When it comes to software development, the agile way of working is more the rule than the exception – a project management method characterized by flexibility, continuous improvement, and close customer contact. An agile project does not follow a typical linear process; instead, the work is done iteratively with constant adjustments and improvements – often resulting in higher quality and more efficient resource management. This contrasts with the more traditional waterfall method, where a project has distinct phases, often defined right at the start of the project, with clear beginnings and ends.
In agile work, the project is broken down into smaller, manageable cycles, called sprints. A sprint often lasts from one to four weeks, during which time the development team aims to deliver a specific set of work or part of the product that is completed and ready for review. This allows for continuous evaluations of the direction and adjustments to the product.
The customer and the product's users are constantly involved in the process through regular meetings, user tests as well as feedback and demo sessions. This ensures that new information reaches the development team instantly, reducing misunderstandings and the risk of extensive changes late in development – which are costly in both time and money.
Regular and continuous engagement with stakeholders ensures that their feedback is incorporated throughout the development process, leading to a more satisfactory end product. Stakeholders are also kept informed about progress, upcoming work and potential challenges, fostering trust and collaboration.
Within the development team, collaboration is just as important, making the work transparent as well as promoting discussions that lead to improvements and new perspectives.
Thanks to the incremental and iterative approach, it is possible to remain flexible throughout the project. This flexibility allows for continuous changes in the development process, which is particularly valuable in projects where requirements may change rapidly in response to new market conditions or user feedback. Since agile projects do not follow a clear step-by-step process, the team can smoothly adjust both the scope and direction without the need for extensive replanning.
The approach also enables continuous improvement, which is a central part of the agile method. The goal of each iteration is not only to complete a number of tasks but also to always strive for improvements that enhance the quality of the final product. This is made possible by regular meetings with the customer, internal feedback meetings, open dialogue, and the learning culture that characterizes agile teams.
In large projects, there may be many agile teams working in parallel on different parts of the same project – something that can be difficult to coordinate as maintaining effective communication and coordination across large teams can be complex.
Larger projects also often have multiple interdependencies between teams. Managing these dependencies, while maintaining the flexibility and responsiveness of agile working, can be challenging.
Working agilely can be difficult for large, more traditional companies that have clear hierarchies. The agile method benefits from an open and flexible culture that is not characterized by power structures.
Successful adoption of the agile method requires commitment and support from leadership, which can be challenging to secure.
Various meetings (such as stand-ups, demos, and retrospectives) must be held regularly to facilitate communication, something that can sometimes be perceived as taking time away from the actual development work. It can also be perceived as time-consuming by a customer who is not entirely accustomed to the agile approach as they need to be involved frequently and extensively.
The advantages of an agile approach are very clear in software development, primarily because rapid adjustments are crucial to meet continuously changing user needs and new technical requirements. Once these needs and requirements have been met, it is important that the solution is thoroughly tested to ensure that it functions flawlessly, which is something that is continuously handled when working agilely. If bugs are discovered, the development team can immediately rectify them, without affecting other parts of the software.
At Meta Bytes, we see agile work as the most effective approach when it comes to software development, and both our project managers and developers are experts in this way of working. Through close cooperation with our customers and a flexible approach, we can quickly adapt to changed needs or conditions and thus ensure that we always deliver amazing tech with damn good business impact.
Block QuoteBack
