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Agile Development Method: Why it Works
Agile development signifies any growth process that is supported with concepts such as people over processes, customer collaboration over contract negotiation and the response to change over following a rigid plan. Using agile development allows teams to break down their tasks into time boxes, helping the team deliver specific features for release in a specified amount of time. Our project development processes here at SovTech have adopted the Agile Scrum Framework. We outline the Agile Development Method and Why it Works
This Scrum Framework has become the way tech industries create new software and products. Scrum provides a structure for the whole company to head towards a common goal as it pillars teamwork, collaboration and transparency. This framework helps harness how teams actually work, giving them the tools to self-organise and rapidly improve both quality and speed of work. Value is delivered to clients in small increments and feedback is gathered throughout the project lifestyle and then fed back into the process.
The Agile Development Method makes use of a multi-talented, widely-represented team of tech experts that can successfully turn a vision to reality in the most efficient and cost-effective way. Here’s what your SovTech Agile team would look like:
Otherwise known as the Client/Key stakeholder who has the vision of what they want to be created, for example a unique website or mobile application. They are able to make decisions based on real time feedback and decide what work should be and where the value lies. It’s important for a Product Owner to know the market and where his/her interests lie. Product owners make prioritised wishlists known as a product backlog of what needs to be completed and done in order for their product to come to life. Compiling a product backlog is really beneficial as it consists of non-functional requirements, features, bug fixes and anything else what need to be done to make sure our team can deliver a functioning software system.
These are the experienced individuals doing the work, making a product come to life, for example our developers, UX/UI designers, programmers and testers who have a direct role in the product development, turning an app vision into reality. The team will take a small chunk of work from that product backlog/to do list and plan how long and how they are going to implement it. The team completes certain tasks within a timeframe, otherwise known as a sprint, which is normally around 2 weeks. To assess progress we have 15 minute Daily standup meetings to see if everything is going according to plan. So the more comfortable your shoes, the more agile your team
Otherwise known as our Project Manager/Facilitator who decides how the work is going to get done, whilst coaching the team throughout the project lifecycle. The Scrum master plans how much work can be achieved during a Sprint and is present during daily Stand ups so he/she can discuss priorities and what the developers are working on. Work is made visible for all team members to see what they are working on and what needs to be done, what’s in progress and what still needs to be internally tested.
Team velocity is the measure of amount of work a team can tackle during a single sprint and this is the key metric to Scrum. Planning a two week sprint helps us plan what is realistically achievable during this time period and who is working on what. At the end of the sprint, the work is ready to show the clients and we are ready to receive constructive feedback. A scrum master is able to close that sprint and start a new one for the following two weeks.
