✨Agile is a game-changing approach that has changed the face of product management today. Apple pioneered agile, applying it first to software development and later to hardware.✨

Why Agile matters?

Agile is about breaking down work into small batches, reducing rework by doing things right from the start, building iteratively with regular feedback from users and stakeholders, and prioritizing the backlog of work by focusing on value, risk, and impact.

The concept was born out of necessity to bring order and accountability in an otherwise chaotic world, where software projects were not delivering on time or within budget.

🥟Let's look at how Apple embraced agile in the real world.🥟

Steve Jobs promoted agile, saying that it empowered engineers to be creative and collaborative.

He also said, "When you have a thousand people trying out new things every day of the development cycle, some great ideas get surfaced."

During Apple's product design process, user interface (UI) designers were given time after an initial concept was created to make iterative refinements based on customer feedback.

Apple also used a "lean manufacturing" technique to create new products at low cost and high volume, testing them immediately with customers at each step.

Further reading: https://bit.ly/3b0gC5A

💥Apple Watch agile approach💥

Let's look at an example of how agile can be used in the context of digital products.

Apple Watch is a great case study for this, as it was one of their first hardware releases after they embraced agile software development.

After years working on iPhone and iPad, with iOS at its core, when Jobs decided to introduce a new product category, his first instinct was to use the same agile process they'd been using for software.

Apple's development of the Apple Watch involved working with designers and engineers in different locations worldwide.

This allowed them to work on digital prototypes alongside physical ones and test concepts directly with customers through their retail stores.

So, Apple used a hybrid approach to agile development.

They had a phased launch with multiple iterations following each phase and worked on new features simultaneously and continuously throughout their lifetime.

Some agile examples of Google are:

- Gmail: Google's first major software release was built in just six
months and launched without the ability to attach files.

- Google News: was launched using an iterative process with customer feedback.

- Android: used a phased launch, launching in stages and constantly refining features based on user input.

Agile helps product teams manage the ever-increasing complexity of modern digital products, and it’s a great way to build a more transparent teamwork culture in an organization.

Agile continues to grow in popularity.

Check out https://bit.ly/3BXV0Tn for further insights on agile.

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