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.

In the past few years, the number of companies that are part of the implementation of nearshoring projects to other companies has grown significantly worldwide.

Nearshoring projects has become a part of many companies. As IT nearshoring services expand, at the same time increase the need for advancement. In this context, promotion of the innovation within the business is a must.

Strategically nearshoring innovation using the most current technologies and management techniques can put a company in a good leadership position. Nearshoring companies provide a number of innovation processes that deliver long term improvement to the projects. To achieve the desired level of innovation, the nearshoring partner and client must work together in order to foster innovation. Nurturing a collaborative environment is the main factor for success and it is never too late to start an innovation process in your company.

As the industry matures and the range of nearshoring projects and services extends to higher-value activities, client raise the expectations of including innovations in the current projects. To be in line with changing customers tastes, companies need to be innovative and always in the first line for improving their knowledge and expertise.

According to statistics in companies across Europe, 64% of the companies believe that their ability to be more innovative contributes to their financial performance. 53% reported that innovative capabilities are important criteria in the client’s process of choosing the best appropriate business partner.

If you want to incorporate the innovation processes in your nearshoring business strategies, read a few important steps to acquire your goal:

–              Executives need to consider the type of innovation and expected impact of the innovation

–              Create measurement instruments for assessment

–              Assessment of the vendor’s capability for innovation

–              Create a contract for innovation in which will be included appropriate compensations

–              Measurement of the innovation processes in which client monitor the innovation targets

Nearshore Macedonia is a nearshoring IT company that provide software development services for European clients, especially in the health industry. Innovations have always been part of our day-to-day activities. At the end of the day, growth is more important than numbers.

Contact Us and learn more about our development processes, solutions and finished projects.

The year 2020 has emerged as one of the most challenging years in recent history. COVID-19 has impacted every industry, causing businesses to revise budgets, amongst many other operational matters, in order to manage the effects of the pandemic.

IT outsourcing and the nearshoring sector has been greatly affected by COVID-19.

Many European companies are facing challenges “working from home”. Many companies which lack an agile approach, are facing with many challenges from the absence from automated processes before Covid 19.

When the recovery will begin, the expectations are very optimistic for this sector. IT outsourcing will be more popular and relevant than before.

Working with an experienced outsourcing /nearshoring provider helps companies overcome productivity challenges, streamline operations and add additional resources that may be lacking in-house.

Advances in technology have helped forward-looking companies to benefit significantly from outsourcing/nearshoring services for quite some time now. This is particularly relevant for small to medium-size enterprises.

Despite the pandemic, IT outsourcing and nearshoring have always succeeded in remote work. Nearshore Macedonia Team proved that is capable and has knowledge of continuing software development services without delaying in the completely remote scenario.

Despite the lockdown, Our team continued without barriers in communication with our clients in order to deliver the best solution possible. These days, more than ever is increasing the need for outsourcing and nearshoring companies.

At Nearshore Macedonia, we know that clear communication is essential for the best software solution. Nearshoring ultimately offers business owners great advantages.

The process allows them to build a team of skilled professionals without adding the expense of full-time employees and additional office space and equipment. With nearshoring, business owners can focus their time, attention and resources on their company’s core competencies and spend their time setting new goals and finding ways to achieve them.

It can be tricky knowing when to take the leap and trust a third party with some of your work. You want to be sure that you can rely on them to get the job done because ultimately, it’s your name and your brand that’s on the line.

Businesses often look for a reliable service provider even when they have their own in-house team on board. Using an external team to help for part of the projects might sound challenging.

However, it is possible to work well in a healthy, trustworthy environment where everyone focuses on a common goal.

Hiring a nearshore external team is a good decision when some developer from your own in-house team quits his/her job. Interviewing candidates and negotiating also take much time, and if an employee dodges, you’ll have to start over. Usually, it needs a few months to find a well-skilled developer and this can cause delays with the projects.

When you are a startup or small company you can’t afford an extensive in-house team and a result is an overwhelming number of tasks for the internal team. By near-shored software development team, enterprises can cut off overhead costs like office supplies or hardware. No need to create working conditions, compensate sick leaves or pay taxes for the employees. Cooperation with a nearshore company prevents the in-house team burning out and ensures the work will be done.

You can get also a near-shored skilled team for lower prices. Usually, the clients assign a task and manage near-shore team members in the same way as their own local team. The local and near-shored teams work as one. Choosing this approach means very close collaboration and communication between all members of local and nearshore teams with regular Skype meetings.

Offshoring, on the other hand, is the relocation by a company of a business process to a more distant location. Different time zones, distance, cultural differences, and language barriers, can all impact the work process significantly. So, when choosing between nearshoring and offshoring, one should be focused on the benefits, but also be aware that offshoring may pose more risks than nearshoring, and those should be carefully considered.

Nearshore Macedonia ensures a high level of integration at the earliest possible opportunity. For this reason, our team at Nearshore Macedonia cooperate in terms of Agile Methodology, which helps to eliminate risks as lack of mutual understanding, different treatment of tasks, and late recognition that something is not right.

Talk to our team and confidently build your next big thing.