Agile methodology

What is agile methodology which is best known as modern methodology for software development? 

Each technology company today seems to have been following the agile software development approach, or a variant thereof. Or at the very slightest they think they do. Whether you’re new to agile application development or you learned to develop software decades earlier using the methodology of waterfall software development. Agile was officially introduced in 2001, when the Agile Manifesto was formulated by 17 technologists. They have written four main concepts for agile project management, with the goal of creating better technology:

  • The Individuals and, how  the different processes and tools communicate.
  • Working software over full documentation.
  • Customer cooperation over negotiation of contracts.
  • React to make the changes according to schedule.

An overview of Traditional and Agile methodology SDLC Models.

Rapid changes that developers need to keep up with while still delivering top-notch software on time dominate the modern technical world. Companies employ various approaches to streamline the cycle of growth. This is where various life cycle models are applied to software growth. Below is a summary of both the conventional and the Agile SDLC models and the advantages they transport.

The basic software development life cycle.

Everybody understands you get to excellence halfway through proper planning. The IT field is no exception, because preparation serves as the basis for software development and directly affects the final project ‘s quality. For this reason the software development life cycle is so essential. The life cycle of software development, also called the life cycle of application development, defines how the development process is built within a project or an entire enterprise. Also called the SDLC is a system for the software planning , development, testing, control and delivery. When applying SDLC, it’s easy to find out what stage the team is on, what resources are needed and what next step is.

agile methodology

Figure. 1 Basic software development life cycle

The basic stages of software development life cycle: 

Any life cycle in software development consists of several phases. Traditionally, the six life cycle stages for the product development are as follows:

  • The first step is dedicated to the collection and review of specifications. All vitally  and important information is composed and analyzed. This progress is deliberate to overcome all the software indistinctness that lie ahead.
  • The second phase of the life cycle of software development is design. It is here that the entire future project architecture is developed.
  • The third phase in SDLC is coding, which is also known as implementation. All of the designed software components are implemented and applied, and the source code is created.
  • This enters the deployment process after the program has been checked and all suitable iterations are completed. Afterwards the developed project is transfered to the end users.

Any SDLC methodologies, including but not limited to the Cascade, Iterative, Spiral, and Agile SDLC models, can be used depending on how the team wants to make its way through these phases.

The agile software development lifecycle, or agile SDLC?

Agile approaches for software development have a lot ov variety, (or the development of the) together with, here is a list.

 

  • Disciplined Agile Delivery (DAD)
  • Adaptive Software Development
  • Agile Modeling
  • Kanban
  • Scrum
  • Scrumban
  • Extreme Programming (XP)
  • Dynamic Systems Development (DSDM)
  • Feature Driven Development
  • Lean Software Development

 

The overall goal within each Agile approach is to adjust and changes and deliver the work plan as quickly as possible. However, every approach has small differences with how phases of software development are described. Furthermore, while the objective is the same, each team’s process flow can differ depending on the project or circumstance in question. For instance, Agile software development ‘s complete life cycle includes the design, implementation, production, delivery, manufacturing, and withdrawal processes.

agile software development cycle

Figure. 2 Agile software development life cycle (SDLC)

On the other hand, in Agile software development, a company defines the scope of required changes and passes via the process of analysis , design , development, and tests. This allows the team to bring minor improvements into production rather than delivering one big update. One such cycle, typically called a sprint, can vary from a few weeks to 30 days, and differs from enterprise to business. The agile life cycle is designed to fully  deliver applications, continuous changes to the project, instant updates and rapid growth. The methodology of Agile SDLC is based on two strategies-iterative and incremental.

Iteration process of the Agile methodology software development life cycle.

The Iterative methodology underlies the entire life-cycle of Agile software development. This cycle can be likened to a puzzle-you have to piece the pieces together to get the whole picture. The outcomes over the next software program by replication and can include working software; some item, function, documentation, etc. Iteration is repeated before customers have completed and shipped the final product.

It may also split the iterative production into the following phases:

 

  • Requirements – The Development team determines the current version specifications based on input from consumers, company owners, and the entire project schedule.
  • Development – The requirements identified are used in the software design and development.
  • Testing – The software is tested, and it creates documentation.
  • Delivery – software is released.
  • Feedback – The project team receives feedback from users (both internally and externally) and uses that feedback to define further requirements.

        Figure. 3 The process of Agile software development

The entire iterative cycle looks like a loop, where all steps are repeated until all of the product backlog specifications are met. The Agile SDLC describes repeatability.

The advantages and limitations of Agile methodology in Software development.

bellow are few of advantages and limitations

AdvantagesLimitations
It is a client-focused operation. So, it ensures the client is actively involved in every level.Small development projects are not a good strategy.
Agile methodologies are highly motivated and self-organized to achieve a successful outcome for the production projects.An expert is expected to take important decisions in the meeting.
Agile method of software development guarantees the application consistency. quality of the development.The cost of adopting an agile method is significantly higher when compared to other growth methodologies.

 

Comparison of Agile methodology software development life cycle model vs Traditional software development life cycle.

below are few of the agile vs traditional SDLC.

Agile SDLCTraditional SDLC
The model is quite flexible and able to adapt the project easily to the needs and expectations of the clientsSuch models possess flexibility, and modifications to a project are challenging
It’s perfect for all sizes of projects-from small to large. The versatile Agile SDLC model will help everyoneIt could be used for projects of all types. Even so, it does little tolerance of human mistakes and later changes in development are challenging
Successful work is evaluated by the working software that is providedSuccess is assessed through conformity with the original plan
The modifications are welcomed and approved at any point of project developmentChanges to accept later in the development process are challenging
Agile doesn’t require much necessary documentsTraditional SDLC models need documentation intensive
In the pre development phase, minimal planning is needed, as any adjustments can be made later in the development phasePlanning should be done before construction starts, as improvements are difficult to make in later production stages

 

Abbreviation: 

SDLC –                software development life cycle.