Introduction to Agile Development Cycle
Agile Development cycle or Agile Software development life cycle is the methodology of implementing the agile project management methodology to the process of software development. Agile Software Development Cycle is also known as the Iterative or Incremental Software development Life cycle as the software development is based on continuous learning from the iterations. Agile methodology is a method of implementing a set of planning and management techniques based on the iterative and incremental execution of tasks as per the project requirement. The agile practices concentrate on teamwork by allowing teams to work on a project and to make modifications and changes during the software development to achieve the project’s objective efficiently.
Phases of Agile Development Cycle
The Agile development Life Cycle can be divided into 5 different phases which are:
1. Concept/Objective
In this phase, the objective of the software and how the user interface will appear is finalized, based on the client’s requirement and interaction. It also defines the business opportunities and the time required to complete the project. Thus, this phase clearly clarifies the client’s expectation related to the project
2. Inception/Identifying Requirement
Once the project is finalized, initial requirements including:
- The team members (UI/UX designers and developers)
- Gathering the initial support and fund
- Modelling the development using the architectural strategy and flow charts
3. Construction/Development/Iteration
The development team now starts working on developing the software based on the first iteration to produce a working product with minimum functionality at the end of the first sprint which then undergoes continuous revisions improvements until finalized.
The following steps are executed in this phase:
- Team association with the stakeholders/clients.
- Prioritizing and implementing the iterations and functionalities.
- Scrutinizing and developing each iteration/sprint.
- The regular release of working solutions.
- Testing at the completion of every step to assure quality.
4. Production & Testing
Before releasing the final product/software, the software is tested by the quality assurance team to detect any defects, bugs, faults or errors and record wins and losses. This phase also supports the ongoing software release and feedback from the client and the users. The client and the users are guided on how to use the software. This phase ends when the release is slated for retirement. The various tasks performed in the production and testing phase are:
- Testing and debugging of the system.
- Finishing the system development and user documentation.
- Guiding and Training users.
- Deploy the System.
5. Retirement
This phase is all about the system decommissioning or system sun setting. The old or the legacy systems are removed and replaced by the new systems/ software with minimal impact on business operation and ensuring the smooth flow of the process. There are different reasons for system release in the retirement phase including:
- The release is no longer supported.
- The system has become obsolete.
- The system needs to be updated to a newer version to enhance the business model.
Agile methodology concentrates on developing the right product with minimum cost and no error. The agile development cycle is all about continuously evolving and emerging the development cycle. It embraces the changes until the client’s expectations are met.
Below mentioned are some of the rewards of using Agile Methodology:
a. Agreeable Methodology
The dynamic involvement, support, and cooperation make agile development teams much more pleasant for most people. Instead of hefty modules, lengthy reports, and long project plans, Agile concentrates on small workshops, sprints, task-oriented discussions, and effective time management for completing the project. The team members are authorized to make the right decision in order to develop an efficient product. Thus, Agile Development Cycle helps in building highly motivated, performance-oriented teams that are highly cooperative.
b. Transparency
The stakeholders/clients are involved in every iteration throughout the development life cycle in the agile process providing, continuous constructive feedbacks and review sessions to meet their expectations and adding transparency in the process of the project development.
c. Anticipation and timely Delivery
The sprints and iterations are pre-planned and well discussed to convey foreseeable and timely delivery on or before the expected time. Brilliant team spirit is displayed and the anticipation of the team members in delivering the release is clearly visible in the Agile Development Cycle.
d. Calculated Costs and Schedule
As the Sprint is a fixed duration, the cost is predictable to the amount of work. Due to the fact that the estimates are provided to the client prior to each Sprint, the approximate cost of each feature is clearly understood by the client, helping in the decision making for further actions.
Principles for the Smooth Functioning of Software Development
1. Customer Satisfaction Through Early and Consistent Delivery: Meeting the client’s requirement is the top priority by delivering an effective solution as slated by the customer by minimizing the time required to complete the sprints.
2. Embraces Changes and Open for Improvements: Agile development accepts the suggestion which is effective for the right product development. Thus, agile development offers the flexibility of changes in the latter part of development, unlike some rigid strategies.
3. Focused on Breaking the Hefty Chunk into Short Sprints: Agile functions by dividing the project into short fix duration sprints to assure timely delivery of the working solution to the client.
4. Great Collaboration Between the People and Developer: In Agile Development Cycle, stakeholders and the developers work closely to achieve success. Thus, Agile displays a brilliant association of people and technology.
5. Ensuring Transparency using Face to Face Discussions: Face to face discussions are encouraged for constructive feedbacks and continuous improvements to meet the target expectations and quality assurance.
6. Producing Quality Product: The software/product undergoes rigorous quality testing before implementation in order to eliminate bugs and flaws for the smooth functioning of the business operations.
7. Sustainable Development: In Agile Development Cycle, work is done in short fixed duration bursts to ensure productivity and better outcomes. Developing the product at the right place is pivotal to achieve success in agile project management.
8. Providing best Design and Excellent Technology: In Agile Development Cycle, refining code is not a compulsion as the code will get better automatically with every iteration. The use of scrum tools can further enhance the speed of the process achieving more amount of work in less time without compromising on the quality.
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