Gain insights into applying Agile methods in large projects and teams. Explore challenges, best practices, and strategies to secure organizational buy-in for successful implementation.

Agile methods allow us to handle rapidly changing requirements, typical in most software projects. These methods are conventionally used for small teams and software projects. However, in this course, you will learn how to effectively apply Agile methods to large software projects and large teams.

You’ll start with a recap of the Agile Manifesto, followed by a description of the common challenges associated with Agile methods in the context of large software projects. You’ll learn how Agile approaches have been applied to build responsibility. Next, you’ll learn about approaches to apply Agile methods in the processes. You will then learn best practices for applying Agile methods such as software testing, and software architecture. 

This course provides insights into successful and unsuccessful approaches to introducing agility to teams, processes, and technology aspects of large projects. It also teaches strategies to secure organizational buy-in for agility in the context of large projects and teams.

Applying Agile Methods to Large Teams and Projects

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Changing means giving up a habit only to replace it with another habit. A change happens whenever a foreign element (any external stimuli) brings our status quo out of balance. The foreign element moves us into a status called chaos, also known as uncertainty. This uncertainty is based on the fact that the old status quo is not valid anymore, we have not found a new status quo yet, and we are still looking for one. This search can take a while, and once we have a transformative idea (an idea that helps us to understand the required change), we will be able to leave the chaos state and settle into our new (improved) status quo.

## Learn and change processes
The decision by a company to run some of its projects using an agile process implies that the company will undergo a major change. Any change involves a departure from the existing status quo, which is exchanged for a new, and hopefully better, status quo. This process is similar to the way we learn.

> **Note:** Learning and change processes are part of each other. Change is a learning process, and learning is a change process.

Therefore, in order to successfully install an agile process, a company has to be willing not only to change but also to learn. Both of these imply letting go of a familiar and probably convenient environment and swapping it with something unknown, which is always frightening. Neither learning nor change can be imposed on the organization. The people within the organization have to recognize the necessary changes on their own in order to give up their habits.

### The reflection, learning, and change cycle in Agile
Organizations must provide an environment that enables learning and change. In order to establish such a learning organization, the organization, or rather the staff, will have to reflect on its status quo and desired status. It is only in such an environment that team members will be able to discover what steps are required to reach the desired status. Introducing an agile process is a good start toward becoming a learning organization because it is a major change.

Every agile process contains the following subtle steps:
* Reflection
* Learning
* Change

The reflection is not only a self-reflection, it is, more importantly, a reflection on the feedback obtained.

Now that we have talked generally about change and learning, what does this mean in terms of agile development? We all know that requirements can and will change over time. We still try in vain to prevent this from happening by using development processes that are unable to deal with these changing requirements.

> **Note:** Most management strategies are geared either to reduce the number of changes or to control changes. While these strategies are useful, it is more useful to embrace change than to try and control it. 




Learn about the reflection, learning, and change cycle in agile development.


Introduction to the Course

Agility and Largeness

Dealing with Large Teams

Dealing with the Process

Dealing with the Technology

Dealing with the Company

Putting It All Together: A Project Report (Case Study)

Final Thoughts

Culture of Change: Learn and Change Processes

Learn and change processes