When we think about project management and innovation, agile methodology is at the top of the trends, driven by the acceleration of digital transformation. The agile methodology makes processes simpler, faster and more flexible, in addition to helping companies save time, money and speed up their deliveries.

Only in Latin American countries, investment in agile projects grew 30% in the four-year period (2017-2021), according to the study Agility, made by Everis consultancy, in partnership with MIT Tech Review.

The research included the participation of giant companies and brought the following results:

• 68% responded that the risks had decreased;
• 94% reported an increase in delivery speed;
• 52% confirmed cost reduction as a benefit.

Below, we separate the main agile methodologies and their characteristics:

Main agile methodologies

1. Scrum

O scrum is one of the main methodologies (frameworks) used by agile teams for managing software products

In Scrum, roles are well defined for increase agility of the team. One of the co-creators of the concept, American Jeff Sutherland, wrote the book “The Art of Doing Twice the Work in Half the Time” — a title that already demonstrates the main objective of Scrum.

The Scrum team is composed of the roles of:

• Product Owner: also known as “PO”, the Product Owner professional directs the team to execute what is needed in the project. He listens to and represents the client and creates a list of priorities (usually called backlogs).
• Scrum Master: person responsible for remove obstacles of the development team. She is the facilitator of the Scrum processes, leads and trains the development team in order to promote productivity and quality of deliveries.
• Development Team: group of software engineers and programmers responsible for development of the project. It is a multidisciplinary and organized team, with people who have the autonomy to make decisions.

 

2. Lean

Known as the leanest of methods, Lean is widely used in the world of startups and entrepreneurship. But its origins are not recent: it was created by Toyota in the 80s with the aim of accelerating vehicle production.

One of the principles of Lean is the identification and efficient waste disposal within a project or organization, to improve team productivity.

The idea behind this methodology is to reduce costs and complexity of tasks, in addition to optimize deliveries, increase performance and information sharing.

No supply chain leaders, it is common to implement a pull production system (from English, “pull system”), one of the principles of Lean, which produces only when there is demand.

O Lean Institute Brazil (LIB) is at the forefront of disseminating the concept in the country and offers training for applying the methodology in various sectors, such as logistics, construction and health.

To get an idea of ​​the relevance of the concept in the country, an initiative by the Ministry of Health and the Sírio-Libanês Hospital, called “Lean in Emergencies”, uses Lean to reduce overcrowding in public hospitals.

 

3. Kanbans

“Kanban” is a Japanese term that means “board”. The method is the most widely used and simplest framework for controlling and optimizing a team’s tasks. It is part of the just-in-time concept, which is doing what needs to be done when it needs to be done.

There are two types of Kanban: movement and production. The movement flow is the one that best fits supplies, for example, because those involved in the purchasing process, such as buyers, managers and suppliers, need to collaborate to complete an acquisition.

The production flow is divided into three columns: to do, doing and done. It is basically a physical or virtual board that allows you to visually monitor the tasks that need to be started, those that are in progress or have already been completed.

 

4. Smart

The SMART methodology makes it possible to create real goals and tangible. Each letter carries an interesting meaning: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time Based.

This means that goals need to be well defined, measurable, realistic, meaningful to the company and with completion dates.

In practice, Smart can be applied to any goal, for example, to achieve more savings or purchasing planning.

 

In this article, we saw the main agile methodologies and how they can promote innovation, productivity and collaboration within the purchasing team.

Does your company use any of these processes? If so, tell us in the comments and inspire other professionals in the field.

If you liked this content and want to stay up to date with the latest news in the B2B market, just register your email,