Agile processes highlight real time communication
By
their nature, Agile processes are collaborative- they work well only
when there is high degree of involvement between users and developers.
The process assumes time boxes that result in frequent intermediary
deliverables that users review and provide feedback on.
The
advantage of this approach is that all users are almost fully informed
of what they will get at the end of the exercise, and there are no
surprises. At the same
time, they also need to commit time and effort to join in the reviews and give relevant feedback.
Agile processes speed up time
Given
that Agile methods allow requirements to change all through the
process, it is natural to assume that Agile methods lead to longer life
cycles. However, statistics show that agile product life cycle management result
in quickened product development. As users are involved through the
life cycle, the chances of a late discovery of the outcome not matching
expectations are low. Also, it gives a chance for users to review and
change the overall scope at every intermediary step. Besides, users buy
in to the product and feel that they "co-own" the product - which is
important for a successful outcome. Second, given the method of
prioritizing needs and agile's focus on "working code", users get a feel
of the software far earlier than they would with a traditional
sequential method. In fact, what may even happen at times is that users
prune the requirements and shave off features that look superfluous and
unnecessary as they go along. This is something they can do if and only
if they begin to use the product - it is almost impossible to envisage
up-front. Besides, as traditional methods do not allow for frequent
changes, users may load the requirements with features and functionality
which may be mostly "nice to have". Therefore, the product that is an
outcome of an Agile methodology would be more relevant and produced
faster as the development method paves the way for a feedback process
that sharpens the product definition along the way.
Agile methods are cost-effective
We
are always led to believe that good planning and execution always leads
to more efficient outcomes. True in many real life scenarios, but not
with software.
The challenge with software product development is that users may come up with requests all the time. In a process that does not cater to this behavior, the cost of
effecting changes becomes high. As discussed earlier, traditional methods sometimes
lead
to large-scale rework, costs, as well as time escalation leading to the
common refrain that X % of software projects do not adhere to their
original
budgets.
In contrast, Agile methods underscore frequent deliverables, and give
an opportunity not just for requirement changes, but even for paring
down requirements based on real need, rather than "expected need".
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