If you are a Project Manager or desire to be one, you probably expect of countless projects that are lining up on your list waiting to be implemented.
Most of the time, implementing “one project at a time” doesn’t work very well because you have to begin and finish projects as soon as possible.
In software application development, agile software development is a methodology utilized to assess the direction of a project throughout its whole life cycle.
Agile enables adaptive planning, evolutionary development, prompt delivery, constant improvement, and ensures swift responses to needed changes.
Agile Software Development is considered iterative and incremental since it produces prospective “shippable” product increment through consistent steps of work.
When Should You Use Agile?
The agile model will be suitable to the following situations:
- When developers need to drop the few days spent to work in order to roll back and implement the project again.
- When implementation of current changes should be done, offering a very low cost due to the new increments produced.
- When a project should resume without the fear of getting into a sudden stop.
- When a limited planning is needed to begin an immediate project.
To see a dramatic improvement of results on your projects, the following are the most common steps that should be taken:
Discovery –
Meetings with the clients should unfold a realistic and visible direction to the new project. The client’s vision, goals, challenges and potential customers should be comprehensively laid and discussed so as to discover what will best fit to meet such needs. Hence, this is the stage where discovery takes place. The entirety of the project is anticipated and discussed to gain a deeper understanding until successful completion.
Product Backlog –
Upon the discovery, the client is then asked to create a prioritized feature list with short descriptions. “User Story” is the format by which this list is documented inclusive of all the features, necessary work assignment and a living document that can be updated or changed until the whole process is done. Basically, this high-level backlog is done to provide a detailed recognition of all the important steps to be taken for the project in order to prevent the team from going astray with the goal.
Iterations –
This approach is consist of various tasks performed at an identified span of time, usually 4 weeks. The agile team and the client meets for a meeting to review the considerations and demands of the project in order to meet the expectations. Mainly, this is set to refine and clarify all details before developing them. The team then begins to perform the tasks. The designers, developers, testers, writers and other roles work hand-in-hand to create outputs which will be checked by the client. This time, the client and the rest of the team will assess the finished tasks, the ones that are to be done and the difficulties that will be encountered along the process. The outcome of this assessment will be subject to the development of the project which in due time when completed will expose a demonstration of the delivered features.
Continuing the Cycle –
When the project is ready, other improvements will rise along the way. Addition of such features and demands will be carried out through the client and the agile team still working together. The cycle takes place again, from discovery, to product backlog and iterations to scrutinize the significance and details of the new features.
Following these steps will inculcate an orientation to the client and the agile team to produce the desired project. Furthermore, this keeps the process systematic and quick since the direction of the project is clear to everyone involved.
Benefits of the incorporating the Agile model to your project:
- Connection between the client and the agile team is strengthened inculcating deeper understanding and creation of clear goals for the new project
- Consistent, prompt and useful software development services satisfy customers
- Quick adaptation to shifting cases
- Interactive linkage between the client and developers are regularly exhibited.
- Late changes in the demands and backlog of features can be catered.
- Working software is delivered regularly
Agile software development is a project management approach that can offer quality and systematic accomplishment of every project assigned to project managers. This enhances connection to clients and provides real-time adaptation to alterations met along the process.
Utilizing this methodology when managing your projects will likely show dramatic improvements and help you and your projecdt perform at its best.
