Agile methodology: Survival of the smartest
The Covid-19 pandemic has made one thing clear. It is not just the survival of the fittest, it is also the survival of the smartest.
In terms of the IT world, surveys have found out that companies who have adapted themselves well to the uncertain times have been faring well. And the biggest buzzword that helped these companies survive the storm was ‘Agile methodology’.
With the sudden fluctuation in the workforce scenario and demand-supply chain getting disrupted due to various lockdowns, companies adapting to Agile models not just showed better resilience but also did well in achieving results at a faster pace.
And coming to the rescue were Agile consulting companies.
So what is Agile?
In simple terms, Agile is an interactive and time-boxed method of software delivery. Instead of putting in months to develop a software and then deliver it in one installment, like done in the traditional ‘Waterfall method’ the Agile method focuses on delivering the software incrementally as per the need of the project.
The process helps companies break the projects into parts as per the requirement and get the software in short cycles. This helps companies get the results faster and focus on the current need of the project rather than engage the workforce on something that would bear fruits after a couple of years.
However, things have changed drastically in the last couple of years and even the experts have realized the need to switch from ‘waterfall’ to Agile practice. With the pressure of achieving short-term targets, the Agile method gels in well with the overall project planning while staying flexible.
As corporates have been looking at IT outsourcing company to strengthen their workforce, IT companies are now onboarding resources skilled in Agile development to implement and deliver work at a faster pace even during the pandemic. With its skilled and experienced staff, TechAhead has been one of the leading companies to provide Agile consulting.
Unlike the employees of the IT companies, the IT Staff Augmentation companies and Agile consulting companies have talents working on a variety of projects, right from retail to services and manufacturing. This makes the outsourcing agencies that assist with IT staff augmentation better equipped in handling the requirement of the projects.
Another thing that makes hiring consulting firms a more viable option is the fact that due to the dynamic nature of their clientele, talents at consulting firms must keep upgrading themselves regularly. The majority of the IT consultants are Agile certified and understand the nature of the work.
It isn’t always very easy to keep the employed staff of the company up to date in terms of knowledge. However, the remote working scenario has made the possibilities of engaging the workforce other than the just onboard employees.
Resources skilled in Agile methodology are on a roll. The time is ripe to reap the benefits of upskilling. If you haven’t started your upskilling journey, you can still make the most of it. IT staff augmentation company only makes it fruitful with providing opportunities that help you grow in your career.
The agile method is most suitable for small projects which cater to customers whose needs might be moderately variable. An example to consider is of an Instagram app which is very popular these days. So the developers realized that the project could fail. What a waste it would have been to the developers and investors!
Some pros and cons of the Agile Methodology
The Agile methodology has many advantages:
- Working software is delivered to the market frequently at the end of an iteration.
- There is more room for making changes and adding features to the app at any stage of its development.
- More stress is laid upon people and interactions rather than on tools and results.
- Continuous developer-customer interaction and inter-team interactions lead to good collaborations and better results.
However, the Agile methodology has some disadvantages too:
- There is less stress on designing and documentation during the app development process.
- App developers may lose focus and go off track if the customers’ feedback is not desirable.
- No room for fresher programmers in the Agile Methodology team as they require experienced developers to assess market feedback and make decisions about changes that need to be made in the app.
How to Build an App from Scratch
Despite its disadvantages, Agile methodology has become very popular in an app development circle. According to a recent survey, about 52% of IT developers use this model in some form or the other. It has been and will continue to be a milestone in app development methodologies.