Agile has become one of the most used software development methodologies worldwide. In 2022, about 37% of businesses practiced Agile and were quite satisfied with the results. However, there are lots of methodologies that can be applied to the software development lifecycle. Therefore, is Agile the only methodology to bring success in all cases? Or organizations can adapt practically any methodology that suits them best? What are the Agile use cases, then? Let’s find out with Sencury.
What Makes Agile a Perfect Methodology?
Agile is a popular class of methodologies for software development and project management due to being flexible, collaborative, and providing the possibility for iterative development. Here, software development teams respond to change and deliver value faster. No wonder, organizations seek ways to implement Agile or one of its sub-variations.
Agile stands for adaptation rather than prediction, which means the team is adapting the process throughout the whole lifecycle. Moreover, this adaptivity works great if there are sudden changes in requirements or unpredictable events involved. Predicting lifecycle requires setting a goal and following an exact plan. It is possible to predict a product workflow in some cases. However, when this possibility is faint, it is better to use Agile’s adaptivity to circumstances and build a product incrementally.
To apply the adaptive lifecycle to your workflow, you have to meet two specific requirements. These steps allow you to receive a valuable feedback loop and be successful with the product afterward:
Delivering Incrementally
An increment is a new version of the software that is enhanced, for example, by adding a new feature once a week. Therefore, the software is being delivered in bits and pieces rather than delivering the whole product at once. This method is feedback-oriented and can be applied only to software development, where it is possible to break the product into pieces that function even separately.
Developing Iteratively
To deliver in increments, it is essential to repeat the development process with every software feature deployed. For instance, design, code, integrate, and test each item separately over and over again. In comparison, in Waterfall methodology, you design everything together, code everything together, and integrate everything at once.
When is Agile Methodology Suitable for your Project: Agile Use Cases?
The suitability of Agile depends on different factors like project size, complexity, team structure, and organizational culture. Agile is a horizontal approach and requires organizations to be ready for incremental delivery and iterative development. It works well in complex and uncertain cases where the ability to iterate and deliver value incrementally is crucial.
If you can’t use Agile, use Waterfall. It is a vertical approach. It is grounded on a set plan starting from requirements specifications, following design, building stage, integrating, and testing. The result is a complete product with as many features as the plan included. Well-defined requirements and stable environments are quite rare these days, but they still exist and require an approach that takes on the challenge and succeeds within the given terms and conditions. The waterfall class of methodologies (e.g., V-Model in the automotive industry) is a good choice in highly documented and in-detail specified fixed requirements. Especially, when it comes to functional safety and mission-critical applications. Even in this case, it is possible to combine agile iterations inside waterfall phases (e.g., IBM RUP process) or to use more formalized (documented) Agile methodology (e.g., SAFe). General feedback on SAFe implementation in the automotive manufacturing industry (both OEMs and Tier-1s) remains controversial according to our insights.
Therefore, the choice of methodology should be grounded on a careful evaluation of every factor involved. For instance, project characteristics, team dynamics, customer expectations, and organizational culture. It is important to choose a methodology that aligns with the specific needs and constraints of the project to maximize its chances of success.
Sencury on Agile Methodology
Sencury practices different kinds of methodologies. Agile is not the only methodology that can bring you potential benefits. Not every case has to include Agile methods. Read more about Agile Methodology in our recent article “DevOps and Agile Culture”.
As our experience shows, every project revolves around customer requirements and expectations. To meet both of these factors, it is vital to choose a methodology that suits the project the most. Sencury’s team has succeeded using DevOps, Agile, Scrum, SAFe, Waterfall, Kanban, and other methodologies.
Choose Sencury to succeed in your software development project. Contact us and let’s select the best approach to deliver quality software within your standard requirements.
