A new writeup in MediaPost got several of us talking today about the increasing importance of agile methodology, a software development system built on the idea of close collaboration.

Here’s a summary from MediaPost about how digital agency Razorfish is expanding its agile approach to include teams on the client side:

The idea is to launch projects faster than they could be going through the traditional approach of developing projects to completion before going live. The Razorfish Agile practice led by CTO Ray Velez involves a training program for CMOs to adopt the rapid-prototyping techniques internally as well as understand them better in working with Razorfish.

“CMOs are letting go of their obsession with producing one-shot campaigns based on a single idea,” said Velez. “The agile test-and-learn approach is becoming especially popular as CMOs respond to pressure to prove their value constantly through innovation.”

If you’re unfamiliar with agile development, you might want to check out the brief “Agile Manifesto” that started it all.

The agile approach is all about results. It focuses on empowering developers to do whatever it takes to get to better results faster and more efficiently. It’s revolutionizing the way software is developed, and the idea has been spreading into other knowledge-based industries.

Here at Luckie, we’re using an agile approach with more and more of our daily work. Interestingly, you could even consider our direct-mail work for AT&T as agile. We create something, test it, and then go through all the small changes needed to improve the work. That’s the basic idea behind the agile approach. Short iterations designed to constantly improve and deliver the best results.

In our digital practice, we use the agile approach on all large scale projects, such as our recent redesign of BayerAdvanced.com. We develop functional products that we then continue to build out over time. The first release (initial launched product) includes only the basic set of necessary features. Updates then add additional desired features and more advanced functionality and content over time.

The opposite approach is to build everything at once and deliver it all at once. Of course that can take a long time before anyone sees a working product. The end result is that if it doesn’t work as everyone expected, it can take much longer to make changes, while also increasing costs.

Using an agile approach by doing the work in smaller batches, in shorter periods of time, allows the team to adapt to changing requirements. Adjustments can be made much more efficiently, and costs can be controlled. Plus, the quality of the work can be better assured. It’s better all-around for the teams doing the work and for the client.

For another example of the agile approach, you don’t have to go much farther than the main Luckie hallway, where our digital team has a “stand-up meeting” each morning. So for all our colleagues who have to squeeze past us in the hall … remember, it’s for the clients.

Bill Abel, Director of Digital Development | E-mail | LinkedIn

Photo credit: cliff1066 on Flickr.