In this list of 100 agile terms to know, we have explained in very simple language the most common jargon used in Agile Project Management. Agile project management is an iterative approach to planning and guiding project processes. It emphasizes flexibility and collaboration and is often used in software development. The Agile methodology is based on the Agile Manifesto, which values individuals and interactions, working software, and customer collaboration over processes and tools. Agile project management is typically done using Scrum, Kanban, or a hybrid of the two. It involves regular meetings, such as daily stand-ups, sprint planning, and sprint reviews, to track progress and make adjustments as needed.
We have covered in detail three very pertinent topics. Feel free to refer them before coming to the benefits
- The Difference between Agile Project Management with Waterfall
- 8 Commonly used project Management methods with their Pros and Cons and when to use them
- Agile Project Management Benefits
Agile Terms to Know
- Agile – A methodology for project management that emphasizes flexibility, collaboration, and customer satisfaction.
- Scrum – An Agile framework for managing and completing complex projects.
- Sprint – A time-boxed period, usually two to four weeks, in which a potentially releasable product increment is created.
- Backlog – A list of items, such as tasks or features, that a team needs to complete in order to deliver a product.
- User Story – A brief description of a feature or function from the perspective of the end user.
- Acceptance Criteria – The specific requirements that a user story must meet in order to be considered “done.”
- Sprint Planning – A meeting held at the beginning of a sprint to plan the work for the upcoming sprint.
- Daily Scrum – A short daily meeting where team members share what they did yesterday, what they plan to do today, and any obstacles they are facing.
- Sprint Review – A meeting held at the end of a sprint to review the work completed during the sprint and gather feedback from stakeholders.
- Sprint Retrospective – A meeting held at the end of a sprint to reflect on the sprint and identify areas for improvement.
- Product Owner – The person responsible for prioritizing the items in the backlog and making decisions about the product.
- Scrum Master – The person responsible for facilitating the Scrum process and removing obstacles that prevent the team from delivering working software.
- Kanban – A visual method for managing and tracking the flow of work, typically used in conjunction with Scrum.
- Continuous Integration – The practice of frequently integrating code changes into a shared repository.
- Continuous Delivery – The practice of automatically building, testing, and deploying code changes to a production environment.
- Pair Programming – A technique in which two developers work on the same code at the same time, with one typing and the other reviewing.
- Test-Driven Development – A technique in which developers write automated tests before writing any code.
- Refactoring – The process of changing the structure of code without changing its behavior.
- Velocity – A measure of the amount of work a team can complete in a sprint.
- Burn-down Chart – A chart that shows the remaining work in a sprint over time.
- Burn-up Chart – A chart that shows the total work completed in a sprint over time.
- Minimum Viable Product (MVP) – The minimum set of features that a product must have in order to be released to customers.
- Epic – A large user story that is broken down into smaller user stories.
- Release – The process of making a new version of a product available to customers.
- Sprint Backlog – A list of items that the team has committed to completing during the current sprint.
- Definition of Done (DoD) – A shared understanding of what constitutes a “done” user story.
- Time-box – A fixed period of time during which a specific activity or set of activities must be completed.
- Retrospective – A meeting or process used to reflect on past events or activities in order to identify areas for improvement.
- Pairing – A technique in which two people work together on the same task or problem.
- Increment – A completed piece of work that adds
- Stand-up – A short daily meeting where team members give updates on their progress and any obstacles they are facing.
- Technical Debt – The cost of maintaining and modifying the existing codebase over time.
- Waterfall – A traditional project management methodology that involves completing one phase of a project before moving on to the next.
- Lean – A methodology that focuses on maximizing value while minimizing waste.
- Self-organizing Team – A team that is empowered to make decisions about how to complete the work.
- Collaborative – A work environment that encourages collaboration and cooperation.
- Empirical Process Control – A process of using data and feedback to make decisions and improve processes.
- Iterative – A process of repeatedly improving a product or process through small, incremental changes.
- Cross-functional Team – A team that is composed of members with different skills and expertise.
- Continuous Improvement – A process of continuously identifying and implementing ways to improve a product or process.
- Pairwise Comparison – A technique used to compare and prioritize items in a backlog.
- Root Cause Analysis – A process used to identify the underlying cause of a problem or issue.
- Impact Mapping – A technique used to visualize and plan the impact of a product or project.
- Timeboxing – A technique of allocating a fixed amount of time for a specific activity or set of activities.
- Value Stream Mapping – A technique used to visualize and analyze the flow of work and value in a process.
- Flow – The state of having steady, uninterrupted progress of work.
- Work In Progress (WIP) – The amount of work that is currently being done but not yet completed.
- Pull System – A system in which work is only started when it is needed.
