The Top 5 Benefits of Agile Development
Agile methodologies are a popular approach to project management across industries and disciplines. As a consultant, Agile experience is incredibly value — here are the top 5 reasons why.
Articles published April 9, 2019 by Mike Rice
In today’s workforce, it’s important for employees to be adaptable and willing to grow, especially if changing jobs. Change is constant, and to succeed, you should embrace it by learning new skills, refining your methods, and improving your efficiency and performance. One way you can do this is by having a background in Agile development.
Agile project management methodologies help businesses innovate, problem solve, and operate more efficiently. Although Agile isn’t the only option for managing projects and development, this approach has been gaining in popularity across multiple disciplines for the way it breaks out complex problems into smaller components and quickly adapts to change. Many businesses and consultants are likely familiar with scrum, which is a popular way to manage a project within the Agile framework.
There are several methods to choose from when evaluating the specific needs of certain projects or when developing software. While we support projects not managed by Agile, having knowledge in the Agile methodology can make you more attractive to companies and supervisors. Keeping up with the latest methodologies shows you enjoy taking on new challenges and are truly interested in current industry standards.
Without a background in the Agile development, you could be perceived as falling behind or having outdated experience. Here are five benefits of Agile development.
1. Agile methodology is here to stay.
As a hallmark of software and project development, the Agile methodology isn’t going anywhere. In fact, nine out of 10 job descriptions for the consultant positions we hire require some form of Agile experience. Agile methodology adopts iterative development, making it easier to evolve and adapt a project.
Regular adaptation to changing circumstances is the main difference between Agile and other development methods. Agile processes are fluid, which allows for necessary and inevitable changes in the lifecycle of a project. The project plan isn’t concrete, and changes late in the development phase are okay. When using Agile, large problems are split into smaller chunks with an incremental approach. Agile is one way to achieve successful project management, software development, and program implementation.
2. Agile helps foster collaboration.
Collaboration often helps when developing and managing projects. Even in the digital era, Agile, test-driven development, and paired programming are proving to make organizations more in sync and more efficient by using face-to-face communication. Heads-down development is less common, so learning how to execute Agile development can help the fluidity of your project management. When utilizing Agile methodology, you can produce deployments more frequently. Agile development’s flexible nature allows projects to be more open and free flowing. In aspects of both project management and software development, Agile can give consultants an edge, which shows you are ahead of the game in your knowledge of state-of-the-art practices and technology methods.
3. Agile development is appealing and efficient.
Operating in an environment where Agile methodology is used streamlines workflow and allows for more efficient interaction. Business and technology teams share an open area, so there’s no designated place to sit and do work. This type of environment is often very attractive to the millennial workforce, allowing for close, daily cooperation between the business side and developers. This way, production and execution between coworkers is more seamless, often making project completion smooth and efficient.
Taking an Agile approach to project planning and software development can provide greater optimization, so you can identify problem areas quicker. Instead of focusing on processes and tools, Agile revolves around people and interactions. This newer methodology can be more efficient, and adding it to your current skill set shows you’re ready for what the industry will bring.
4. An Agile approach helps speed up your process and can reduce risks.
Adapting to change is fundamental to the Agile approach. Having Agile experience allows you to respond quickly to industry or client changes with little to no delay in delivery.
Working as a team with Agile methodology can also shorten development cycles and optimize resource time. With Agile, incorrect approaches and processes are usually identified quickly, so you can strengthen development. It also promotes frequent checkpoints to ensure teams are aligned with client needs. In some cases, projects managed with Agile have often led to a high customer satisfaction rate because of the rapid, continuous delivery of useful software that Agile development provides — working software is delivered frequently in weeks rather than months.
Agile development can also be considered when needing to implement new features in a few days or even a few hours because new increments are produced frequently. Projects continue to move forward, so it can be easy to avoid sudden standstills in production and development.
5. Agile satisfies both clients and consultants.
When using Agile methodology, you may benefit from minimal production issues which can result in higher client satisfaction and ultimately, a better feeling of reward. Agile provides the freedom for development changes at any stage of the project. This is good for clients because they also have timeline flexibility and more options along the way. Overall, operating with Agile methodology increases job satisfaction for consultants. You and your team can manage projects that are ahead of schedule for early release, providing a higher sense of accomplishment.