Let’s say you’re a small team developing a software solution. You would think traditional Agile software development is the way to go. And why not? It focuses on rapid iterations and responsiveness.
But your software team has grown now. And your Agile approach might not complement the complexities of scaling and regulatory compliance.
This is where Disciplined Agile comes in. It’s a hybrid approach that offers a structured yet adaptable process and helps you survive and thrive amid complexity.
In this article, we’ll explore Disciplined Agile, its benefits, real-life applications, how it differs from Scrum methodology, and how you can use it to boost your software development.
How to Implement Disciplined Agile for Software Teams
Summarize this article for me pleaseUnderstanding Disciplined Agile
Disciplined Agile (DA) or Disciplined Agile Delivery (DAD) is a toolkit that helps you tailor Agile and Lean software development practices to your specific business needs. Think of it as a custom-tailored suit—nothing off-the-rack here.
DA was developed by Scott Ambler and Mark Lines when they introduced the concept to the world in their 2012 book, Disciplined Agile Delivery.
Ambler and Lines recognized how rigid and one-size-fits-all some Agile methods can be, so they created DA, which is more flexible. DA gives teams choices. It allows them to pick and choose the strategies that best suit their projects and build true business agility.
Over the years, Disciplined Agile Delivery has evolved and developed four layers. These layers are meant to guide you through the adoption of Agile practices.
- The foundation layer sets the groundwork with essential Agile and Lean principles, ensuring all team members understand and can apply basic practices
- The disciplined DevOps layer builds on the foundation layer by integrating development, operations, and other functions, enhancing delivery speed and quality through automation and continuous integration
- The value stream layer focuses on optimizing processes to enhance customer value directly, identifying and refining steps in the delivery lifecycle that contribute to the goals
- The enterprise layer scales these practices across the organization, aligning Agile methods with strategic business objectives and promoting an overarching Agile culture
Also read: DevOps vs Agile: Ultimate Guide (2024)
Four views of Disciplined Agile Delivery provide a detailed understanding of the framework and its applications. They help the Agile team navigate the complexity of DA and implement the practices across different scenarios. Here’s a quick overview:
Four views of Disciplined Agile Delivery
- Mindset promotes the core principles and cultural attitudes essential for Agile success, such as respect, collaboration, and continuous learning
- People define roles and team dynamics, focusing on how individuals work together effectively in an Agile environment
- Flow describes the processes and life cycles that guide the delivery of value, detailing project and workflow management stages
- Practices offer a detailed toolkit of specific Agile practices that teams can adapt to improve their processes and project outcomes
The Disciplined Agile mindset
The Disciplined Agile (DA) mindset isn’t just about following a set of rules; it’s about embracing a way of thinking. This mindset is captured through principles, promises, and guidelines.
Eight principles of Disciplined Agile
These DA principles are the philosophical foundation for business agility. They help tailor different projects’ Agile practices to meet specific needs and challenges of new product development.
They also:
- Keep your customers happy and surprised by consistently exceeding their expectations through innovation and top-notch service
- Help you do excellent work and cultivate an environment where everyone can excel and enjoy their contributions
- Tailor your approach to suit the specific circumstances you’re dealing with
- Help you focus on strategies that add value and make practical sense for your project
- Let you implement feedback loops to learn and enhance every component, from processes to final products
- Share ideas and tackle problems with internal and external stakeholders to ensure alignment and clarity
- Keep your processes smooth and efficient. Focus on eliminating bottlenecks and ensuring steady progress without delays
- Align your project goals with the broader organizational objectives to support the overall strategy and success
Summarize this article for me pleaseBenefits of Disciplined Agile
Beyond offering you a more flexible approach and freedom to tweak strategies as you go, Disciplined Agile Delivery (DAD) provides a range of surprising benefits. They include:
Faster time-to-market
With DAD, you can speed up the process of getting your products to market. The key is how the framework simplifies your Agile workflow.
Let’s say you usually have several lengthy approval stages. With Disciplined Agile, you might switch to real-time reviews with stakeholders instead.
This change can help you figure out the most straightforward path to meeting tight deadlines and getting your innovations out there sooner.
Better team collaboration and satisfaction
Disciplined Agile helps teams work better together. It encourages everyone to share ideas and collaborate closely, which speeds up the process and makes the work more enjoyable.
For example, rather than working in silos, team members might co-design solutions or troubleshoot problems together in real-time.
As an all-in-one project management solution, ClickUp makes brainstorming easier for Agile teams. It offers a ready-to-use ClickUp Brainstorming Template that you can use to capture ideas.
