Agile development is a common methodology used to approach development projects. It takes a flexible, teamwork-based approach to development that has proven to be very successful. But what about startups? Can a startup firm in the technology sector benefit from the application of Agile methodology? To answer this question, we will first need to explore the unique challenges facing startups. The Nature of Startup Life A startup firm is often loosely defined as a new business that is not profitable, and the business owners are okay with that – it is a time to innovate, grow, and develop. It is worth noting that being part of a startup can be very exciting. For instance: Things are constantly changing each day. Everything moves along quickly. You are working on ‘the next big thing.’ You are surrounded by creativity and passion. Unfortunately, because of the excitement, rapid growth, and abundance of creative ideas, challenges are likely to arise as well. The business does not have a defined roadmap. Approaches to development are disorganized and chaotic. Early market reactions do not provide sufficient data to adjust long-term strategies. And these are just to name a few. An infographic published by Clarity offers a very comprehensive list of struggles faced by many new startups: The missing key to successful growth for most startups is to have an action plan for development – one that is flexible and dynamic. At first glance, it appears that Agile development methodology may be an effective solution. What Makes Agile Development Methodology Effective Agile development allows for flexibility, especially if immediate change is required. The core concepts of...
The web has changed over the past few years – the amount of things we can now do online, as well as the way we construct our day-to-day lives around the web and communication, has meant that different software development techniques in the digital sphere have risen to prominence in recent years. Let’s explore a blend of two different types of development techniques – Outsourcing along with Agile Development Where does outsourcing agile development fit in for me? A distributed environment, one where not all work is completed in the same space, has become commonplace within today’s businesses, and for agile development as a process to work efficiently has to be able to work well in this environment. Fortunately, with the right lines of communication in place, distributed agile development adds a huge amount of value when outsourcing work, no matter where you are. The collaboration and relationship of a distributed team adds up a great deal – and it can fit right in to your team as long as you follow some essential guidelines on how to make distributed agile development work for you. Created ‘rich’ lines of communication to counteract the relatively small amount of quality face-to-face time with distributed work Create frequent deliverables within a distributed agile environment Get clear, well-written guidelines and objectives so everyone knows what to expect. Faster and more flexible delivery There are many key features of agile development that mean many major companies in the software development and IT industries are adopting this way of thinking. The table below indicates some features and benefits of agile development – as well as...
Everyone seems to be excited and talking about Agile product development these days. Let’s see why. Getting a product to market is more challenging and competitive than ever before. Adaptability is crucial, and many traditional product development methods overlook the importance of that flexibility. It’s not that traditional development methods are inherently bad – they simply lack in the necessary flexibility to be effective. The primary objectives of product development are to reduce time to market, increase product quality, and save money, all while delivering a product that exceeds client expectations. To begin this guide, let’s review the Waterfall model, a more traditional approach to product development that you may already be familiar with. The Waterfall Development Model If you can imagine progress flowing from top to bottom in a cascading fashion, you will begin to get a sense of the allegorical origins of the ‘Waterfall’ method. First used in the manufacturing and construction industries, the Waterfall model follows a sequential design process. In other words, each of its seven phases of development must be satisfied in order to move on to the next. If an error occurs in a later phase, the Waterfall model necessitates returning to an earlier phase in the sequence. In essence, this results in having to retrace a number of steps in between. Needless to say, a mistake in a later phase can be both expensive and time-consuming. To put it simply, a model that relies upon moving through only one of seven sequential phases at a time will be slow, tedious, and without flexibility. Thankfully, the Agile product development methodology has demonstrated the...
