Software development is a very complex process and requires multidimensional growth.  Using a single model like a waterfall is not enough for the requirements.

Every client wants to hire a skilled team of developers with which will have great communication, be involved in the development process, and have a great software solution as early as possible. The best way to acquire these requirements is to bypass the old waterfall method of software development and to switch to the software development life cycle in agile.

What is the Agile approach?

Agile is an approach to create and react to changes. The main value is to enable teams to deliver value faster, with high quality and the ability to quickly respond to the changes.

The agile methodology that utilizes iterative development and prototyping is widely used in a variety of industry projects as a lightweight development method that can satisfy the changes of requirements. Short iterations are required for efficient product delivery. Traditional software development processes are not much efficient to manage the rapid change in requirements.

Testing is required after each iteration. With this task, failures are detected in the earlier phases and can be fixed right at the moment. Continuous testing allows constant feedback and improvement on the projects.

What is scrum?

Scrum is the most used Agile methodology.  Scrum is currently the most used technique in development not only for software but even in the fields of finance, research, etc.

Software development life cycle in agile methodology is widely used and has much positive feedback from the companies that work by these principles of managing projects. A great result is found when Scrum is used in small teams with daily communication between team members and the work is done in small cycles. These processes are led by Scrum Master.

In this post, we will discuss in-depth about Agile approach and Scrum methodology, as the most widely used subset of the Agile approach.

The agile approach was founded 20 years ago by a team of 17 developers as an alternative to the waterfall approach with the main aim to improve the old methods. The waterfall approach was the first process model and was used for software development. In this approach typically, the outcome of one phase acts as the input for the next phase sequentially.

With the Agile approach, every company can manage a project by breaking it into several phases. This approach requires constant communication and improvement in the stages.

The Scrum Master is responsible to run processes smoothly and without obstacles in all the software development processes. He also needs to find ways to improve the productivity of the team members.

Ideally for the team is to be in the range of five to nine people. A larger number makes communication difficult.

The agile approach has consisted of 4 main values:

•             Individuals and interactions over processes and tools

•             Working software over comprehensive documentation

•             Customer collaboration over contract negotiation

•             Responding to change over following a plan

There is a huge focus on collaboration between teams and how to better self-organize. If the team could self-organize, did not mean that there is no need for managers. Managers still have an important role in the software development life cycle in the agile approach and provide the environment that allows the team to be successful and with the right skillset.

History of Agile methodology

In the year 2001 seventeen software developers meet in Utah to discuss and establish a new method that will improve the old waterfall approach. Together they published the Manifesto for Agile Software Development.

The Manifesto is based on 12 main principles which involve customer satisfaction and welcome changing requirements even in the late development. Fast delivery of the software solution with intensive cooperation between client and developers on a daily basis and attention to a good design. Working in sprints which are short time frames mostly around from one to four weeks minimizes the risk and allows the product to adapt to the changes.

Benefits from software development life cycle in agile

Features are developed very quickly with short cycles and developers are very responsive to the client. There is bigger client satisfaction, and the software solution is ready for a shorter period. The client can bring the products faster to the market.

Developers are satisfied, they are in constant communication and sharing ideas, and most important, writing long specifications is excluded.

Many different case studies and surveys show that the software development life cycle in agile is extremely popular between companies. Agile methods through the years have proven their effectiveness, especially in the software industry. Improved communication between team members, quick releases, short sprints is only a few feedbacks from satisfied companies.

The agile approach has many improvements also in the cost reduction field. Reduction of the effort spent on a certain software development project, automatically leads to money-saving for the company provided the flexibility of sharing resources among projects. Overall costs are reduced, and the income is increased.

Stages of the software development life cycle in agile

There are 5 stages of the Agile approach that every company should consider:

• Ideation

Here we are defining the idea of the software, main goal, documentation with requirements, and allocation of resources.

• Development

This is the stage where the team is actively included in the whole development process. Here the team communicates with each other, sharing ideas and suggestions.

• Testing

In this stage, QA is checking if the code is clean, reporting if there are bugs or errors

• Deployment

In this stage, the project is ready for release and the team deploys to the server or cloud.

• Operations

In this stage, there is a field for improvement regards users feedback.

Nearshore Macedonia is a software development company that is focused mainly on the development of clients’ projects with tight schedules. We are always striving to be always on the edge of the modern technologies working within Agile principles and ISO 27001 standards.

Our clients are assured that their personal information is always safe. Our team works in the software development life cycle in agile with short sprints with great communication on a daily basis.

Conclusion:

Agile methodology with great success bypasses all the negative sides of the waterfall approach and it is widely used across many industries. The main process is divided into several phases and there is a huge focus on collaboration between teams and how to better self-organize. There is positive feedback from many clients worldwide.

Contact us at Nearshore Macedonia to discuss your requirements and get the best solution for your software development project. The team of Nearshore Macedonia consists of highly skilled and experienced IT specialists. Our added value lies in the development of challenging web solutions. We invest in long-term relationships and have extensive experience working with international clients.