Agile Development

Agile development, by definition, is a methodology in software and Web development that cycles through the different stages of development from conceptualizing and gathering requirements to delivering a functional product.  Agile development is one where the customers, business owners or experts work hand in hand with software and Web developers in creating a software or Web application, and entails a lot of collaboration, face-to-face meetings, communication, and documentation.

To provide a better explanation, it is necessary to compare and contrast agile development strategies with the more traditional methodologies, wherein software and Web developers get the requirements from their customers then work out the plans themselves.  In this case, a large part of the software is planned out in detail, and usually for a long span of time.  Everything has a timetable and each process is dependent on the previous, or largely relies on the earlier stages.

Traditional methods tend to be stringent and rigid, often lending itself to disastrous outcomes when the client changes his or her mind, or circumstances change the requirements for the software or Web application.  Unforeseen problems and conditions can also cause the required functionalities to change.  These changes disrupt the generally the more longe- term plans and the time table of the project, and are often unwelcome.

In contrast, agile development cuts up the development process into short stages or phases of development, with each stage having its own planning, requirement analysis, designing and coding, documentation and testing sub-stages.  It also gives importance to clear goal setting, communication and planning.

These guarantee that, first and foremost, requirements are clearly laid out from the start and at every stage.  The involvement of the customer or the business owner in the project allows him or her to communicate his or her plans and the required functionality of the software or Web application being developed.  This gives rise to a better brainstorming session, where ideas are offered, taken and threshed out, before anything further is done.

Changes do not drastically affect the time line and plans for the whole or major part of the software or Web application, only the stage where it is introduced.  This setup allows the team to fine- tune and adjust the succeeding stages accordingly.  Indeed, adaptability is the key strength of agile development.

And because customer input is given at every stage, further adaptability is exercised, as these inputs are taken into consideration, added to the product at that point or worked into plans for the succeeding stages.  In turn, the final product fits the requirements better and is easier for the customer to learn and use than a final product introduced at the end of the development process. The latter is typical with traditional methods.

What’s more, precisely because agile development works in stages, changes to the requirements cause little or no disruptions to the timeline of the whole project.  And because stages are often short in duration, and the work flow goes relatively smooth, software and Web development take a considerably shorter time and incurs less cost than the traditional methodology.

Furthermore, agile development tends to focus on the people involved, with the processes playing second fiddle.  Successful agile development strategies emphasize team work, constant communication, and inspections.  Daily meetings involving the developers and representatives of the customer or client are regular parts of agile development projects, wherein team members report to one another their progress.

Lastly, agile development allows for incremental releases of working and functional products throughout its various stages.  Updates, enhancements, additions can be added to a working product as soon as they become available.  For example, the project is a simple shopping cart system for a retailer.  The team could come out with a functional form that would take note of a buyer’s personal information and credit card information and other details of the order.  Automation and notifications can be added at stage two or three, while systems for after-sales communication like a reminder or update can be added at still later stages.  This way, the customer can implement his or her e-Commerce program earlier than expected.

The world of information technology and the Internet is one of dynamic and constant change.  To survive, one has to adapt and be flexible to these changes.  Software and Web development are no exceptions.  Indeed, in its highly competitive and ever-changing marketplace, the key to keeping customers happy is not the tried and tested, but the flexible strategies that cut costs, save time and increase ROI.