What is Agile software development methodology and How does it help you?

The right software development methodology can help you build applications in a hassle-free manner. Agile has emerged as a prominent method for tailoring bespoke software solutions. It helps the development team to adapt to market changes and deliver working software quickly. 

Agile methodology anticipates the need for flexibility and implements an optimum level of pragmatism for launching a final product. Choosing agile models like Scrum or Kanban can help you deliver clean code while adapting to the latest changes in business requirements.

What is agile software development?

Agile software development methodology is an iterative way of building applications that ensures greater collaboration between teams. It’s based on the idea that requirements and solutions can evolve better through collaboration.

This model implements smooth and consistent communication between the development team and the customers. This helps to ensure that the final product fulfills customer needs and expectations.

This method provides greater flexibility and collaboration between various team members and enhances customer satisfaction.  Agile models have largely replaced the traditional way of building software solutions. Research says that 91 percent of respondents adopted an agile development methodology in 2018.

Looking for software development

We go agile to deliver software quickly through collaboration and feedback

Talk to Us

How does agile methodology work?

Agile teams work in coordination to design and develop the application code for the customers. 

Cross-functional teams: Self-organizing groups work together to develop software. 

Iterative development: Requirements and solutions evolve through repeated cycles of work. 

Collaboration: Teams work together to share information and resources.

Here are 6 Common Agile Methodologies

1. Scrum: This model emphasizes on short iterations called “sprints”. A dedicated Scrum Master manages the entire team and daily stand-ups to discuss progress and standing roadblocks. 

2. Kanban: This model utilizes a visual workflow management system to focus on continuous delivery and actively manage product creation. 

3. Extreme Programming (XP): Development team prioritizes teamwork and  communication with a focus on frequent customer feedback through short development cycles and practices like pair programming. 

4. Lean Development: Under this model the team aims to optimize processes by eliminating waste and delivering maximum value to the customer. 

5. Feature Driven Development (FDD): Developers aim on developing features based on a detailed domain model with structured iterations. 

6. Dynamic Systems Development Method (DSDM): The emphasis is laid on clear communication, user engagement, and delivering software on time and within budget with short development cycles.

Here are 4 Core Values of Agile Software Development

Individuals and interactions: It prioritizes people over processes and tools

Working software: Valuing working software over comprehensive documentation

Customer collaboration: Customer collaboration is superior to contract negotiation

Responding to change: The team adjusts to change demanded by the customers over following a plan.

What are the 12 Agile principles?

1. Satisfy customers: This involves providing customers with new updates regularly that are focussed upon the changes they requested to the product. Consequently this ensures satisfied and happy customers. 

2. Accept changing needs: Developers need to welcome changing requirements even when the clients request it late. The fundamentals of the agile framework enforce adaptability to the changing requirements. 

3. Frequent Continuous delivery: The team should deliver valuable features to the customers or the stakeholders frequently.

4. Break the silos of your projects: Different team members working on the project should break out of their individual projects and ensure smooth collaboration more frequently. 

5. Motivated individuals: Team members must feel committed and actively work towards achieving common goals.

6. Face-to-face communication is a priority: If you are working with a distributed team, devise ways to involve in face-to-face communication like Zoom calls or daily stand-up meetings. 

7. Functional software: The priority is to launch a software that is functioning as per the user needs and successfully delivers objectives.

8. Build a sustainable working pace: You do not want the development team to feel burnt out rather aim for sustainability throughout the development process.

9. Continuous excellence enhances agility: An excellent code built in one sprint can be used as a base for the next sprint. This helps to continuously build great application code.

10. Simplicity is paramount: There’s no need to complex the application code or logic and it is essential to deliver answers to complex queries.

11. Self-organizing teams: Proactive software development teams act as valuable assets to the projects and help to maximize output values.

12. Regularly reflect work: Agile practices are characterised by retrospective meetings and developers need to reflect on their performance and adapt their behaviors for the future.

Agile software development process

The agile software development life cycle consists of the following six phases. 

Requirements Gathering: We collect and prioritize the customer’s requirements. 

Planning: The software development team drafts an end-to-end plan for launching the software application in iterations. Various features are listed and will be released with each iteration.  

Development: The programmers’ team sprung into action by building the software code via frequent and rapid iterations.

Testing: Each iteration is thoroughly checked to determine whether it delivers customers needs and is compatible for use. The QA team finds out whether the software meets industry standards in various aspects. 

Deployment: The software solution is launched and made available to the end users. 

Maintenance: The software development agency ensures that the application continues to meet the customer’s needs and expectations.

Key Advantages Agile Software Development

There are various reasons for companies to choose agile software development methodology. It can help you in the following ways:

• Faster time-to-market: You can quickly build and launch the software code. This helps to gain the trust of the customers.

• Adaptation: It lets you adapt to the changing requirements and respond to the latest business needs.

• Feedback plays a key role: Businesses can gain feedback on necessary areas of improvement in the software code. This helps to efficiently plan the next increment.

• Prioritises people: The software agency prioritizes people over processes. This means the agency is geared towards the customer needs over the processes and tools.

• Focus on design: The agile principle implements continuous attention towards good design and a robust code.

• Enhances communication and collaboration: This method of building applications helps smooth collaboration among various team members, key stakeholders, and end users. This means businesses can plan and launch functionalities that attract customers and boost growth. 

• Improved Flexibility: Agile project management is inherently flexible and helps to adapt to the changing needs. You can prioritize distinct requirements based on the market needs and it lets you stay focussed on delivering customers demands. 

• Achieve better quality: With agile manifesto, the software development team can emphasise on rigorous testing practices. This allows the team to significantly minimize errors and build a bug-free application code. It helps to reduce the risks of defects or issues and launch a good user experience.

• Boost customer satisfaction: The agile development process has a keen focus on achieving greater customer experiences. The project requires understanding the customer needs and expectations and implementing them into the software.

• High productivity: Agile software development cycle encourages teams to help each other overcome challenges in a supportive environment. This enhances team engagement in building the application code which is not possible under traditional software development models.

Conclusion

Agile software development methodology is good for projects where requirements aren’t fully defined or are expected to change. It benefits the software project from frequent releases and continuous feedback.

It provides motivated team members the work environment and trust required to complete requirements quickly. At Coding Spring you can hire developers, who are well-versed in the agile principles of building software code.