What Is Agile Methodology?

Agile Methodology refers to a practice that encourages continuous iteration of development and testing throughout a project’s software development lifecycle. In contrast to the Waterfall model, both development and testing activities are carried out concurrently in the Agile model of software testing.

But what is this Agile and Waterfall model we’re talking about? How does it manage to supplement software? Let’s find out!

The world has moved past the days when traditional software development models were popularized. Take the Waterfall Model as an example. The waterfall model emphasizes a step-by-step progression. Distinct endpoints or goals are set for each phase of development and cannot be revisited after completion, similar to how water flows over the edge of a cliff.

But the world experiences progress and this progress appeared in the form of AGILE METHODOLOGY.

What is Agile Methodology?

The agile methodology, as the name implies, focuses on releasing products frequently and adapting to changes. The term ‘agility,’ according to the Oxford Dictionary, refers to the ability to move quickly or swiftly. Agile methodology has grown in popularity in recent years due to its effectiveness and results-oriented approach. It is a project management philosophy centered on software development that relies on feedback and incremental changes. The way you understand your surroundings and the kinds of uncertainties you face are critical components of this approach.

Agile development prioritizes the team over the product. The solutions in this approach are dependent on the collaboration and cross-functionality of your team. An agile team is one that organizes itself. That isn’t to say that managers aren’t important in agile software development. Managers are responsible for ensuring that all team members have the necessary skills. They are in charge of providing a great environment for the members so that they can succeed in their work.

The Agile Manifesto contains 4 core values to it

1. Individuals and interactions trump processes and tools every time
2. Responding to change against sticking to a plan
3. Customer collaboration
4. Working software is preferred over extensive documentation

On top of that, there are 12 more principles mentioned under the Agile Manifesto. To make them clear, these are:

1. Customer satisfaction is achieved through the timely and continuous delivery of valuable software.
2. The team reflects on how to become more effective on a regular basis and adjusts accordingly.
3. Accept changing requirements, even late in development.
4. Self-organizing teams produce the best architectures, requirements, and designs.
5. Frequent delivery of operational software (weeks rather than months)
6. Simplicity—the art of doing as little work as possible—is essential.
7. Businesspeople and developers work closely together on a daily basis.
8. Constant focus on developing technical standards and good design
9. Projects are built around motivated individuals who can be relied on.
10. Development that is sustainable and capable of maintaining a constant pace
11. A face-to-face conversation is the most effective mode of communication (co-location)
12. The primary indicator of progress is functional software.

Agile Methodology: Framework and Implementation

When it comes to building service for yourself, you can check out the following frameworks that Agile Methodology works on

• Scrum

Scrum is a framework for addressing complex adaptive problems while producing high-value products in a productive and creative manner. It is a straightforward framework for facilitating effective team collaboration on complex products. It is the most well-known and widely used Agile methodology.

The Scrum framework addresses two critical software development pain points. The first is the speed with which software is developed, and the second is the ever-changing client requirements. The software development project is divided into phases in this approach and each phase is referred to as a Sprint. Let us understand the Scrum procedure better

• • Scrum master

The Scrum Master is in charge of organizing the team, sprint meetings and removing roadblocks to progress.

• • Product owner

The Product Owner creates the product backlog, prioritizes it and is accountable for delivering functionality at each iteration.

• • Scrum team

The team manages and organizes its own work in order to complete the sprint or cycle.

Scrum Methodology Process

The flow of Scrum testing follows this way

• • Sprint is the name given to each iteration of a scrum.
  • The product backlog is a list in which all details for the end product are entered.
  • During each Sprint, the top user stories from the Product backlog are chosen and added to the Sprint backlog.
  • The team works on the sprint backlog.
  • The team double-checks the daily work.
  • The team delivers product functionality at the end of the sprint.

In addition, small teams of 5-6 people are formed to work together to achieve the desired results.

The Scrum methodology encourages active client participation at each stage, ensuring that any necessary changes are addressed and implemented as soon as possible. This ensures that the project is completed on time and effectively meets the client’s requirements.

• eXtremeProgramming

Because of its emphasis on customer satisfaction, XP is the most successful method of agile software development. To develop the software, XP necessitates extensive customer interaction. It breaks down the entire software development life cycle into a series of short development cycles. It welcomes and incorporates customer changes or requirements at any stage of the development life cycle.

The first step in extreme programming is to gather user requirements. The entire development process is divided into several small cycles based on these requirements. The next step is iteration planning, which involves determining the number of cycles, prioritizing the requirements, and estimating the amount of effort required to implement each cycle.

Each iteration is now created using pair programming. New user requirements may emerge during the development phase.

• Lean

With fewer strict guidelines, rules, or methods than Scrum or XP, lean software development is more flexible. Lean is based on a set of principles developed in the mid-20th century to ensure value and efficiency in manufacturing and has since evolved into the software setting. Lean management is based on five principles

• • Determine worth
  • The mapping of value streams
  • Make a continuous workflow
  • Make a pull system
  • Continuous enhancement

Lean emphasizes the elimination of waste in particular. In the context of software development, this includes eliminating wasted time and unproductive tasks, making efficient use of team resources, delegating decision-making authority to teams and individuals, and prioritizing only system features that provide true value.

• Crystal

The Crystal Agile methodology focuses on the interactions of the people involved in a project rather than the development tools and techniques. Crystal is a lightweight model that prioritizes interaction, people, community, skills, communications, and talents.

Crystal divides projects into three categories based on three criteria

• • Size of the team
  • Criticality of the system
  • Priorities for the project

The approach is similar to other Agile methodologies in that it emphasizes early and frequent software delivery, high user involvement and the elimination of red tape. Crystal’s assertion that each project is unique, on the other hand, has earned it a reputation as one of the most adaptable Agile methodologies.

• Kanban

The Kanban framework was created by a Toyota engineer named Taiichi Ohno. Toyota representatives observed how supermarkets restock their goods based on what was picked off the shelves sometime in the late 1940s. As a result, Toyota devised a system in which actual consumption drives production plans.

One of the central concepts of Kanban is to avoid producing a surplus. This is accomplished through the use of Kanban cards and a Kanban board. They are also used to depict the flow of resources throughout the manufacturing process. This provides everyone with the most information about the process. This also allows managers to address any surpluses or shortages in real-time.

The Kanban system also introduces the concept of “pull” over “push,” which means that workers pull in work based on their capacity rather than having work fed to them on a conveyor belt or in the form of a to-do list.

The Bottom Line

We, at Stellar Digital, work on our mobile app development services projects based on Agile Methodology. And we hope that this article has provided you with the information you were looking for when it comes to Agile Methodology.