Do you know how the agile methodology can benefit your IT team and, consequently, the success of your business? Ever since it was launched in 2001, the agile manifesto has presented itself as a new way of viewing the coordination of software development.
Issues regarding individuals and their interactions, software functionality, customer collaboration, and responding to change have come to be valued more than processes and tools, comprehensive documentation, contract negotiation, and following a plan. It is worth noting that all these values have their due importance, but the former were prioritized in this approach.
Below, you will learn about some of the benefits of implementing this methodology in your company. Check them out!
Promotes team cooperation and efficiency
Agile values emphasize collaborative action within your company. Individuals discover better ways to develop projects and help the team do the same. In this approach, group culture and how it is built play an essential role.
From the beginning of the process, the team needs to be willing and secure enough to exchange information with each other in a more informal and less bureaucratic manner. In addition to optimizing problem-solving, this makes the development process more agile and flexible.
Improves cost and schedule efficiency
Traditional or “waterfall” methodologies, created in the 1970s, resulted in a classic pyramid where only the project scope was predetermined, while costs and deadlines were determined during the project development process. In contrast, with the agile methodology, which generates an inverted pyramid, the project’s cost and deadline are agreed upon beforehand.
This process allows for optimization in cost, schedules, and the final project delivered by your company. By the end of development, the project is less likely to be delayed or cause unnecessary expenses, generating value and ensuring customer satisfaction.
Increases customer interaction
One of the biggest challenges for developers in traditional methodologies is aligning customer expectations with the final project delivered by the team after the entire development process. On the other hand, in the agile methodology, the customer is central to software development.
This happens because the exchange of information passes through the development team, company executives, and also the customers. This is an essential practice for alignment, as it will indicate what the group can or cannot accomplish, how, and in how much time.
Reduces risk factors
Of course, no approach changes the fact that problems eventually happen. However, in addition to reducing risk factors, the agile methodology is capable of improving how individuals and teams respond to potential failures.
Since it is an approach focused on greater agility, flexibility, and optimization in project development, it allows teams to adapt more easily in the face of uncertainties and unforeseen changes. Research indicates that projects conducted with this methodology failed in only 9%, compared to 29% for traditional projects.
How to apply the agile methodology?
There are several possible practical applications, the main one being Scrum, which consists of a framework of Sprints (cycles). Before the cycles begin, a meeting is held — called a Planning Meeting — to define software priorities and list what will be implemented.
The cycles are defined based on the project fragments that need to be completed during the duration of the Sprint. Every day, a follow-up meeting is held, called the Daily Scrum. At the end of each Sprint, another activity is carried out, the Sprint Review, which reviews what was done in the previous cycle and defines tasks for the next cycle.
Because it is an approach that carries several principles, the definition of practices to be followed can vary from team to team. Faced with an increasingly competitive IT market, the agile methodology can make a difference in your company’s project development.
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