Agile Methodology for Mobile Application Development

You know that any business venture requires extensive background research. It is difficult to produce a high-quality product if you are not prepared. You need to look for an IT company that can provide high-quality app design services. PowerocksMedia is a software development company that follows this principle. We first choose the best development method to ensure that we achieve high results. We think Agile is the best choice.

It is important to know that we use Agile methodology when creating mobile apps and how it helps us create a top-quality product.

What is Agile methodology?

We should start by explaining more about Agile methodology and how it works.

Agile software development is an iterative, step-by-step method. Agile software development organizes designing, planning, development, and testing throughout a software development lifecycle. These principles are the foundation of all Agile methods:

• Adaptive planning allows for quick responses to any changes
• Joint elaboration requirements
• Rationalization of development team tasks
• Step-by-step software development within strict time limits

This approach is being used in many modern development projects.

Agile methodology allows developers to efficiently manage their work and organise their tasks. This methodology uses a democratic approach to the entire organization.

Agile: How it works

There is risk minimization because Agile app development involves a series of short cycles (between 2 and 3 weeks). The customer can view the results after each cycle and can request any modifications. The customer can see the results and request any changes. These are the stages of an Agile application development lifecycle:

• planning;
• Analysis of requirements
• design;
• development;
• testing;
• Documentation drawing up.

How agile cycles work

A single cycle won’t be enough to build a complete product. However, each iteration shows a portion of the functionality that can still be modified or tested. Each cycle is completed by the development team. They can then review all requirements and make any necessary adjustments to the software development plan.

We’ll be discussing Agile mobile app development. But first, let us define the roles and who is who in Agile teams.

From small to large teams, agile development roles and responsibilities

Names of roles may vary depending on the company and specific requirements of specific projects. If necessary, each employee can be assigned a role. The number of roles can vary depending on the size and complexity of the project. First, I’ll highlight the main Agile roles & responsibilities that PowerocksMedia uses in small teams.

Agile small and large team roles

Lead the team

This role is not similar to a team leader in project management or web design department in Agile methodology. The team leader should manage the resources and avoid possible risks. This is usually the project manager. This role is also known as Scrum master.

Member of the team

It’s as easy as possible. There are programmers, QA engineers and UI/UX developers who all take part in the development a specific project. Each of these people are important to the success of the project and are listed in the team members.

Product owner

This role is utilized when Agile mobile development uses the Scrum framework. The representative of the customer who owns the product is called the Product owner. The Product owner is responsible for the final product. He should know the goal and what it should be. PO is not the manager. He simply describes the requirements and prioritizes the workflow.

Stakeholder

There are usually a few stakeholders involved in every project. All people are interested in the final result. Stakeholders can be customers, people who are involved in the project, and future users. Although there are many definitions of stakeholder in development methodology, the general idea is that a stakeholder wants the product to develop in the best possible way.

These are the key roles that a small team of developers should play in agile mobile app development. large teams have the same roles, plus two more.

Architecture owner

These specialists should be responsible for correct software architecture and control the development of project architect. They must be proficient in architecture engineering as well as all technical issues. The role of the architect owner is also to mentor its technical department. Architecture owners are necessary when large projects are being developed.

System Integrator

When a large team works on a big project, a specialist assists with system integration between each sprint (this is what we call cycles). A larger team can have more trouble with integration.

It’s time to talk a bit about the benefits of Agile methodology.

Mobile app development is easier with Agile methodology

Let’s now talk about Agile and mobile app development. What are the unique features of mobile apps? Mobile apps are more flexible than traditional desktop applications that can function for several years. App owners need to update their app whenever they feel the app needs new features. Users may have different demands. What is the best way to create high-quality mobile apps without making additional changes? Agile methodology is an option.

Why Agile helps us make a high-quality software

Real-time planning allows for more thorough planning

It can be difficult to plan the entire development process. We can use Agile method for mobile app development to create a plan for each phase. This saves time and money. This will allow us to create a plan for each stage with no problems and help us create a top-quality product. You should also learn how to plan budget for your software project.

Let’s sprint!

