Why Should You Always Consider IT Company Which Uses Agile Software Development Approach

Nowadays, there is hardly any business that can do without relying on IT services and the web. It becomes imperative to hire software development agencies to make customized software applications for many businesses. However, it is important that you hire an apt agency for developing software applications for your company. Nowadays, a majority of businesses opt for agencies using the Agile development method. While the idea is great, you must know the benefits of agile software development before hiring a software development company that adheres to that method.

The basics of agile software development

Agile software development methodology focuses on speed and efficiency. It has a step-by-step development method in place. The development is segregated into different sprints having different goals. After each such sprint is wrapped, the client is given a copy to give his feedback. Based on the response, the team may make changes or adhere to the original model. Contrary to the older waterfall approach, the agile development model does not stop for any stage to be wrapped before shifting to the next. The agile manifesto has 12 principles, and it was developed in 2001.

The major advantages of choosing a software development firm following Agile methodology

• Empowered Employees- In the agile development method, the employees in the team are given importance, and they can vent their feedback and opinions to the seniors. So, they feel like giving their best to the project. There is reduced scope for conflict and delays. This works in favor of the clients eventually. In fact, such empowered employees tend to have better interaction with the clients.
• Transparency- An offshore software outsourcing company using the agile development model offers enhanced transparency to clients. When the agile development model is followed by a software development firm, it allows the client to be involved. In fact, in such a methodology, the client is involved in every part of the project. The team intimates the client about the completion of each stage, overall progress, along with changes that are required to be made if any.
• Cost-effectiveness- When you choose a software development agency using the agile development process, it becomes a cost-effective proposition. The client can track the project phase by phase. If anything needs to be changed or if there is any hurdle, communication is instant, and decisions can be taken fast. This eventually helps in reducing unnecessary expenses and proves to be useful for the clients.
• Enhanced productivity- A web application development company in India using agile methodology gains from enhanced productivity. The communication between all teammates and clients takes place in real-time, and there is a strong spirit of collaboration. This helps in boosting productivity levels.
• Enhanced flexibility- Agile development method is quite flexible, and that benefits the clients. In this model, making a change in software design, testing is hassle-free. You do not have to worry even if a few developers/teammates fall sick midway or quit the team. The gap can be filled by other talents, and project progress will not be hampered.
• Better suited for complex projects- Do you want software developed for your company that is complex and should have a link with RDBMS and cloud services used by the company? It is better that you hire a software development agency following the agile methodology. This is because such agencies usually have experts skilled in various disciplines and tools. From UI design to coding, database operations, web programming- they have employees covering each and every domain related to software development.
• Timely delivery- Since the Agile development method adheres to a phase-wise development process, software development projects can be completed in time. The method resolves issues that can lead to project completion delays.
• No need for reworking-Since the software development process is divided into some sprints or parts in an agile method- there is simply no need to rework. Unlike the older waterfall method, in Agile flow, the teams rework only on the part of the sprint, causing an error. The entire codebase does not have to be re-composed. This saves cost and time.
• Overall better experience- When the software development agency adheres to an agile model, the clients get an overall nice experience. There is no unnecessary delay in execution, nothing like intra-team conflict and cost escalation. The client gets what he is promised at the end.

Factors to take into account

It is a good idea to hire offshore software developers offering agile methodology, but you have to assess a few key aspects before hiring such teams.

• It is necessary to see if a software development agency fosters agile methodology only for client projects or it adheres to an overall agile ecosystem in the organization. There should be a spirit for collaboration and cooperation across the organization.
• There are so many agile frameworks that software development companies use these days. Some of these are Scrum, XP, Crystal, DSDM, and FDD. You have to see which one is better suited for your company’s culture.
• You have to check out the portfolio of the software development firm to understand how well it implements the agile model in its workflow.
• Besides, you should check out reviews and feedback given by the clients of agile software development entities.

It is prudent that you keep some time for comparing and assessing the agile software development agencies. Pay importance to the response you receive from such contenders. You should sign up with such an agency only after resolving all queries and getting a nice idea of its service terms and conditions.