What is Agile, Really? : An Developer’s Perspective
After spending three years plus as a software engineer across companies, I’ve experienced both good and painful implementations of Agile. Let me break down what Agile really means in the trenches, beyond all the textbook definitions.
What is Agile, Really?
Forget the fancy definitions for a minute. At its core, Agile is about:
- Building stuff in small chunks
- Getting feedback quickly
- Adjusting based on what you learn
- Not spending months building the wrong thing
Think of it like building with Lego [Kids Toys]blocks instead of carving a sculpture. With Lego, you can quickly see if what you’re building looks right and adjust along the way.
The Key Parts of Agile (That Actually Matter)
1. Sprints
Think of these as mini-deadlines, usually 2 weeks long. In my current team, we:
- Pick what we can realistically finish
- Focus only on those tasks
- Show working features at the end
Pro Tip: Your first few sprint estimations will be horrible, and that’s okay.
2. Daily Standups
These are quick 15-minute team check-ins. Here’s what makes them actually useful:
Good update: "Finished user authentication, stuck on database indexes causing slow queries"
Bad update: "Working on ticket ABC-123" (nobody knows what that means hehe)3. Story Points
This was confusing at first, but here’s what I learned: they’re just a way to say “this is something bigger thing to build” without arguing about exact hours 😂.
Me & My team uses a simple scale:
- 1 point: “I could do this before lunch”
- 2 points: “This will take a day or so”
- 3 points: “Probably need a few days”
- 5 points: “This is big, should we break it down?”
- 8+ points: “Will get back to you further breakdowns !”
4. Backlog Refinement
Think of this as spring cleaning for your tasks. Every week, our team spends an hour making sure upcoming work is clear and doable.
What we actually do:
- Look at old/new tickets
- Break down big tasks into smaller ones
- Add missing details & blockers
- Set priorities in middle 🥴
5. Retrospectives
Every two weeks may be before two weeks 😒, we look back at what went well and what didn’t. The useful ones focus on:
- What slowed us down?
- What helped us move faster?
- What should we try next sprint?
Common Agile Problems (And How to Deal with Them)
“This Isn’t Really Agile 😵💫”
Most companies say they’re Agile but do things like:
- Change priorities every day 😯
- Never finish a sprint 🫵
- Have endless meetings 😶
Solution: Focus on the principles that work for your team. In our case, we did efficient tracking (daily) tasks & kept regular demos to products.
“Our Sprints Are Chaos”
Been there. Usually happens because of:
- Too many urgent requirements/bugs
- Unclear requirements
- Too much work in progress
“Estimates Are Always Wrong”
It happens mostly
- Breaking down tasks more
- Looking at similar past tickets
- Adding buffer for testing and code review
What I Wish I Knew When Starting
It's Okay to Say No
- To additional sprint work
- To unrealistic deadlines
- To poorly defined requirements
Documentation Matters
- Quick notes during standups
- Decision records for big changes
- Updated README files
Communication > Process
- Quick Teams message > waiting for standup
- Demo to stakeholder > detailed spec
- Face-to-face > long email thread
Tools We Use
Keep it simple:
- Jira for tracking (though any board works)
- Teams for communication
- Confluence for docs
- Teams for meetings
Making Agile Work for You
Keep It Light
- Skip ceremonies that don’t add value
- Keep meetings short
- Focus on outcomes, not process
Adapt to Your Team
- Remote teams need more written communication
- Some teams prefer shorter sprints
- Trust > tracking
Focus on Basics
- Regular communication
- Clear priorities
- Quick feedback cycles
Agile isn’t about following a strict process — it’s about delivering value efficiently.
What’s your experience with Agile? What works and doesn’t work in your team? I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments!
Follow me for more software engineering insights from the trenches!