You can also use this template to:
- Gather your team so that they can spur new ideas in a structured way
- Create a visual representation of ideas
- Logically organize ideas
- Track progress on the tasks
The template also offers different views: the List View, Timeline View, Department View, By Stages View, and Priorities View. These views ensure that everyone can access the information in a format that’s convenient to them.
Continuous improvement
Disciplined Agile puts a strong emphasis on continuous improvement. This approach involves making small tweaks to processes and evaluating what works best.
For example, after completing a project phase, your team might review what went well and what didn’t, then adjust your approach for the next round.
This ongoing cycle of reflection and refinement helps ensure that each project runs smoother than the last, providing a practical way to keep evolving and improving your work.
ClickUp Docs offers a collaborative way to create and document processes as they happen. You and your team can work together to create nested pages that define each process of the workflow.
Besides, these docs can be linked to specific project tasks, providing additional details about the process.
You can edit the docs as needed as the project reaches its final stage. For future projects, these docs serve as a single source of truth, driving the team to success.
Summarize this article for me pleaseScrum vs. Agile: Which Comes First?
Do you notice people using ‘Agile’ and ‘Scrum’ interchangeably? Well, it’s one of the most common misconceptions.
Truth be told, Scrum was created in the early 1990s by Jeff Sutherland and Ken Schwaber. On the other hand, the term ‘Agile’ was coined in 2001 with the publication of the Agile Manifesto.
Scrum predates the formal consolidation of Agile principles by about a decade. Here are some more differences between Agile and Scrum teams:
| Feature | Scrum | Agile |
| Definition | A framework used to implement Agile project management | A set of principles for Agile software development that encourages flexible responses to change |
| Focus | Specific practices and roles, such as the Scrum Master, Product Owner, and Sprints | A broader philosophy that can include various methodologies such as Scrum, Kanban, and Extreme Programming |
| Flexibility | Structured, less flexible | Highly adaptable to change |
| Scale | Often used for single teams or multiple small teams working on the same product | Can be scaled to larger projects and organizations using Agile modeling frameworks such as Scaled Agile Framework |
What is the Disciplined Agile in Scrum?
Another common question is whether Disciplined Agile is a part of the Scrum methodology. The answer is no.
Think of DA as an umbrella framework that can incorporate Scrum, among other methodologies. While Scrum focuses narrowly on specific roles and sprints to manage projects, Disciplined Agile offers a broader toolkit.
It allows teams to pick from various Agile strategies, including Scrum, and enhances them with additional practices suited to different organizational sizes and needs of new product development.
While you might use Scrum for its structured and straightforward approach, DA gives you the flexibility to tailor and scale those Agile software development processes across your whole organization or in more complex scenarios.
Want to know more about Agile Scrum? Read this article by ClickUp to learn proven Agile Scrum techniques.
Summarize this article for me pleaseHow to Implement Disciplined Agile Principles
Implementing Disciplined Agile principles needs a thoughtful approach, given the framework’s flexibility and adaptability.
So, here’s a structured yet customizable approach to get you started:
1. Educate and embrace the DA mindset
It starts with getting everyone on board with the DA mindset. Conduct training and workshops to help your team understand the principles of customer-centricity, continuous improvement, and the flexibility to adapt these to your specific needs.
2. Assess and plan
Take a good look at your current processes and see where DA fits best. Choose a way of working that matches your team’s needs and your broader goals.
You can leverage ClickUp Goals to create and track these goals in a single place. Use it to set up numerical, monetary, true/false, and task targets. It also lets you create folders to track sprint cycles, OKRs, and weekly progress.
3. Start small and iterate
Kick things off on a small scale—maybe with one team or project. Apply DA practices in short cycles, refining them based on the feedback and results you get.
ClickUp Sprints can help you here. It’s specifically designed for Agile teams working in iterative cycles, making it a natural fit for managing the continuous improvement process inherent in DA.
Coordinate sprint schedules, allocate points, and prioritize tasks to ensure clarity for your team. Use ClickUp Automations to automate carryover work into the next sprint and seamlessly sync development activities with platforms such as GitHub, GitLab, or Bitbucket.
4. Enhance collaboration
Push for open communication and teamwork. ClickUp Chat is the easiest way to stay in touch with your team and other stakeholders. You can chat with your colleagues within the context of a task, assign it to specific owners, and share project links, videos, and spreadsheets. It’s also a great tool to give and seek feedback.
5. Scale and optimize
Once you’ve got a handle on things, start expanding DA practices to other parts of your organization. Keep an eye on process efficiency, always looking for ways to improve.
6. Measure and adjust
Use key performance indicators to measure how well DA is working for you. ClickUp Dashboards make tracking KPIs simpler for you.
