Agile methods: a comparative analysis

The agile methods are systems development methodologies currently used in the software development industry both internationally and in New Zealand. This article provides an overview of the agile methods, including the key publication of each method, the major influences on the agile methods, and describes comparative studies where analysis and comparison of methodologies has been carried out. Then a comparative study is described which was carried out on five agile methods in order to address the question ‘what is an agile method’? A comparative analytical framework suitable for this purpose is described along with the results of applying the framework to five agile methods: DSDM, XP, Scrum, ASD, and Crystal Methods. The results provide an analysis of the properties common to agile methods, the differences between the methods, the unique properties peculiar to agile methods, and provide an understanding of appropriate method combinations.