“agile” versus “Agile” - What’s the difference? Aren’t they the same thing? 

Most people are already familiar with the term agile or, if you’re in software development, you’re most likely aware of “Agile” as a methodology. The term tends to be popular in the development world, such as when people refer to “Agile software development” - but what does that even mean? 

We came across the comparison of these two words recently. They happen to play an important role in digital transformation and business in general. So, we wanted to clear some things up. 

agile (lowercase)

This refers to the word you would normally use in a sentence, referring to being agile or having agility. It can mean being quick, adaptable, and resilient.  

An agile company will have characteristics like: 

• quick decision-making

• executing prompt proactive adjustments

• ability to easily adapt

• cross-departmental collaboration

• re-prioritizing when given new information

These characteristics allow the organization to stay up-to-speed with changing market and customer expectations so that the business continuously adapts and evolves. 

Agile (uppercase)

This term refers to a methodology which was originally created for software development. Agile methodology is an approach that allows development teams to improve visibility and speed-to-value while in the process of developing new solutions. The Agile method breaks down projects into smaller sections or deliverables, allowing you to reassess and adapt along the way.

This is different from the traditional Waterfall approach, which is more of a sequential development process. With a Waterfall approach, each phase depends on the entirety of the deliverables of the previous phase and corresponds to a specialization of tasks. 

In Conclusion 

The ideas and principles of Agile methodology have now spread into more areas in many organizations, such as project management or general business management, and is essential for companies experiencing a digital transformation. Because of its success, it has become increasingly popular within organizations in an attempt to encourage more agile characteristics within a company. Harvard Business Review reported -

While Agile methodology is a great place to start - you want to ensure that these characteristics are encouraged and supported throughout the organization as a whole.

Here at PK, we subscribe to the Agile methodology across much of our organization. Our developers break down big projects into bite-sized tasks that allow for regular deliverables and constant forward movement. Do you have a big project that you’re looking to begin, but don’t know where to start or how to make consistent progress? Contact us and we can help!