles be shared openly and resolved.
• Stakeholder involvement: feedback from customers, users or subject matter experts must be available and must genuinely influence decisions.

Examples of agile work

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