AGILE METHODOLOGIES FOR MOBILE APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT

• The agile methodology for mobile application development seeks to provide an alternative to traditional methods of project management such as the waterfall methodology. 

• This approach enables requirements and solutions to evolve through the combined effort of the development team and the customer. It promotes adaptive planning, evolutionary development, early delivery and continuous improvements. 

• This iterative and flexible approach can be used in complex projects where the customer requirements change frequently. 

• A big project can be broken down into smaller parts and agile methodology can be applied to each of these small parts. As this method requires high customer engagement to take in the customer’s requirements at each step and his feedback after every step into account hence it can be used in projects where the customer is committing to engage in interactive communication from time to time. 

• Now when it comes to understanding the role of agile methodology for mobile application development then one needs to take into account that the mobile application developers make an app for a device with small screen, less memory and less processing speed. 

• Moreover with the sheer number of mobiles present with different operating systems and different carriers making a mobile app which is fit on one and all devices becomes quite a difficult task for the developers. Apart from this the developers also face the issues of Short Software life cycle development, limited hardware, rapidly changing technology and the changing user demands according to the changes in technology. Plus, the developers also need to create an app which can be updated easily, can be downloaded easily and has an excellent UX design. 

• At the end after seeing all the endless number of requirements which a mobile app development company has to fulfil in order to build a remarkable app, the very first question which comes to the mind is that how can the firms then make user friendly, high quality applications? Well, the answer to this question is – through agile methodologies for mobile application development.

Understanding Agile methodologies for Mobile Application Development:

The Agile SDLC model whch includes programming, development and project management involves breaking down of the software development life cycle into smaller modules. However, integrating documentation and quality testing is involved at every step. To clarify this more let us have a look at the principles which govern Agile application development –

• The companies which follow agile methodologies for mobile application development provide early and on-going delivery of app modules within a few weeks.

  

• 1.  Simple Design
• 2. Ability for releases in a short period of time.
• 3. Extensive team cooperation, pair programming, and testing during development
• 4. Anticipating the need for change
• 5. Welcoming change and using it as an advantage
• 6. There is a constant interaction of the mobile developers with the team or the business owner of the organization for which the app is being made.

• 7. The client has the flexibility to request modifications even at the later stages of development which is quite important to meet the rapidly changing market demands.

• 8. This methodology allows breaking down a large number of requirements into manageable chunks and thus enables maximum utilization of resources.

Agile Vs Waterfall methodology:

The waterfall methodology involves pre defining the requirements with testing and development being the last step of the SDLC. The testing and documentation phases are the most fundamental part of development hence agile methodologies for mobile application development are more effective and efficient for goal driven apps which require error free delivery of information whenever required. The traditional development methodologies can be put to use in the case of entertainment apps.

Agile Scrum Methodology:

• The agile scrum methodology for mobile apps is a type of agile development methodology in which scrum is an agile structure that breaks the process of app development into smaller chunks.
• Each chunk is called scrum which is managed by an individual project manager called scrum-master. This method helps in keeping the team focussed and also involves the maximum utilization of resources.

There are 10 differences between Waterfall and Agile :

• The software development process is divided into different phases in the Waterfall model while Agile methodology segregates the project development lifecycle into sprints.

• Waterfall is a structured software development methodology, and often times can be quite rigid, whereas the Agile methodology is known for its flexibility.

• According to the Waterfall model, software development is to be completed as one single project, which is then divided into different phases, with each phase appearing only once during the SDLC. However, the Agile methodology can be considered as a collection of many different projects, which are nothing but the iterations of the different phases focusing on improving the overall software quality with feedbacks from users or the QA team.

• If you want to use the Waterfall model for software development, then you have to be clear with all the development requirements beforehand as there is no scope of changing the requirements once the project development starts. The Agile methodology, on the other hand, is quite flexible, and allows for changes to be made in the project development requirements even after the initial planning has been completed.

• All the project development phases such as designing, development, testing, etc. are completed once in the Waterfall model while as part of the Agile methodology, they follow an iterative development approach. As a result, planning, development, prototyping and other software development phases can appear more than once during the entire SDLC.

• One of the major differences between Agile and Waterfall development methodology is their individual approach towards quality and testing. In the Waterfall model, the “Testing” phase comes after the “Build” phase, but, in the Agile methodology, testing is typically performed concurrently with programming or at least in the same iteration as programming.

• While Waterfall methodology is an internal process and does not require the participation of customers, the Agile software development approach focuses on customer satisfaction and thus, involves the participation of customers throughout the development phase.

• The Waterfall model can be regarded as a stringently sequential process, however, the Agile methodology is a highly collaborative software development process, thereby leading to better team input and faster problem solving.

• The Waterfall model is best suited for projects which have clearly defined requirements and in which change is not expected at all, while Agile development supports a process in which the requirements are expected to change and evolve. Thus, if you are planning to develop a software that would require frequent overhauls and has to keep up with the technology landscape and customer requirements, Agile is the best approach to follow.

• The Waterfall model exhibits a project mindset and lays its focus strictly on the completion of project development, while Agile introduces a product mindset that focuses on ensuring that the developed product satisfies its end customers, and changes itself as the requisites of customers change.

Pros of Agile methodology :

• It follows a team based approach.

• It allows you to make changes, add new features and keep evolving with the changing trends.

• Testing can be performed at each stage.

• Since testing happens simultaneously hence projects can be launched sooner.

• Customer satisfaction by continuous and rapid delivery of app modules.

• People and interactions are emphasized more than process and tools as the customer, developers and testers are in constant communication with one another.