The world is currently changing faster than ever before. Rapid technological change drives social change, making it’s challenging for software developers to keep up with ever-emerging trends.
How does this situation influence the product development process? More and more development teams say “no” to traditional (waterfall) methodology and opt for agile development. The agile method is all about flexibility, interactivity, and timely adjustments to policies and strategies. Using this method, software development teams can successfully operate in an ever-changing environment while maximizing performance and increasing product value.
This article will discuss the key benefits of agile development. Keep on reading!
Principle Differences Between Agile and Traditional Development
Before we dive into the topic and start talking about the benefits of agile development, let’s define how this method differs from traditional development.
When we use the term “traditional management”, we refer to the so-called waterfall model. This model is a linear one, and it assumes that developers should build a product by moving from one phase to another one by one. Here is an example of standard stages included in the traditional development process:
-
Market research and analysis
-
Initial product design
-
Implementation stage (development of main features)
-
Testing
-
Maintenance
The key disadvantages of the waterfall method are the lack of flexibility and adaptability. A few decades ago, when the environment was more “stable”, this method worked effectively. But the world has changed, and the traditional method is now considered outdated. To thrive in the modern competitive market, development teams should use an agile approach to adapt the product to the market changes as quickly as possible.
When comparing these two methods, we should note that agile development better serves customer needs. When developers opt for the agile method, they typically allow users to participate in all stages, from feature discussion to usability testing. When users are involved in the development process, it adds to the project’s transparency and visibility.
The key idea behind agile development is iterative planning. Managers constantly analyze ongoing changes and feedback at every given stage in order to adjust current plans and strategies to improve the product.
5 Reasons to Use Agile Method
We’ve discussed the fundamentals of agile software development. Now let’s consider five reasons why you should use the agile method to boost your project success.
Better Control and Higher Product Quality
What do you need to create a high-quality product that will work smoothly from day one of release? You need to get control of every stage of the product development process: from idea research to final testing. The agile approach allows you to monitor the product quality at any given point of time, analyze the feedback, and make quick adjustments.
Think of it. When you use the traditional method, you create a product first and then try to improve it. In agile product management, you design the initially enhanced product. Since you control every aspect of product development, you fix errors and bugs before they become an issue and affect the user experience.
Here is a list of quality-related benefits of agile development:
-
This approach allows the team to identify product requirements in a timely manner and create a product with the most relevant features.
-
Agile development assumes the implementation of continuous testing. When testing is conducted on a daily basis and at each given stage, software developers can solve errors as soon as they emerge.
-
Every iteration (the basic building block of agile development) ends with a retrospective where the scrum team discusses the gains and failures of the past working cycle. Retrospective allows team members to learn a lesson from the mistakes made and improve the further work on the project.
-
The main benefit of agile project management is that teams don’t have to sacrifice the quality for the development speed. Since the product’s functionality is properly and regularly tested, product quality is maintained at a high level.
Happy Customers
As we have already mentioned, agile development is built around customer feedback and interaction. According to real-world practice, projects with higher customer involvement tend to be more successful than those that lack customer feedback.
Here is how you can improve customer satisfaction using agile methodology:
-
Find out what real customers think about your product and create a product that perfectly meets their needs and expectations.
-
Release your product sooner and provide customers with early access.
-
Make the development process more transparent and engaging. Show your customers how you improve your product from sprint to sprint.
Minimal Risks and Higher Revenue
According to statistics, the failure rate of startups is around 90%. Naturally, every startup team dreams about being lucky enough to become one in ten startups that succeed.
One of the key advantages of agile method is that it allows developers to minimize the risks of total failure of the project. Yes, you still can lose some of your resources. But you have higher chances to maintain the viability of your project in the long run. That’s how it works:
-
Agile development is iterative by nature. The features are delivered incrementally, making it possible to release the product early, gain first revenue, and continue the development process.
-
The use of the agile method helps to design a more valuable product. Since the development team tracks the changes in customer preferences and understands the needs of end-users, it makes it easy to forecast demand and choose the most suitable pricing strategy.
-
New increments are issued frequently, and that allows developers to make changes and add the new feature at a relatively low cost.
Wise Resource Management and Outcomes Predictability
Sprint planning has a positive impact on project predictability. A team can calculate and analyze the cost of each sprint and define how much resources (time, money, skills) are needed to complete the project.
Retrospectives encourage team members to discuss and share individually gained experiences from previous sprints (both positive and negative) and further use common experience for future sprint planning. In such a way, agile project management helps improve not only overall performance but also the individual performance of each team member. Naturally, it helps achieve more prominent results in the short run and ensure the long-term success of the project.
Powerful Metrics
Agile performance metrics differ from the metrics used in the traditional methodology. In agile, metrics are understandable and useful for team members – they drive higher involvement and boost team performance. We can describe agile metrics in the following way:
-
Agile metrics are always specific and project-related. Development teams use specific metrics to get answers to concrete questions related to the development process.
-
Team, not managers, choose the most relevant metrics to enhance learning and improve performance.
-
Agile metrics are something more than just numbers –they are the topics for the team discussion. Quantitative indicators help the team understand what specific factors influence the development process and how.
-
Agile teams don’t imply metrics that are hard to understand or hard to calculate. Since developers are fully focused on the design processes and work fast, they don’t have time to deal with too complex metrics.
-
When making important decisions, agile teams focus on a group of metrics rather than one specific metric to avoid tunnel vision and enhance flexibility.
5 Things to Consider when Opting for Agile Development
Agile development is effective, yet it doesn’t suit everyone. Before you start using this method in your management practice, you should consider the following:
-
Trainings and workshops for managers and developers are essential. You can’t turn your project into an “agile” overnight. You need to educate your team about the benefits of agile methodology and discuss how it affects the developing processes on different stages.
-
Transformation of organizational structure may be required. The agile methodology assumes that developers and other stakeholders (including end-users, top managers, and investors) cooperate on all possible levels to achieve a common goal – build an effective and valuable product. To become agile, an organization needs to eliminate all the barriers that may affect communication and collaboration on different levels.
-
Scalability options are limited. If you are starting a big, long-term project, you may use one of the following models: LeSS, SAFe, or Scrum-of-Scrums. However, you should understand these solutions are hard to implement, and you may face some difficulties while scaling up your project.
-
If your project requires predictable long-term planning, you should opt for a mix of agile and traditional methods. It will allow your team to adjust to the ever-changing market and build the desired product on time and budget.
What kind of software development projects are most suited for agile?
Agile product management is the right solution for you if:
-
You don’t want to waste your time on planning and want to start working on your project right away.
-
You plan to add new features to your products on a regular basis.
-
You want to cut costs when adding new features.
-
You understand that the preferences of your end-users are ever-changing, and you need to constantly get feedback to improve your product.
-
You are fully aware of the actual skills and capabilities of your team members and are sure that you have enough resources to bring your project to life.
-
You strive to add more value to your customers.
Wrapping Up
An agile method is an effective tool you can use to boost your team efforts and make your project a success. Yet, you shouldn’t see it as a magic wand that can solve all your problems. You should use this methodology wisely, and you shouldn’t forget about its limitations and drawbacks.
We hope this article will help you make an informed decision about choosing the right development approach for your project, so you can maximize your efforts and attain your goal.