Agile is a user-oriented methodology that focuses on the results through an iterative and time-bound approach. In agile software development, the user or the client is engaged right from the beginning instead of just getting the product handed over at the end of the development cycle. This mechanism of software development is surrounded by the values and principles described in the Agile Manifesto. According to agile values, the development team must regularly evaluate the requirements, plans, and results. Also, they must adapt to certain changes if required right during the development cycle.
Agile methodology is a perfect aid to businesses that are looking to transform the approach of their project management. Plus, it can drastically improve the efficiency of the core business operations. The following are the reasons that make agile the best software development approach for most businesses:
Agile strives to devise business-focused acceptance criteria for determining the product features. It does that by using user stories to ensure that the user demands are always in check. In an Agile development strategy, you get a better chance of beta testing the software after each sprint.
The project is divided into small manageable units to impose high-quality development, testing, and collaboration. The review after each iteration makes the scope of making the product more user-friendly. Plus, this allows the development teams to find and fix bugs easily at the early stages of the development cycle.
The team is able to deliver the desired features to the clients. This enables them to understand and adhere to what is most important with respect to the customer’s business and improve the business value.
the maintenance tasks required to support the existing products are also known as technical debt. This includes defect resolution, refactoring, and testing that might get easily and quickly accumulated in a traditional project methodology. Agile software development helps you to effectively minimize technical debt. Here such tasks are treated in a completely different way. In Agile methodology, any defects, feature changes, or other maintenance tasks are classified as a product backlog. These backlogs are reviewed after each sprint and are planned to address categorically.
The Agile methodology requires the simultaneous involvement of multiple teams contributing to one project. Different individuals with different skill levels and expertise collaborate to accomplish the task given in a certain phase. It also requires the throughout monitoring of each evolving phase of the development cycle which eventually improves overall transparency. The customers benefit from this level of transparency, and they can track the project’s progress in real-time.
The Agile approach is empowered by incremental delivery of the product. This is among the most useful and popular benefits that an agile development company has to offer its customers. This enables the development teams to build an MVP and release it to the market within a quick time frame. Frequent releases of products help the business stay ahead in the market competition. Plus, the rapid pace of development buys more time for the company for marketing the product and make a better business out of it.
Not being able to incorporate changes efficiently is the reason why traditional development methodologies are becoming obsolete. For instance, a team working with a waterfall strategy follows a plan to develop the product. Incorporating a change midway through the development cycle is next to impossible. On the other hand, agile software development methodology allows you to become adequately responsive toward the changing requirements of the client as well as the market.
In agile development, each team works in a fixed time schedule as the sprints have a fixed duration Also, the clients only need to pay for the time developers have worked. This makes it easier to calculate both the time and cost that would be spent in completing the project. So, the stakeholder can informingly prioritize features and functions according to their importance.
Stakeholders and developers work hand in hand to achieve the best project results. The development team works closely every day in collaboration with the stakeholders to minimize the difference between the initial requirements and the final product. This collaboration opens multiple opportunities and scope for improvement after the evaluation of each sprint.
Although there is a precise calculation for the time and cost going to be spent on completing the project. But the resource planning in agile development is not as efficient as these two traits. If the project manager is not an expert at handling all the processes involved, it might be difficult for the team to achieve the desired results. So, you must hire an experienced project manager who is competent at handling a fragmented team and delivering fragmented outputs of agile development strategy.
Praveen is a seasoned IT Solutions Leader and Director at RSK Business Solutions, a technology-driven IT Consulting Company that specializes in Bespoke Software Development, Agile Consulting, Mobile App Development, Smart Sourcing, and much more. For the last 17 years, he has been delivering quality custom IT solutions that help businesses achieve their goals.