5 Exceptions to the Agile Rule
After reading our white paper “Agile Software Development: A Smart Choice for Outsourced Projects”, you may have come away with the impression that Agile is the best thing since sliced bread. We certainly think so.
Yes, we’re passionate about using Agile but we’re also pragmatic (ergo we use Agile).
So we started to wonder if Agile should be used for every software project? Are there exceptions to the rule? After a lot of soul-searching, we realized that there are. And to help put everything into its proper perspective, we’ve compiled a list of 5 situations where Agile should not be used to develop software:
- When the client is an inveterate gambler. If your client follows a two-step decision making process—blow on the dice and roll them—then you should go with waterfall (i.e. traditional) development because Agile won’t be risky enough to give this thrill-seeking personality an adrenaline rush.
- When the software is intended to destroy the world. In this situation, waterfall development wins hands down. This type of project should take a long, long, long time with no prospect of working software in the foreseeable future. Even better, the wrong features will probably be developed, so the finished program won’t satisfy its objective anyway.
- When you have a Supreme Being on staff. In this case, Agile’s iterative approach is a really big waste of time. Just get your resident S.B. to write a list of requirements that she knows the client will need, and then start coding.
- When the client is your mom. It may sound coldhearted to use waterfall methods on your own mother’s software project, but consider: With Agile, you and your colleagues will be meeting with her every day. Do you really want your cheeks pinched in daily update meetings? Do you think the office should know intimate details of your teenage years—like that disastrous first date with Marjorie Finkelbaum? If you must ease your conscience about sending Mom down the falls, then buy her a strong barrel and an expensive crash helmet. But don’t use Agile!!!
- When the software can be written in ten lines or less. In this scenario, it’s hard to tell waterfall from Agile, so don’t spend time agonizing over the choice. Just write the code and move on to other projects.
As you can see, Agile can’t be applied carte blanche to all software projects but, on average, it’s still the best bet for building great software that works. And that’s why we use it.