“For a new software system, the requirements will not be completely known until after the users have used it.” –Watts Humphrey.
This surely is a very interesting remark and can be taken as one of the most gratifying answers to the question as to why the agile method is most wanted. Agile is broadly accepted due to its amicable ways. Agile is focusing not only on rapid delivery of business values but also on ‘just-in-time’ planning. Though plan-driven development method like waterfall has been helped to drive down the failure rate, it largely lacked ability to achieve its objectives mainly due to its stubborn methodologies. Therefore, that is the reason why businesses look for something which is more flexible but agile in nature.
Iterative and incremental development
Agile encourages iterative and incremental development. The concept of incremental development is based on short, but clear-cut goals. The developers get necessary feedback from customers which provides valuable insights to the development. It is a known fact that at the start of the project, the requirements are not so clear to either customer or the developer. Therefore, Agile’s way of “just in time” planning and development makes sense here. Both planning and development evolves simultaneously and goes hand in hand until the final desired product is built. The exercise of acceptance test and assessment in short iterations drives clear goals and the inspiration to achieve them. Requirement changes are always welcome in Agile method. Customers get small pieces of prioritized working software in regular, short intervals.
Team competency
Competency is one of the core components in any standard software development procedure. This is a joint commitment which influences the quality of development. Agile development method is a great booster in that sense. Unbroken communication between team members and the constant involvement of the client in the development makes things truly better for everyone. They together can be considered as a self-organizing team who have s clear goals and motivations.
Standard Performance
When there is a sincere effort to deliver high quality software, the expectations get high. As a result, the team sets up goals to achieve certain standard performance. The entire team knows that the performance standard they aim at should be something that they need to toil on. They feel the responsibility and the need to deliver their best. Agile follows a method which drives to set such standard performance. This is not only based on developer’s hard work but also on customer’s feedback on working software which is adopted in the subsequent development.
Continuous focus
Agile method is genuinely providing the team an environment to focus continuously on their development. Great attention is given to technical as well as the aesthetic aspects of the product. The constant interaction that happens in scrum meetings makes this a possibility. By doing this, they are certainly focusing on the rapid delivery of the business value. There is plenty of room for reviewing and refocusing on the project if required.
Feature oriented development
Agile focuses on feature oriented development which is committed to deliver a solid working software to the customer within a given period of time. Building up a feature becomes easier when the feature is small. It helps in marking the progress made on each and every feature being built. This sort of development enables precise reporting and keeping track of the software development project accurately. Client is involved in the project and keeps on giving feedback to improve the end product. This can be valuable as it can provide a competitive advantage to the customer.
Agile derives great level of customer satisfaction due to their engagement with the development process. Customer appreciates agile method because they have freedom to change their needs as the project involves. The ability to actively and collaboratively involve with the entire project with high level of cooperation makes not only the customer but the agile development team also to feel like an accomplished lot. The Agile development clearly encourages a unified commitment which influences the entire project positively. It ensures team spirit, quality, completeness, and quickness. The whole team devotes their time and energy to the project to achieve their common goal. The method of agile has become widely accepted now because of all these endearing characteristics.