You can track team productivity, workloads, and time spent through the dashboard. Visualize the data in the form of charts, graphs, and tables, making it easier for you to read and grasp the insights.
Based on the metrics, you can tweak and adjust your practices to meet your organization’s goals better.
ClickUp’s Agile Project Management Software
ClickUp’s Agile Project Management Software offers several features that make implementing DA easier.
These include:
- Collaboration tools, such as ClickUp Whiteboards (for visual collaboration), ClickUp Chat, and ClickUp Email (to send and receive emails within ClickUp). They bring team members and stakeholders together
- Reporting and analytics via ClickUp Dashboards that track KPIs and visualize data
- ClickUp’s Integration capabilities to connect with over 1000 tools to enhance productivity
- Mobile accessibility so that team members stay up-to-date with the latest information on the go
If you need a little help getting started, ClickUp’s Agile Project Management Template fits right in. This template is ideal for non-software development teams seeking to adopt Agile methodologies like Scrum.
The template also helps:
- Non-software development teams implement Agile methodologies
- Disciplined Agile teams to create and prioritize backlogs
- You mark your tasks as ‘In Progress’, ‘Done’, or ‘To Do’
Summarize this article for me pleaseRoles and Responsibilities in Disciplined Agile
Typically, DA includes primary roles and supporting roles. Each of them has a specific part in the Agile process.
Here’s a rundown of some core roles:
- Team Lead (Disciplined Agile Scrum Master): Ensures smooth processes, removes obstacles, and keeps the team focused
- Product Owner: Defines customer needs and prioritizes tasks to maximize value
- Architecture Owner: Guides technical decisions to align with both project and organizational goals
- Team Member: Participates in delivering the product, which could include coding, testing, or design
- Stakeholder: Provides external feedback and influences the project direction
Process Goals in Disciplined Agile
Process goals in Disciplined Agile offer a high-level view of what each role should focus on during a project.
These goals act as customizable decision points that guide the Disciplined Agile teams in refining their processes.
Some key process goals include:
- Incremental delivery: Break tasks into smaller segments for quick completion and regular adjustments
- Addressing changing stakeholder needs: Continuously engage with stakeholders to refine the project direction
- Improve quality: Maintain high standards to ensure valuable, defect-free outputs
- Risk management: Identify and mitigate risks early to ensure project success
- Workflow optimization: Enhance process efficiency and effectiveness
- Coordination of activities: Keep work aligned and integrated within the team and with external groups
- Providing a safe environment: Promote a culture where team members can innovate and learn from mistakes
Disciplined Agile in Practice
Panera Bread, a popular bakery-cafe chain, really felt the pinch of sticking to traditional IT processes. To get ahead, they rolled out the Disciplined Agile framework, kicking off with an in-depth review of their existing operations followed by some focused training for both leadership and project teams.
They tested the waters with two pilot projects, fine-tuning practices to their specific scenarios.
This shift led to much better teamwork between IT and business folks, boosting their ability to quickly respond to business demands. This more collaborative and Agile approach made a difference in keeping pace with change.
Should you use Disciplined Agile?
DA offers compelling strengths to optimize productivity in your business. It focuses on:
- Flexibility: DA acknowledges that one size doesn’t fit all. It provides a flexible framework that adapts to various contexts, allowing teams to tailor their Agile approaches based on their unique needs. Whether you’re dealing with large-scale projects, regulatory constraints, or legacy systems, DA encourages pragmatic choices
- Understanding customers: Customer-centricity is at the core of DA. It emphasizes understanding customer needs, preferences, and feedback. By incorporating customer insights into your processes, you can deliver value more effectively
- Enhancing collaboration: DA promotes collaboration across different roles, teams, and departments. It recognizes that successful outcomes depend on effective communication, shared understanding, and cross-functional cooperation. Whether you’re co-located or distributed, DA encourages collaboration
- Continuous learning: DA encourages a culture of continuous improvement. Teams learn from their experiences, adapt their practices, and evolve. This learning mindset helps organizations stay relevant and responsive in a dynamic business environment
If you value adaptability, customer focus, collaboration, and a commitment to learning, Disciplined Agile could be an excellent fit for your organization.
Summarize this article for me pleaseImplement Disciplined Agile Easily with ClickUp
Due to its complexity, rolling out Disciplined Agile (DA) can often be a challenge. To be successful, the process needs to be customized just right for each project and team.
It requires a deep dive into Agile practices and a flexible approach to project management.
ClickUp can simplify this process. The task management features and customizable workflows align well with DA principles, enabling easier adaptation and better tracking of iterative progress, helping teams effectively apply and manage the DA framework.
Sign up for ClickUp today and implement DA effortlessly!
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