Did you know that 71 percent of companies and businesses in the United States are adopting agile frameworks and methodology?
The implementation of the different types of agile framework is becoming increasingly popular for businesses of all sizes. But what is agile framework?
It is a set of techniques that a team uses for conducting a project. It allows for collaboration within the team and with customers. There is constant monitoring of the different phases of the development of the software for the project.
Continue reading to learn about the best agile framework for small businesses and the benefits of agile.
What Are Agile Frameworks?
Agile methodology and frameworks are simple and efficient ways to take an idea. From there you can transform it into software that provides solutions to customers.
Agile works by taking an incremental approach to teamwork and the process of building a software project one step at a time. It uses constant planning, team partnership, development, and delivery to create the best software possible.
The process of using agile frameworks is fragmented. This makes it easier for the teams working on the project to be flexible and help with development on different sections.
Agile frameworks are driven by principles of providing value to stakeholders. It also allows for collaborating with them on ideas for the software that is being developed. From there, the customer determines the end use of what you’ve developed.
Using agile frameworks helps design teams and small businesses. It allows for anticipation of the wants and needs of the customer.
Benefits of Agile Methodology
Many benefits come with choosing to implement agile methodology at your small business. There are reasons why most project managers choose to use agile methodology to make their projects come to life.
Provide Superior Quality
Agile works so well because testing is part of the project execution phase of development. This means that the quality of the end product is much higher.
The client is involved in the process of software development which allows them to ask for changes based on the market and the needs of the customer. It also keeps the development teams learning as the process goes on.
Higher Customer Satisfaction
When it comes to using agile frameworks, the customer is involved in every step of the decision-making process. This leads to much higher customer satisfaction and customer retention.
Keeping the customer in the loop and involved in the development process provides a higher level of flexibility. It also increases the ability to make changes based on their feedback.
This means of development makes it possible for you to provide the most value to your customers. It helps you make sure that they receive an end product that meets all of their needs and expectations.
More Control
For managers, agile frameworks are great because they make for more transparency across the entire project. There is also better feedback integration as well as quality control features.
The implementation phase of the project is where quality is ensured. The stakeholders in the company and the project are involved with this process. They are kept in the loop with daily progress reports through reporting tools and other techniques.
More Project Predictability
Choosing to use agile methodology leads to greater visibility. This helps you and your teams predict the risks that come with the software you’re developing. This makes it even easier to come up with plans for mitigating that risk.
Agile makes it much easier for businesses and teams to predict the risks they’ll encounter. It also makes effectively planning for minimizing the risks so that the project runs smoothly.
That’s why when it comes to Kanban vs Scrum Jira, project managers love using Scrum Jira. Scrum methodology provides sprint backlogs and burndown charts. These help you to predict the performance of your project.
Increased Flexibility
Implementing agile frameworks has the added benefit of greatly increasing flexibility for your project team that is working on the software development.
The flexibility comes from the small sprints or bursts that the teams work in while receiving constant feedback from the owner of the product you’re developing.
When compared to traditional frameworks, there is a massive difference in the time and finances needed to make changes with traditional project management methodologies.
The short sprints that agile divides the project into are manageable and flexible. This means that the teams can make changes on much shorter notice than they’d be able to with other methodologies.
Continuous Improvement
Another reason why agile is so great is that it allows your teams to continuously improve their processes used on the project. Each sprint that a team conducts will be better than the last because mistakes aren’t repeated.
Additionally, agile frameworks allow for the open flow and trading of thoughts and ideas among the development teams. This allows team members to learn from their teammates’ experiences and mistakes.
Better Team Morale
Agile teams are self-managed and self-organizing. This means increased autonomy and the ability to own their decisions. It allows the project managers to protect the teams from sponsors as well as management.
Many of the teams are cross-functional. This allows team members to learn multiple aspects of project management. It also lets them continue their professional growth.
It also allows the teams to get together to collaborate and talk about their experiences with each other. The teams become tight-knit units that lead to better team chemistry and a great work environment.
Best Agile Frameworks for Small Businesses
There are multiple types of agile methodology available to small businesses today. Each brings aspects to the table that makes them a perfect fit for your business’s project.
While there are different methodologies, they are all based on the same agile framework. Here is a list of the most popular agile frameworks for small businesses.
1. Kanban
The name “Kanban” comes from the Japanese language and means “visual board”. Kanban was originally introduced as a lean manufacturing system. After a time it found its way into software development.
Kanban uses visual methods for the development and management of projects. The projects are overseen by the Kanban board. The Kanban board uses columns to show how tasks and processes of the software development should go.
This leads to increased visibility among the teams working on the project. It also lets them see their progress as they get further into the development of the software.
Some essential things needed with Kanban are transparency and interaction among the teams working on the project. This allows for a consistent and cohesive flow of work throughout the development of the project.
2. Scrum
Scrum is another popular agile framework used by small businesses. Scrum is defined by its various cycles of development. It breaks down the different phases of development into smaller stages called “sprints”. One sprint gets managed at a time.
Scrums focus on deliverables within the project. This allows for more flexibility with shifting team members to switch to a different task that is behind or incomplete.
There are exclusive roles within Scrum projects like that of a scrum master as well as a product owner. These two roles have constant communication with the team on daily scrum activities to find the best way to implement sprints.
3. Extreme Programming
Extreme programming is all about teamwork, communication, and feedback. There are two primary focuses of extreme programming. They are the constant development of the project and achieving customer satisfaction.
Extreme programming is similar to Scrum in that it uses sprints to create a productive and efficient work environment.
If you’re working with a customer that has constantly changing demands for your team and the project, extreme programming is a great fit for your small business. It helps to motivate the developers to accept changes to the customer’s demands no matter when they pop up in the development phase.
4. Dynamic Systems Development Method
The dynamic systems development method came into being due to the need for a standard industry charter when it came to software development.
The dynamic systems development method provides a comprehensive structure that’s meant for creating a plan, executing the plan, and managing and scaling the development of software.
This method is based on a business-driven approach to software development. It believes that you should always expect to make modifications to your software development project.
Dynamic systems development methodology also believes that delivering a quality product is non-negotiable and that the quality should be delivered promptly.
Implement Agile Frameworks Today
There are many different types of agile frameworks that your small business can choose from. The benefits of agile allow your team to work more cohesively and develop better team morale while shifting to meet customer needs promptly.
There are great options for agile frameworks like Kanban and Scrum. These will allow your small business to grow and produce top-notch development projects.
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