Why Use Agile Methods

Today every organization wants faster and quality releases. Therefore organizations are shifting from the waterfall model to the agile model.  This model works on sprints and helps teams to maintain and deliver projects within the time frame. 

With continuous iterations, teams can deliver the product according to the changing requirements. It has gained importance in IT organizations as it allows teams to coordinate and deliver better and faster results. Let us now see some of the reasons that explain why this methodology should be used

What is agile methodology?

It is a software development and testing approach that follows certain values or principles stated in the agile manifesto for software development. In this model, product development and testing occur simultaneously. 

Agile methodology follows an incremental/iterative approach where requirements develop gradually from customers and testing teams. The main aim of this methodology is to deliver robust software to end-user to maximize customer satisfaction. 

This approach promotes continuous iteration of development and testing throughout the software development lifecycle.

What are the core values of agile methodology?

The values stated under the agile manifesto are as follows:

·         Individuals and interactions over processes and tools

·         Working software over comprehensive documentation

·         Customer collaboration over contract negotiation

·         Responding to change over following a plan

Why should businesses use agile methods?

·         Ensures high-product quality – This methodology lays strong emphasis on thorough testing, which helps teams to detect bugs and fix issues in the software in the same iteration as they are developed. This ensures that quality software is delivered to end-user

·         Enhances customer satisfaction - Customer satisfaction is the top priority as per this methodology. Since customers are exposed to their product during development, they can adapt and update requirements as development progresses. Accordingly, tests can be modified as requirement changes

·         Delivers real business value - This methodology places more value on outcomes by enabling quality products that meet the customer’s business goals. This approach ensures effective collaboration between teams and stakeholders to achieve a complete understanding of the stakeholder’s business goals.

·         Reduces risks- In this method, the product is developed in sprints which gives teams enough time to make changes or update between feature development. It helps in reducing chances of product failure

·         Improves ROI – This methodology focuses on delivering value to the business and let clients determine the priority of features which helps in improving customer satisfaction and ultimately increases return on investment.

What are the different types of agile methodologies?

Below mentioned are some of the types of this methodology:

·         Scrum: It is a lightweight framework that is used to manage iterative and incremental projects where each project consists of two to four-week sprints. Unlike other project management methods wherein the focus is on building the entire product in one iteration from start to finish, Agile Scrum methodology emphasizes delivering several iterations of a product.

·         Kanban: It follows the Lean and Just In Time approach of production that states- ‘What to produce when to produce it and how much to produce.’ It is a non-disruptive evolutionary change management system. In this methodology, existing processes are improved in small steps by implementing small changes that reduce overall risk to the system.

·         Scaled Agile Methodology (SAFe): This agile framework is for development teams and it emphasizes three pillars i.e.; Team, Program, and Portfolio. It helps teams to collaborate more effectively and helps the organization in achieving quality products.

Conclusion: Today enterprises are shifting towards more advanced and modern approaches such as agile methodology. This methodology has gained much prominence in the IT world due to the benefits that it provides to IT teams. 

With the help of these methodologies, teams can deliver a high-quality product to the customer on time. Leverage agile testing from a next-gen QA and software testing services provider to achieve quality software and to enhance CX.

About the author: I am a technical content writer and I write articles on various IT-related topics. In this article, I have tried to share my views on why should businesses use agile methods.