Is it same-same but different?
Design Thinking and Agile are similar, different, and intertwined.
Short answer
Design Thinking is used strategically by using design methods to find the right question and begin to answer it. Agile is mostly used operationally, usually when building software, where once a question is asked, teams iterate toward a solution.
Introduction
Today, most organisations utilise many technologies in order to source, process, transport and deliver products and services. All of these technologies, as well as most, if not all, of the business processes still performed manually, are underpinned by information technology. As Microsoft’s Bill Gates said, “Information technology and business are becoming inextricably interwoven. I don’t think anybody can talk meaningfully about one without talking about the other.“
Change is occurring in both the business and IT environments at a far more rapid pace now than it has ever been. The rate of change is not going to slow down anytime soon. If anything, competition, and new technology will probably speed up even more in the next few decades in most industries.
Due to this extensive use of technology in a rapidly changing competitive environment, the need to continually align an organisation’s technology, product and services with its business direction has therefore become increasingly urgent and increasingly difficult. Therefore the rise of methods like Design Thinking and Agile. Both are converging on the challenges outlined above but they have quite different backgrounds.
Characteristics Design Thinking methodology
Design Thinking is used strategically by using design methods to find the right question and begin to answer it. It is a discipline that uses the designer’s sensibility and methods to match people’s needs with what is technologically feasible and what a viable business strategy can convert into customer value and market opportunity.
The methodology is historically applied by designers during their designing processes but can be used by everyone to solve every-day problems on a creatively manner.
Characteristics Agile methodologies
Agile refers to a sort of group of software development methodologies based on iterative software development, where requirements and solutions evolve through collaboration.
Agile methods generally promote a disciplined project management process that encourages frequent inspection and adaptation, teamwork, self-organization and accountability and a business approach that aligns software development with customer needs and company goals.
What are similarities of the methodologies?
Both methodologies use input from outside the team doing the work. Designers do user research, gather business needs and discuss technology possibilities. For Agile this looks more like creating backlogs, writing user stories and determining success metrics. Other similarity is the iteration. Both processes embrace iteration as part of the process and therefore establishing ongoing refinement up to the business value. Perhaps most interesting similarity is that both methodologies s that employees (people) are the focal point for creating value. This is stimulated by organising employees in cross functional teams which stimulate cross functional solutions of a product, service, or software.
Which differences can be recognized?
There are also some differences. Agile in general doesn’t have a ‘synthesis’ stage. Usually the result from the last iteration are the direct input for the next iteration. It’s common for requirements to be updated and prioritised before work commences again. Design Thinking however takes a step back and tries to gather learnings and then spotting patterns to make an informed leap to something new.
Other difference is the staging of the product development. The legacy of Design means that we still often think in terms of projects with a beginning, middle and end of a product development. At the end the final product will be delivered. In between semi manufacturers are deployed and tested. Agile definitely has stage gates of deployment (alpha, beta, launch) but has the ability to deploy a solution which can be seen as finished product at any point in time. The design process of a product or service perhaps needs these points to force a coherent output or avoid high des-investments in unused product-/service developments. Where the design process of software doesn’t have these hurdles.
Perhaps the most interesting difference is in the range of tools to get the job done. From simple things (like pens and paper) to more complex tools (like the Business Model Canvas), Design Thinking can be as simple as taping some things together.
Conclusion
Design Thinking and Agile are similar, different and intertwined.
Where Design Thinking is used strategically by using design methods to find the right question and begin to answer it. Agile is mostly used operationally, usually when building software, where once a question is asked, teams iterate toward a solution.