How to Choose the Right Agile Software Development Partner

The pace of technological progress is mind-boggling. To keep track of this change in technology and altering consumer expectations, companies often seek a partner for advice and help.

Agile software companies are on the rise. Even the best software development company faces the challenge of combining regulated, planned, and managed processes with dynamic methods. The Agile methodology exactly manages this challenge.

What is the Agile Methodology of Software Development?

Agile is an iterative approach to project management and software development that helps organizations to complete the task in a faster and quality-driven way.

An agile team delivers work in small patches. Requirements, plans, and results are evaluated continuously, so teams have a habit of responding to changes quickly.

It involves constant collaboration with stakeholders and continuous improvements in every phase. Once the work begins, teams cycle through a process of planning, executing, and evaluating.

Agile also helps the teams to get involved in prioritization and iteration planning from very early stages. It promotes transparency, better budget and timeline management, and overall end-user satisfaction with the delivery of custom business applications.

Agile has been around for quite some time. As per goremotely , almost 71% of companies have already adopted the Agile methodology. 60% of companies are said to have realized profits, while 98% revealed that it helped them in some way or the other.

80% of the federal IT projects handled by the software development company in the USA have been done using the Agile mechanism.

Almost every software development company claims to have not only embraced it but mastered it. To help you understand the general situation, the article presents various types of expertise you must look into as a software development partner who has mastered Agile.

Variables to be Considered Before Selecting an Agile Development Partner

1. Company Size:

• Some of the largest custom software development companies have the experience of offering service to large organizations and therefore have a tendency to overlook small and specific issues. On the contrary, custom software developers may lack enough experience.
• The best custom software development company for you is one whose team size matches yours. This way, you may be treated as a valued customer.
• Also, before selecting a vendor, always look back into the previous work experience of the vendor. It would help to understand the expertise and commitment to Agile methodology.

2. Multidisciplinary Approach:

• Look for a partner who has an interdisciplinary approach toward software development projects. The developers on the vendor’s side should not only be comfortable with various software development tools, but additional Agile certifications, project management skills, QA testing, knowledge of UX/UI, etc. can have a positive impact on successful project delivery.
• The most important discipline a partner company should have is an incredibly good communication framework. Each team member must be fluent in the necessary languages and indulge in regular updates of important updates.

3. Embracing Agile Features:

• Agile is known for a broad range of software development frameworks. Kanban and Scrum being the most used and well-known frameworks, a good Agile, customized application development services company should adopt either of the two or some other suitable framework.
• Scrum involves a team of ten or fewer members who work in “sprints” to complete work in fixed time frames. Kanban, on the other hand, is a lean approach to management that allows work to be deployed and pulled according to capacity.

4. Employees vs. Freelancers vs. Staffing Agency:

• If you are searching for a software development company near me on Google, you must understand the types of relations a vendor could have with its developers.
• Some companies have full-time employees, some use freelancers, while others hire developers specifically for a project with the help of hiring agencies.
• Agile companies with full-time employees are costlier as they offer more stability to the partnership. Companies with staffing agency set-up have low overheads and low risk. However, such companies may not be able to offer the same caliber of partnership as a full-time employee’s company.
• Some freelancers work as a one-man army while others work as a part of a large company by rolling into whatever model the company is using. Solo freelancers work on one project at a time and charge the highest rate possible. Once the project is over, they find another gig and move on.
• The choice now depends on your needs and expectations. If you need one person, then maybe a freelance developer is a good option. If you want to add business value and not just lines of code, then the cost of the higher-end consulting companies that carry full-time employees is a great choice.
• However, very similar staffing agency developers are less costly, although they may lack in the overall value.

How to Pick the Best Agile Software Development Partner?

1. Speak with any Agile software development company. Inform them about your requirements, team culture, budgets, etc. Get a sense of their style of work and methodology.
2. If none of the firms seems fit, go back to your table and re-evaluate your requirement for a suitable agency. Maybe you don’t need an Agile software developer at all.
3. Shortlist a few prospective companies and schedule a one-on-one.
4. Try to gather a few references from each company. Talk to the ones who are similar to you and maybe facing similar challenges as yours. It is important to gather a first-hand account of how the partnership helped them to tackle the challenges they were facing.
5. Request a meeting with the partner side team to assess if they would be the right cultural fit.

Conclusion

To go full Agile, a company needs to shoot for the right organizational approach. It must include DevOps, low turnover, a commitment to go lean, and a strong emphasis on collaboration and developer autonomy. These help the client get the best possible product within the expected time and budget.

Statistically speaking, as per goremotely 8% of Agile projects fail due to poor management. While entering into a partnership, make sure to get an early termination, or a trial period so that you can change your mind if you start the engagement.

Originally published at https://www.postingtree.com on April 22, 2022.