Do you know the best way to organize the working process at your software company? Do you have an idea what methodology is good for a web development team? We do have an answer! Agile.
Our Drupal support agency follows an agile approach to be sure that all the customers’ requirements and needs are satisfied in a short period. We decided to share the main agile web development benefits, so you know what to expect from a professional services team.
Take a closer look at the comparison of the agile and traditional models of software development.
What Is Agile Web Development?
Agile web development is a methodology based on the principles outlined in the Manifesto for Agile Software Development. It was written by a team of professional developers in 2001. The main goal of this approach is to provide flexibility and ‘satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of valuable software.‘
Traditional Web Development Process
Before talking about agile methodology in web development, it is important to understand the traditional web development process. The so-called Waterfall method follows a linear or ‘one-and-done’ approach. This means that the stages of the software development process have to be completed in sequential order. These stages usually cover the following steps:
- Project planning.
- Requirements gathering and documentation.
- Analysis.
- System design.
- Coding.
- Testing (code, unit, system, user acceptance testing).
- Deployment.
Each step of the traditional development process is properly documented and reviewed. Months are spent on the implementation of each stage.
Over time, developers have understood that creating software shouldn’t be an entirely sequential process. That’s where the agile approach comes in.
Agile Web Development Process
Within the agile approach, the steps of web development are mostly simultaneous. All team members, from decision-makers to designers and content creators should organize meetings during the early stages of web development. Understanding project requirements at all stages by all team members reduces the need for constant emails, calls, and meetings throughout the entire process. Due to the agile approach, work that took 4-8 months can now be accomplished much faster.
The typical agile web development process is divided into a series of ‘sprints’. Each sprint involves discovery, design, development, and testing.
Benefits of Agile Web Development
Higher Customer Satisfaction
The customer is always involved in the process of web development. Due to high visibility, the product owner is aware of the results of every sprint. Such engagement throughout the project lets the customer monitor the process and ask for any changes or improvements if necessary.
Increased Project Control
Sprint meetings, transparency, and visibility of each step of the project for both parties result in a successful solution.
Focus on Business Value
As long as the customer determines the priorities of the project, the development team understands what’s important to the client’s business and can deliver the solutions-oriented business value.
Regular Check-ups
In agile development, testing is integrated during the cycle. This means that there are regular checkups to ensure that the product is working right during the process of development.
Lower Costs
Faster development eliminates the need for overtime pay.
Higher Productivity
The opportunity to better estimate the project provides higher productivity.
Early and Predictable Delivery
Fixed schedule sprints of 1–4 weeks ensure the delivery of new features quickly and with a high level of predictability.
Reduced Risks
Agile methodology eliminates the chances of complete project failure. This approach encourages open communication between the customer and the web development team and is great for those who value transparency.
Flexibility
Project requirements and workload are not fixed. Clients have the possibility to change both these aspects if they find it necessary.
Keep It Agile
To follow the agile approach, ask yourself and your team these five questions whenever a new idea appears:
- Does this change help us achieve our goals?
- Are these images and words consistent with our brand?
- Is this solution better than the one that already exists?
- What is the worst that could happen if we tried it?
- How can we evaluate whether the change was effective or not?
- Keeping what works and changing what fails helps move towards successful completion as soon as possible.
Is Agile Website Support & Maintenance Possible?
The question that often arises is whether maintenance and support are possible after the project’s completion within agile.
The team at Wishdesk provides production support and ongoing maintenance for agile web projects after their release. The main advantage is that you do not need to hire a separate team for the project’s maintenance. Professionals who are already familiar with the product details can provide more efficient support.
For example, we developed a website for a real estate company. They wanted a platform that would be the source for accurate, transparent, and independent real estate news, data, and analysis. We created the website from scratch based on the agile methodology. Within this project, our team faced such challenges as a necessity for effective image processing (100k images per day) and building a shell script for a 5-minute automatic deployment process. As a result, the customer got a powerful website that aggregates data from various sources. With agile, we managed to complete the project faster than the customer expected. Now we maintain this site. Constant support and maintenance keep the platform in the top position among all the other websites in this sphere.
Wrap-up
Web development is much more than making websites or applications. This process includes further support & maintenance as well as updates and checkups. Our team at Wishdesk always recommends agile for custom web development projects. This approach helps to deliver quick and more effective results and provides long-term project maintenance. However, some other approaches, such as DevOps are possible. If you are interested in the difference between agile and DevOps, you can check out this link.
We are working in frames of agile methodology as well as other models, and have 10 years of experience in developing web projects. Contact us today to start your agile web development.