- Process Cycle Efficiency (PCE) – A measure of how effectively a process is using its resources.
- Cumulative Flow Diagram (CFD) – A chart that shows the flow of work over time.
- Lead Time – The time between when a piece of work is started and when it is completed.
- Cycle Time – The time between when a piece of work is started and when it is delivered to the customer.
- Blocking Issue – An issue that prevents work from being completed.
- Feedback Loop – A process of receiving and incorporating feedback in order to improve a product or process.
- Collaborative Planning – A planning process that involves all members of a team.
- Incremental Delivery – The practice of delivering small, frequent releases of a product.
- Event Storming – A technique used to map out and understand the flow of events in a process.
- Test Automation – The use of software tools to automate the process of testing.
- Continuous Deployment – The practice of automatically deploying code changes to a production environment as soon as they are ready.
- Retrospective Prime Directive – A statement used to remind team members that the purpose of a retrospective is to improve, not to blame.
- Story Point – A unit of measure used to estimate the relative size or complexity of a user story or task.
- Planning Poker – A technique used to estimate the relative size or complexity of user stories or tasks.
- Technical Spike – A time-boxed investigation into a technical problem or uncertainty.
- Information Radiator – A display of information that is visible to all team members and stakeholders.
- Retrospective Action Item – An action or task identified during a retrospective that needs to be completed to address an issue or improve the process.
- Continuous Feedback – A process of gathering and incorporating feedback throughout the development process.
- Impact Analysis – A technique used to identify and understand the potential impact of a change or decision.
- Service Virtualization – The use of simulation software to emulate the behavior of dependent systems during testing.
- Test-Driven Development (TDD) – A software development process in which automated tests are written before any code is written.
- Refactoring Session – A time-boxed period dedicated to improving the design and structure of the code.
- Code Review – The process of reviewing and inspecting code changes before they are integrated into the main codebase.
- Code Smell – A pattern in the code that suggests it may be poorly designed or hard to maintain.
- Codebase – The set of all code files that make up a software application.
- Code Coverage – A measure of how much of the codebase is executed during testing.
- Code Freeze – A period during which no code changes are allowed in order to stabilize the codebase.
- Codebase Management – The process of organizing and maintaining the codebase.
- Codebase History – The record of all changes made to the codebase over time.
- Codebase Metrics – Data or statistics that provide information about the codebase, such as code complexity or test coverage.
- Design Sprint – A time-boxed period in which a team works together to design and prototype a new product or feature.
- Pair Rotations – A technique in which team members switch partners frequently to work on different tasks or problems.
- Collective Code Ownership – A practice in which all team members are responsible for the quality and maintainability of the codebase.
- Pair Mentoring – A technique in which an experienced team member works with a less experienced team member to teach them new skills or techniques.
- Codebase Health – The overall quality and maintainability of the codebase.
- Continuous Refactoring – The process of regularly reviewing and improving the codebase to keep it maintainable and high-quality.
- Codebase Audits – A process of reviewing and evaluating the codebase to identify issues or areas for improvement.
- Pair Debugging – A technique in which two team members work together to identify and fix bugs in the code.
- Codebase Governance – The process of establishing and enforcing rules and guidelines for managing the codebase.
- Codebase Standards – A set of guidelines or best practices for writing and organizing code.
- Codebase Maintenance – The ongoing process of keeping the codebase in good condition and fixing any issues that arise.
- Codebase Optimization – The process of improving the performance of the codebase by reducing its complexity or making it more efficient.
- Niko Niko Calendar – A visual tool used to track team members’ mood and engagement levels throughout a sprint.
- Kanban Board – A visual tool used to manage and track the flow of work in a project.
- Minimum Viable Product (MVP) – The minimum set of features that a product must have in order to be released to customers.
- Minimum Marketable Product (MMP) – The minimum set of features that a product must have in order to be marketed and sold to customers.
- Open Space – A meeting format in which participants set their own agenda and work on their own topics of interest.
- Personas – A tool used to represent the different types of users or customers that a product or service is intended for.
- Parametric Estimation – A method of estimating the size of a project or task using statistical data and mathematical models.
- CRC (Class Responsibility Collaborator) – A technique used to identify the responsibilities of each class in a software design.
- Anti-pattern – A common but ineffective solution to a problem or pattern of behavior that leads to negative consequences.
- Epic – A large user story that is broken down into smaller user stories.
I hope this list of additional Agile terminology helps you in understanding more about Agile methodologies and practices. Keep in mind that Agile is a continuously evolving field and new terms and practices may arise.
Samrat is a Delhi-based MBA from the Indian Institute of Management. He is a Strategy, AI, and Marketing Enthusiast and passionately writes about core and emerging topics in Management studies. Reach out to his LinkedIn for a discussion or follow his Quora Page