Businesses everywhere want the most efficient and flexible ways of achieving their software needs. As such, agile mobile development has quickly become the norm for companies looking to optimize their mobile strategy.
When a business chooses agile, it develops software on an incremental basis. So, instead of delivering the entirety of the app all at once, the developer will offer you the software in pieces, allowing you to make changes throughout the development process.
A Statista survey of software developers revealed that 91% of software developers had adopted an agile methodology by the end of 2018, up from 82% at the end of 2015. These statistics show that the software development world has embraced agile thanks to its comprehensive approach.
Here’s what you should know about the agile mobile development process and how it can help your organization.
Agile Mobile Development: The Basics
With agile development, a business can make adjustments during development based on changing needs. The developer will plan, design, build, test and review a phase of the app, then repeat this process every time a new element is added. Since you are in constant communication with the developer, you can rest easy knowing that you’re on the same page. Not only does agile development improve the app’s quality, but it also ensures that the app is easy to update or alter after its release.
Developers use the Agile Manifesto, which consists of 12 software development principles. These principles can be summarized as:
- Ensuring customers are satisfied throughout the development process.
- Being open to changing the software at any stage.
- Daily cooperation between the business and the developer.
- Team members should be motivated and trusted.
- Working software and technical excellence are of the essence.
- It’s important to work at a consistent pace.
- The team needs to constantly find ways to become more effective.
These are the founding ideas behind agile development, but how exactly does this philosophy come to life?
How Agile Development Can Help Your Business
There are many ways that agile development can have a positive effect on your customers and your brand, including:
- Better Quality: An app that is developed using the agile method will be stronger since the testing and QA process is more focused and thorough. With more attention being added to each element, the performance and quality of the app will improve.
- Greater Transparency: When every party knows what is happening in the app development process, there will be fewer surprises later in the development pipeline. As a result, the whole process will go more smoothly.
- Decreased Time to Market: We all want our apps to hit the public as quickly as possible without sacrificing quality. Fortunately, agile mobile development uses a technique called “sprints” to allow developers to adapt and deliver in a swift manner.
- Bolstered ROI: In addition to releasing your Agile app faster, your brand will also experience a quicker return on investment. After all, the costs associated with development will be reduced thanks to the shorter timeline.
- Lowered Risk: With an agile methodology, you will face fewer risks since any issues in the app are identified and remedied sooner rather than later.
Agile creates a more collaborative development experience that ultimately benefits both your business and your users. The development team brings your vision to fruition while your customers chime in throughout the process to ensure their expectations are being met.
Understanding the Agile Mobile Development Process
The goal of an agile framework is to complete tasks faster and with increased accuracy. Because developers work on tighter deadlines, it pushes them to be sharper and more efficient. It also bolsters collaboration, ensuring everyone works together to reach the right conclusion every time.
This level of collaboration is accomplished through daily scrums—short meetings at the beginning of the day where every team member provides an update. The scrum master leads the meeting, making sure that everything is going smoothly. If something is off, then the issue can be addressed on the spot to prevent wasted time.
Following every agile sprint, the development team presents its progress to stakeholders so they know of any issues or successes. Lessons learned in one sprint often pave the way for the action statement of the following one. Once a scrum ends, the cycle is repeated the next day for the following sprint.
Getting Started with the Agile App Development Process
Ultimately, agile development is a way to optimize your mobile app on a consistent basis, which leads to a superior product your business can be proud of. With this method, the development process will be shorter and you will see returns in the form of increased ROI sooner. In short, any business seeking to improve their operations would be wise to choose agile mobile development.
In order to do so, though, you will need a strong development team by your side. 7T takes an agile approach to mobile app development. If you’re looking to integrate emerging technologies into your Agile app, we can provide that as well, from Internet of Things to blockchain to artificial intelligence.
7T is headquartered in Dallas. However, we are also available to work with clients in Austin, Houston and beyond. If you’re ready to discuss your project, we hope you will contact us today.
Reach out to our team today!
