In order to have an agile application development, it is necessary to apply a set of techniques and processes that determine the deadlines and deliveries of each phase of the development of a technology project.

When compared to traditional project management, Agile Methodologies seek real-time communication between the development team and the end customer.

Instead, the extensive documentation can also cause the team’s autonomy, by defining a vast of deliveries at a certain time. Thus,  the team will work towards this conclusion with the highest possible quality.

Agile methodologies meet both a need and escape the traditional development model.

Software development needs to keep up with the growth of industries and the market. It is increasingly competitive, technological, and changeable. Therefore, it is necessary that development methods need an evaluation to meet this growing need.

In this article, you will find out how you can combine successful apps development with Agile Methodologies.

What are the main agile methodologies?

The choice for an agile methodology is not made by comparing quality, but it is a necessity.

There is no methodology that is more agile, or that delivers more quality than another. It is necessary to identify the one that works best in the reality of the App development team.

There are several agile methodologies available for your development team. Check out a few of these tools:

RAD – Rapid Application Development

This is perhaps one of the oldest agile methods, Rapid Application Development was created in the 1980s.

It is divided into three parts: requirements, design, construction. The intended delivery period is from 90 to 120 days.

MSF – Microsoft Solutions Framework

One of the best-known and traditional agile methods, as it focuses on smaller teams. Thus, it generates less risk for the project and seeks to increase the quality of the products developed.

MSF’s focus is greater on project management than on the application or software developed.

XP – Extreme Programming

This is one of the most used methods, which takes the customer into account during the development process.

It is based on small deliveries, developed with the customer, in short periods of one to two weeks.

Software versions are being delivered quickly, seeking intense user interaction. Metrics and indicators measure the progress of the work and contribute to the project’s development.

FDD – Feature Driven Development

FDD is a versatile agile methodology that you can use with other agile methods.

Its focus is on mapping the project and dividing it into small phases. Plus, it looks for allowing for more agility in development and the identification of failures.

Scrum

Scrum is the most famous agile method used today, as its use extends beyond software development teams. There are different types of projects, from different market segments, can use Scrum as an agile methodology.

Also, Scrum’s working method is in small team meetings, called Sprints.

The main benefits of using Agile Methodologies for App Development

When using Agile Methodologies, the team involved in the project becomes more active and communicates more assertively.

Another aspect is that the process provokes in each one of the project members self-organization and the focus for quality delivery.

Each process cycle aims to inspect the project and its adaptation.  At each test and approval phase,  you can identify improvements and corrections,  so that the final product is working and adds the greatest possible value to the customer.

The speed of development brings faster delivery and faster responses to any obstacle during the development process.  There is nothing more than the production team, but always in line with the quality of the final product.

How can you use Scrum Methodology in Application projects?

You can do project management through different methodologies. Choosing the one that is most appropriate to the situation is directly related to its success.

In the context of application development, it is essential that management is flexible, agile, and transparent to the customer. Meeting these demands comes Scrum, a methodology increasingly used in the Information Technology area.

Why Develop Apps with Agile Methodologies?

The big thing about application development is that, in general, it’s not clear what it will look like at the end of the process.

There is an initial idea and fundamental functionality on which way you will build the app. But only during development does it become clear what features and characteristics will allow the app to fulfill its purpose and give it its identity.

During application development, there is a need for several features that add a lot to the final product. So that sometimes they are essential to fulfill its role.

On the other hand, there may be others that at the beginning of development made perfect sense but which end up being unnecessary.

In addition to the functional part of the application, there is also the issue of design. For the application to be as expected, the development process must occur in cycles.

This is important to a small part of the project that is developed and then shown to the client who will validate or request a change, ending the cycle.

In this context, Scrum is a perfect fit for application development as it addresses all of these intrinsic process issues.

What is the role of the customer in the application development process?

Unlike what happens in other management methodologies, the client actively participates in the development process in Scrum.

The customer is responsible for giving the guidelines to the Scrum master and the development team. This way, it is possible to guarantee that the final product will be as he wishes.

The product owner starts participating from the creation of the product backlog. He gets together with the others involved and together they think about what features and therefore stories the application should have.

Then the product owner will prioritize stories giving more importance to those he wants to run first.

Furthermore, during this meeting with the Scrum master that new stories are initially outside you can add the product backlog to it.  But only if the customer wants to add new functionality to the application.

At the end of each sprint, the product owner meets again with the Scrum Master in the sprint review. At this point, the product owner will evaluate the result of each story.

Also, the P.O will decide if it meets his expectations or if it returns to the product backlog.

The validation cycle after each sprint prevents the project from distancing itself from the customer’s expectation, leaving it always close to what the product owner wants it to be.

Are Agile methodologies good for Apps Development?

Using agile methodologies in application development can bring numerous positive results, such as speed and saving time and resources, whether human or financial.

But it is important to be aware and look for solutions that help the development project, making it even more assertive, fast, and effective.

GitScrum supports your team to better results and effective deliveries!

Set your workflow and board to guide your Agile team, assign Tasks, Subtasks and keep in charge of the whole process evolvements. Allow your Agile team to collaborate.