Nearly 40 percent of software development companies cite hiring new talent as one of their biggest challenges. Having the right time is just the first step in making a software development firm successful. Adequately managing the team you have in place is an essential part of getting software built and deployed in a hurry.
For years, developers have used the Agile methodology to make building software easier and more efficient. The methodology uses concepts like collaboration and continuous delivery to make developers more productive.
Are you curious about how to make Agile work for your developers? If so, check out the helpful tips below.
Start By Providing Developers With the Right Tools
One of the biggest mistakes business owners usually make during a software development project is failing to provide their team with state-of-the-art tools. Trying to make your team write and test code on laptops is a bad idea. In order to succeed in the world of Agile, you need lots of quality hardware.
Providing your team with things like large monitors, powerful PCs, and ergonomically designed keyboards is a must. With these tools, you will be able to see a noticeable difference in how fast developers are able to work. High-quality tools can also help you keep developers happy, which can go a long way when trying to speed up the software building process.
Getting Results Should Be Your Main Priority
The cornerstone of any successful software development project is creating a results-driven environment. In the early days of Agile, companies created software by using the bottom-up methodology. Business owners quickly realized that getting results with this methodology is quite difficult.
Allowing upper management to set the parameters and goals of a project is essential. With this information, developers can figure out what they need to do to deliver results. Using project management software is important when attempting to track what developers are doing. If you notice that projects are not being completed on time, you need to find a way to nip this issue in the bud before it leads to bigger problems.
The Power of Continuous Delivery
Using the continuous delivery model throughout the software development process is also a good idea. Keeping your developers working at a constant pace can help you get these projects completed in a timely manner.
Having success with continuous delivery will require you to put an emphasis on testing throughout the development process. Failing to test every piece of a new program before it is deployed can lead to serious problems in the long run. By testing throughout the development process, you can provide users with a higher quality product.
While testing will take some time and effort, it is well worth the energy you invest. Using the Python logging can help your team discover errors with ease. Find out more about this practice by reading an insightful article to Python logging basics.
You Need to Use Automation From Day One
As any developer will tell you, building software requires a lot of repetitive tasks to be performed. One of the best ways to reduce the number of repetitive tasks your team has to perform during this process is by using automation.
There are tons of programs that allow developers to build templates that can be used during various stages of the software development process. While it may take a while to get used to this automation, it will be worth it in the long run.
Work on Reinventing Agile to Fit Your Needs
Constantly reviewing and optimizing the process used to develop new software is important. Taking an objective look at how developers are handling the tasks assigned to them can help you customize the Agile methodology to fit your business.
Published on Java Code Geeks with permission by Arun Kulkarni, partner at our JCG program. See the original article here: Beyond Agile: Reorganizing It For Faster Software Delivery Opinions expressed by Java Code Geeks contributors are their own. |
I disagree with some of the statements made here, firstly, business owners have no way of estimating how long a project will take, they always want projects completed within a day. Secondly, large projects need good architecting and design, taking shortcuts here results in a bad quality product. There are many failed projects because of shortcuts in architecting, design and documentation. Agile might seem good from the business standpoint and for people who are not doing the work but Agile is high stress for developers, developers are not machines so they cannot deliver 24×7 non-stop. In my opinion the solution… Read more »