Agile and The Grand Parkway (around Houston)

During a recent discussion centered on the Grand Parkway project (http://www.grandpky.com/home/), an interesting point emerged: while the overall design of the parkway was established, the finer details were still in flux to facilitate a swift commencement of construction.

This scenario serves as a compelling analogy for the principles of agile software development—a concept that resonates profoundly with technologists.

Agile software development entails an approach where both requirements and solutions evolve iteratively throughout the development process. While the overarching objectives are clear from the outset, the granular specifics remain flexible. This method fosters collaboration among developers, stakeholders, and relevant team members, emphasizing adaptive planning, evolutionary development, early delivery, and continuous improvement. Moreover, it empowers teams to swiftly adapt to changing circumstances.

However, non-developers do not understand the concept so I'll try, today and in the future, to provide non-software examples to the Agile approach.