Explore Our Commitment to Agile Excellence
This section presents Independently Agile’s core principles and strategic aims, delivering a clear summary of our dedication to advancing Agile practices and empowering teams.
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Understanding Value in Agile
Why Agile Was Born
Agile was created to bridge the painful gap between software ideas and actual adoption. Traditionally, developers suffered through exhausting release cycles, only to discover that what they’d built no longer aligned with stakeholder needs. Agile emerged to correct this, bringing value to users earlier through frequent delivery, ongoing feedback, and user-centred iteration.
Defining Value Before It Exists
Value isn’t fixed—it’s fluid. In Agile, value is guessed upfront but proven through use. The goal isn’t perfection at launch—its iteration based on real user input.
- Build what you believe holds the highest value
- Release fast, test early
- Refine based on actual user interaction
🏗️ Analogy: Building your favourite room first before the full house—this wouldn’t work in construction, but it’s Agile gold in software.
Software Is Nothing Without Users
If software isn’t being used, it has no value. The Agile Manifesto encourages quick release and discovery, triggering valuable insights sooner. It flips the model: rather than building everything up front, it emphasises:
- Collaborative design
- Early delivery
- Validated learning
Anticipating Changing Value
Value evolves. What users found important yesterday may not matter today. Think of the earliest version of Facebook—few would use it now. Agile enables us to catch new value trends before competitors do.
🗣️ Quote: “If I’d listened to my customers, I’d have given them a faster horse.” — Henry Ford
Methods to Estimate Value
1. ROI – Return on Investment
Forecast the feature’s potential return vs. total cost of delivery.
| Feature | Estimated Users | Revenue Forecast | Development Cost | ROI |
| New Feature X | 600 users | £30,000 | £25,000 | £5,000 |
Start-ups thrive here—their lack of overhead means ROI is often more appealing.
2. Value Scale Prioritisation
Use simple numeric scales to assess relative importance.
Step-by-Step:
- Assign highest value epic as 1000
- Score other epics accordingly
- Re-score for clarity if values cluster
- Drill down from epics → features → stories
| Epic | Value | Feature | Value | Story | Value |
| Onboarding | 1000 | Simplified Sign-Up | 100 | Email Field Validation | 10 |
| Search | 800 | Smart Filters | 80 | Category Tag Logic | 8 |
Stakeholders vs. Users? Prioritise user feedback—it drives actual product usage.
Final Thought
Agile’s genius lies in its ability to discover value rather than assume it. Measure what matters. Build what’s loved. And let evolution be your product’s secret weapon.