As we have mentioned, Agile allows us to create software sprint by sprint. Each cycle is called a sprint because it’s similar to running on a short distance. Although we don’t want to finish the project in a hurry, we do test and verify functionality after every sprint to make sure it works correctly. Agile allows us to meet tighter deadlines.

Rapid changes = Outstanding results

Agile mobile app development makes it very easy to make changes to the app, as it is broken into sprints. It will have no negative effect on the development process and can be modified quickly. Revisions that occur after a project is nearly complete and have serious issues can be costly and time-consuming. Agile methodology helps to avoid these situations.

All risks can be managed efficiently

An app that isn’t working properly or has too many bugs won’t be used by users. This will cause the app to crash completely. An app can be released in stages using Agile methodology. The beta version is first to allow users to test the app and report any bugs. It allows developers to make changes quickly and manage all risks promptly. Bugs that are already present will be identified as soon as possible. When we create an app, you can see how risk management is organized.

Stay in touch with your customer

If a customer doesn’t like the final product, it is unacceptable. It will be harder to make the app meet customer expectations. This will result in additional costs and time and negative feedback. Agile allows the development team and customer to stay in touch. We provide customers with an app after each sprint, and make any necessary changes quickly.

These are the main benefits of Agile mobile app development. Let’s now move on to the most widely used frameworks of Agile.

PowerocksMedia uses agile frameworks

Although there are many Agile frameworks available, each one should be used for the particular case. We only use two Agile frameworks, and that is sufficient for us. They have all the necessary features. These are great!

Main Agile frameworks we use at PowerocksMedia

Scrum

Each project has its own team of specialists. There are also two additional roles that we mentioned above: product owner (scrummaster) and team leader (scrum lead). This is the person who connects the team with customers and oversees the projects. It’s a mentor. The Scrum Master helps PO organize business processes such as holding meetings, solving common problems, motivating the team, and controlling how they keep up with scrum.

Scrum divides the work process into equal sprints. Their durations may vary depending on the project. It is important to plan the tasks for each sprint before we begin a sprint. All results can be discussed once the sprint is over. This allows you to reduce development costs and improve the efficiency of your management process.

Kanban

Kanban’s goal is to achieve indoor balance, i.e. within the development team. This helps to avoid situations where developers work all day, while designers have little work.

Kanban is an all-inclusive team, and Kanban does not have specific roles like Scrum. The business process is not divided into universal sprints. Instead, it has stages that implement different tasks such as Planning, Testing, Complete, and In development. It is important to follow the following principles when using Kanban framework:

• Visualization. It is important to display all working items in the form of a graph or chart. This helps you understand the workflow better.
• WIP limitation.WIP is an abbreviation for work-in-progress. Kanban allows for balance in the load of team members.

There are many frameworks out there, but Scrum, Kanban, and Kanban are the ones we use at PowerocksMedia.

What are the most important Agile principles at PowerocksMedia

When creating mobile apps that use Agile methodology, PowerocksMedia adheres to a few Agile principles and practices. Below is a list of all the available.

Strict time control

It is essential to monitor the time developers spend on each task. This helps us to understand how much time we have to dedicate to that or another task. We can deliver a high-quality product on time and within budget.

Permanent communication

Regular communication with customers is something we don’t ignore. We can share functionality that we have implemented with customers after each sprint is complete to get their feedback. We are able to quickly implement new requirements and coordinate all issues. We value the opinion of our customers.

Respecting deadlines

It is important to adhere to both sprint and project deadlines. We aim to estimate the total time required for each sprint and project. We take into account additional risks when estimating the time required to develop a mobile application. Therefore, we make sure we have enough time.

You can get more involved in the development process. This video is available below.

PowerocksMedia’s Software Development Process: How We Make It Work

Meetings

Regular meetings with the team speed up development and allow us to identify all nuances related to mobile app development. We can quickly find a solution if something goes wrong if we have regular meetings.

Reports

The customer receives reports on the functionality either every other week or every two weeks depending on whether we have an agreement. The customer can rest assured that the software is constantly being improved and doesn’t stop evolving.

The Agile app development process has many benefits for both the customer and the developer team. It is something we can confirm because of our extensive experience in it. This methodology allows you to create a mobile app that is loved by the public. You only need a highly-skilled team of software developers to make your ideas a reality. 

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