How to develop mobile app using Agile Methodology?

A lot of applications hit the market on daily basis though only few are able to strike the bull’s eye which is why all the efforts and valuable time of business owners go in vain. There can be an array of reasons while the most common one is the wrong methodology and workflow adopted while development. Traditionally, the companies used to follow Waterfall methodology according to which one whole phase was to be completed before proceeding to the next phase. It seems sequential and systematic but the test for the app feasibility and moreover, marketability was also done after the completion of first phase. By that time, marketing dynamics used to change. There was no flexibility one could experience following waterfall method. Additionally, there was little communication between developers and the customer throughout the development due to which it was difficult to catch the taste and mood of the customer. This is why Agile gained acceptance and popularity. In this blog, you are going to learn how to develop mobile app using Agile methodology.

What is Agile Methodology? 

Agile Methodology is an approach to application development in which the project is divided into small parts and then developed and delivered accordingly so that the clients can see the progress throughout the project lifecycle and can provide feedback. This method is much like Instillment system in which one has to pay a set amount in set interval of time. Using Agile for mobile application development enables users to work in an incremental and iterative manner. If the client is not much clear about his/her requirements at starting, then the developer has to make necessary changes in coding in order to meet the modifications required. Agile includes constant communication between the development team and client which avoid the future reworks. 

We often come across a lot of software development requirements and at the initial stage, 70% of the client are not sure regarding what exactly they require. They just have a high-level feature list which does not include small details. For example, they ask us to develop a registration form but that does not include the exact fields to be included. This seems to be a small example, but complex functionalities definitely create an issue. Agile is a great adoption for project managers as well as developers. It is time saving as well as would not irritate clients whereas engaging in waterfall method can make you a culprit even when you are not wrong. 

Developing Mobile Application using Agile: 

Agile methodologies are of various types- 

1. Scrum

2. Crystal

3. DSDM (Dynamic Software Development Method)

4. FDD (Future Driven Development)

5. Lean Software Development

6. XP (Extreme programming)

Scrum is commonly used subpart of the agile methodology through which it has become easy to manage handle big and complicated projects. It is used by a number of software development companies. 

Scrum team divides the work means product backlogs that they would be able cover in two-week cycle aka Sprints. When one sprint completes, the team will produce a functional mobile app and on the same, they will work in future. 

Every sprint has following components to handle mobile app development projects:

1. Scrum Roles: Product owner is the first role given to a person responsible to see what team is working upon and also keep backlogs up to date. Scrum Master is going to look after the performance of the team and any issue they might be facing. Along with this, this role would be responsible to ensure if agile scrum is followed correctly or not. 

2. Product backlog: Product owner handles Product backlog which comprises of the list of tasks to be performed by the team in order to complete a sprint. Any specific task can also be prioritized by the product owner in order to get some thing done quickly if needed. The list of backlogs should be ready before the sprint starts. 

3. Agile sprint backlog planning: The app development team decides the backlogs they have to target in a specific sprint at this stage. Sprint backlogs are nothing but the list of things that the team has planned to achieve for successful delivery. The sprint backlogs would then be separate into different workable actions to begin the sprint. 

4. Scrum meeting: Daily scrum meeting is an important component of overall development process as it comprises of a 15 minutes meeting held on daily basis. It is attended by all the team members so that everyone can be aware of the progress of work. This process is started once the team starts working on the backlogs. 

5. Agile sprint review: After completing a sprint, the work is sent to the stakeholders for them to review. The team looks at the things which went well during the development and what all things brought them hurdles. A clear analysis of problems and success would be action statement for the next sprint. 

6. Increment: The output of scrum is called Increment. Everyone who was involved from the team have to deliver an increment adhering to the quality standards already set by the product owner. 

7. Repeat: This complete cycle is then repeated for the next sprint made up of the remaining backlogs set by the product owner. Product owner needs to ensure that the work should be prioritized so that the highly required items can be done first. 

How Agile Methodology is beneficial for mobile app development? 

A. Client satisfaction: Customer satisfaction plays a crucial role to run your business, be it of any kind. You need to satisfy your customers in order to build a good reputation and credibility in the market. Also, sometimes it lets you get so much work from your existing customers that you do not have to roam around looking for projects. Using Agile, you are definitely going to make your customers happy as they are constantly made aware of the progress of their project. If client is involved at every step of the project lifecycle then consider that you have significantly reduced the chances of rework. With timely demo, they will be able to feel connected with the development process. Out of all the things, most importantly, you communicate with the client on daily basis which lets you know if they have anything new, any kind of suggestion in his/her mind. 

B. Improved quality: Unlike traditional methods, you will have the testers involved at every step of development process due to which the end product has an increased quality. The testing team will test every sprint and let developers know the bugs which can be solved quickly. Delivering a bug free application in one shot increases the trust your customers have for you. Putting the mobile application through thorough testing let the functionality bugs extremely few and far. You will also be able to gain positive feedbacks from clients so as to get future references. 

C. Maintain transparency: Adopting Agile in your workflow is a good method of maintaining transparency. Hiding away from the client while development work is going on would only bring you a plenty of problems in future. Agile demands to keep a consistent communication with the client to gain feedback so that necessary modifications can be brought in the project. 

D. Fast ROI: If you deliver the segments of work in proper intervals of time, you will be able to get the milestones released from the clients. Also, dividing the work in sprints would let you start and complete the development process fast as things get systematic.

E. Reduced risk: If you follow Agile, you can reduce the risk levels to a significant amount because you have the clients involved at every step of development process. If they get dissatisfied out of any of the functionality, they will tell you there and then. Also, the client will come know about the non-feasible things on time which would reduce the chances of them getting irritated at the last moment. 

“Almost three-quarters (71%) of organizations report using Agile approaches sometimes, often, or always.” (Source: Project Management Institute)

“Forbes interviewed more than 500 senior executives from around the world and 92% said they believe organizational agility is critical to business success.”

Agile is clearly taking over the market with its smart features and amazing benefits. Being a development firm, you must have already adopted the Agile methodology in your work flow. It does not only let you stay ahead of the curve but also makes you generate fast ROI which keeps a lot of importance. 

Mobile app development can be a complicated task for you if you are coming up with the features that do not exist in the market right now. Though, hiring a good consultant or agency can make it a cakewalk, specially working on Agile methodology. It leads to project success and also raises client satisfaction which is always helpful for you to hold firm in the IT industry.  Now that you know what agile scrum is all about and what this development methodology stands for, let us begin with the actual process.

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# Client Questionnaire for Discovery Phase of Mobile App Development
 
# How do I make an app for my small business?

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# How to develop mobile app using Agile Methodology?