Agile Methodology in Software Development: A Comprehensive Guide

In today’s fast paced and tech-savvy era, the use of software solutions is omnipresent. When it comes to software development, traditionally developers used to follow an approach of, “Upfront and comprehensively documented software requirements followed by development of the software”.

However, things have changed rapidly over the last two decades where the concept of Agile development has gone mainstream, and it is here to stay for a long time to come. Developers including senior stakeholders have realised the value add in following an agile software development approach. The fastest way to equip the development teams on Agile methodology development is by taking the route of providing professional agile certification courses.

What is agile software development?

• Agile software development methodology, more popularly referred to as Agile, is a development methodology that is centredaround iterative development with anemphasison continual user involvement.
• It is a process that involves designing, developing, testing, and delivering top-notch software for clients in the shortest possible time and at the lowest cost.
• Software development is a complex process. Software developers who have completed agile certification in the UK are able to deliver a project faster, collaborate, and respond better as they have adept the global agile development standards.
• Agile development methodology does not focus on completing the entire process at oncebut instead focuses on completing every step of the software development process correctly and taking the buy-in from the client.
• Software developers trained in agile methodology and principles through online SAFe training manage the software development project by breaking it into different parts (phases).
• Agile methodology involves continuous collaboration with the stakeholders and their involvement at every stage in the process.
• Constant collaboration of project stakeholders and software development team members is vital.

What are the benefits of agile certification?

• Software development can be a complex process. It is observed that Software developers who have completed agile certifications are able to deliver a project faster, collaborate, and respond better as they have adept the global agile development standards.
• Software developers trained in agile methodology and principles through SAFe training manage the software development project by breaking it into different parts (i.e., phased development).

Which are the different types of agile development methodology?

There are various types of agile methodologies that developers can learn from industry leading agile training courses in the UK. Here are some of the most common agile frameworks.

Scrum

• Scrum is founded on empiricism and lean thinking. Empiricism means that knowledge comes from experience and making decisions based on observed events. Lean thinking reduces waste and focuses on the essentials.
• It is the most popular and widely used agile framework.
• It is a lightweight framework and used by software development project managers to control various types of iterative projects.
• The product backlog in the Scrum agile framework consists of a list of all tasks that need to be done in order to deliver a seamless and successful software system.
• The product backlog is created by the product owner to establish priorities with the cross functional teams.
• The Scrum board groups tasks into different columns based on progress.
• With Scrum, the software development project is broken down into small steps called sprints.
• The focus in Scrum is planning and managing one sprint perfectly at a time before moving on to the next one.
• Scrum also defines unique project roles – Scrum master and project owner.
• Online SAFe® courses teach Scrum agile framework as a part of their curriculum or as a specialized training course.

Kanban

• The Japanese word Kanban, which translates as ‘‘signboard,’’ has become synonymous with demand scheduling .
• Kanban is a visual workflow system that enables a development team to actively manage software development, focusing on continuous delivery in the software development cycle.
• This visual means of managing software projects enables the team to see the progress that has happened so far, and which tasks are coming up next through the Kanban board.
• On the Kanban board, the tasks are segmented into three different columns (categories) – To do, Doing and Done.
• By using Kanbans, we minimize the work in process (orWIP) between processes and reduced the cost associated with project backlog.
• Just like Scrum, Kanban has become popular among development teams, and is also an integral part of various agile certification courses in the UK.
• Kanban helps development teams work more efficiently with each other, fosters improved collaboration, and follows the best possible workflow.

Extreme Programming (XP)

• XP is a lightweight, efficient, low-risk, flexible, predictable, scientific, and fun way to develop software.
• It is the most user-centric software development approach, which focuses on speed, continuous delivery and continuous planning.
• In this disciplined approach, the focus is on improving software quality in line with the changing customer requirements.
• In XP, customers work closely with the development team to prioritize user stories.

Feature Driven Development

• This framework is a part of various online agile training courses and it focuses on developing one feature at a time, which is most important from the client’s perspective.
• If a feature requires more than two weeks for development, it is broken down further into smaller features.

Lean software development

• This agile methodology emphasizes eliminating waste by asking the users to select only those features that are truly valuable.
• Optimizing the entire process, building quality, and delivering fast are the principles of lean software development.

Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe®)

• Scaled Agile Framework (SAFe®) is a dual operating system that includes a set of organizational and workflow patterns for achieving speed of innovation and stability of hierarchy.
• As the name suggests it is for scaling agile and lean practices at an enterprise level, resulting in an enterprise achieving Business Agility.
• It is build using the knowledge base of proven integrated practices, principles, and competencies for achieving Business Agility by implementing systems thinking, DevOps, Lean and Agile at scale.
• It leverages Scrum, XP, Kanban, DevOps and Built-in Quality to achieve Agile Team and Technical Agility.
• The SAFe®has four configurations to accommodate various levels of scale based on the organization size and number of products. These are Essential, Large Solution SAFe®, Portfolio SAFe®and Full SAFe®.
• The SAFe® has four core values, Alignment, Built-in Quality, Transparency, and Program Execution.

Benefits of using an agile software development methodology

Software developers are rapidly opting for agile certification in the UK. Here are the benefits of using the agile methodology for software development learned in the agile certification courses.

• Superior quality software
• Improved predictability of a project
• Better communication
• Improved customer satisfaction
• Effective control of projects
• Increased project flexibility
• Shorter timeframe for project completion
• Early identification of problems
• Complete accountability

Are you looking for the best agile certification courses to excel your development skills?

You have several top agile training courses in the UK to choose from. AgilityPAD is one such company offering certified online SAFe® courses. Don’t wait. Connect with AgilityPad today to explore various online agile training courses, and get agility certification in the UK.

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