Agile Software Development is a collection of different methodologies that focus on flexibility and adaptability based on periodic user feedback.
What is Agile Software Development
Agile software development is based on the principles set by the “Agile Manifesto”, which were set up through discussions with several experts representing different methodologies.
Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland are considered the founding fathers of this methodology.
Agile Development includes principles from Extreme Programming, SCRUM, DSDM, Adaptive Software Development, Crystal, Feature-Driven Development, Pragmatic Programming, and many others.
The 12 Principles of Agile Software Development
- Prioritize customer satisfaction by delivering software as early and as frequently as possible.
- Make changes whenever necessary, even if very late into production.
- Focus on making software in shorter timescales.
- Developers and business teams should work together.
- Build projects around motivated individuals and provide them with everything necessary to succeed.
- Convey information through face-to-face meetings.
- Use working software to measure progress.
- Maintain a constant and sustainable development pace.
- Attention to technical excellence and good design
- Maintain simplicity of projects
- Encourage teams to be self-organized.
- Monitor and discuss progress at regular intervals.
Why switch to Agile methodology
One of the popular conventional software development approaches is “Waterfall methodology”. As the name implies, it is a one-way development cycle where each step of the development occurs sequentially from start to finish. The problem with this approach is that customers see the result right at the end. If they need something changed, the whole process is repeated, causing tedious work for developers, and long waiting periods for customers.
Any software developer can tell you how complicated creating any software is. Unforeseen issues and bugs pop up, especially for large projects. Not only that but sometimes, opportunities to branch out in different directions can pop up that can further the goal of customers.
This is where Agile methodology comes in. It considers the intricacies of software development and the client’s desire to see the real-time progress of the program they want. In simple terms, it breaks down the whole process into smaller cycles to focus on specific aspects at a time.
In the waterfall method, a lot of bugs get overlooked during development, as everyone is focused on finishing the project. So when user feedback comes in, it can be hard to track down the root cause of a lot of issues, which would be easier to deal with during development.
Because the Agile development method breaks the process down into smaller cycles, parts of the product can be delivered to users early, which allows earlier detection of bugs. So the software naturally comes out as a more stable product. Let’s go into details on how it works.
The Essence Of Agile Software Development
Agile methodology suggests developing a rough version of the entire software and then sending it to the client for feedback. The client evaluates the software based on their concept and suggests improvement.
The developer comes back with feedback, continues coding, makes adjustments, and takes an improved version of the software to the owner and thus, continues the process. By the time the software finishes, it fully incorporates the requirements and expectations of the client. The result is better software and more client satisfaction.
Experts have tried to come up with different terms to structure the method. ‘Iterative’ and ‘incremental’ are two commonly used terms that basically refer to developers going back and forth to clients and making the software better in the process.
Each ‘draft of the complete software’ is called a sprint. Multiple versions of sprints are created during production. Throughout the sprints, the program goes through a feedback loop of development, feedback collection, and improvement till the final product matches the goal of the customers.
How Nascenia uses Agile methodology
Let us look at how my team Nascenia works.
The way we work at Nascenia by following Agile Methodology
After signing the contract we collect user stories and figure out the requirements in project management tools. After designing the UI, we start developing the application (code).
We test, push to Git, deploy to the test server, and get approval from the client. We repeat this cycle of development as long as the application needs improvement. When the software is deemed complete, the application is delivered to the client.
Sometimes clients may decide to add additional features to the application. So we come back to development and work on the application again.
No matter which agile development style a firm follows, it is better to stick to a particular development style. It helps developers get into the habit of creating better software.
Agile development has become a popular method that a lot of software engineers have adopted into their creative process. While a lot of the principles can seem like no-brainers, some are very helpful even if they don’t sound like it. A regular face-to-face meeting every session can be immensely helpful even if it doesn’t seem like it. Remember, the principles are built upon discussions and debates among a lot of top ranked developers in the industry. So there is a good chance you will find success utilizing it over traditional methods.
Contributor: Mushtahir Aziz Rahman, Business Executive, NasceniaMore to Explore
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