Working software, rapid development and cost effectiveness are three critical demands common across all software development clients and software development companies. If these three demands are met, then it is a win-win situation for the client and the development company.
Traditional software development vs. Agile development
Traditional the software development approaches tried to meet these demands through emphasis on elaborate planning, sequential and irreversible processes and heavyweight documentation. In fact even today one of the most popular methodologies, the Waterfall methodology falls into this category. While the value of the same cannot be undermined, the rigidity of the approach results in the loss of focus on the core business goal of producing cost-effective working software rapidly. The agile software development movement evolved out of this industry-wide predicament.
Delivering business value through agile development services
Agile software development involves a set of methodologies, which are aligned to counter the challenges posed by traditional software development methodologies. The agile software development approach is to produce small sets of completely developed and tested features every few weeks. The emphasis is on obtaining the smallest workable piece of functionality to deliver business value early, and improving it through iterations. Small sets of functionalities are added with every development iteration.
Most agile programming methodologies lay emphasis on building releasable software in short time periods just like other iterative development models. Agile development differs from other development models in two key aspects. These primary differences are the short and strict time periods for each iteration, each of which do not exceed week, and a highly collaborative manner of working with the client.
A set of principles forms the backbone of agile software development. These principles are expressed in the Agile Manifesto For Software Development. The manifesto was developed by some of the software industry's most renowned thought leaders.
Agile programming suited for outsourced software development
Agile programming methodologies such as Extreme Programming (XP), Scrum, DSDM, Test Driven development (TDD) are ideally suited for offshore development. Well-planned milestones, frequent iterations and close involvement of the client in the development process ensure that the software development team is always on track. Any deviations from the expected track are corrected early in the development cycle. Finding an agile software development company offshore, however, is a difficult task, especially those serving small and medium businesses.
IWD - Helping deliver value through agile software development
IWD is the .NET wing of Stylus Systems, a successful offshore outsourcing company since 1999. We have strengths in project planning and management tools designed for agile development. IWD has capabilities in some of the most popular agile methodologies, including Extreme Programming (XP), Scrum, DSDM.
When you outsource to IWD's offshore development center, we leverage the iterative agile programming methodologies to deliver production-ready software rapidly. At IWD we collaborate with our clients and provide complete visibility throughout the project to ensure that issues are resolved early, risks are mitigated and waste is minimized. This forms the basis of our numerous successful projects and satisfied clients |
