Understanding Agile Development Methodologies: Best Practices & Benefits

The agile method has become the gold standard for efficient and high-quality development worldwide. In fact, 71% of businesses today leverage agile of some kind in their software lifecycles.

But what are the different ways to “go agile”?

Here we’ll explore top agile development methodologies, so you can determine which one is best for your team. We’ll go over key benefits, challenges and best practices, so you can level up your agile software development teams today!

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Overview of Popular Agile Development Methodologies

Agile is an umbrella term for different iteration-based working methodologies. At their core, agile development methodologies prioritize continuous improvement and delivery.

Scrum Methodology

Scrum is the most popular agile development methodology today, accounting for 63% of agile teams. It’s an iterative method based on completing “sprints” (i.e. 2-4 week delivery milestones).

Typically, a scrum master coordinates efforts, including daily and weekly check-ins to align work. The central idea is to constantly churn out deliverables, address feedback and adapt the product on an ongoing basis.

Best For:

• Evolving requirements
• High-priority user feedback

Key Practices:

• Sprint planning
• Daily stand-ups
• Ongoing stakeholder feedback
• Sprint retrospectives

Kanban Agile Method

Kanban is a highly collaborative visual agile methodology based on a central project board (think Trello). 87% of Kanban users believe it’s more effective than previously used methods.

The main stages of a Kanban agile method board include “To Do,” “Doing” and “Done” and team members continually update their work into these categories. Teams are also encouraged to improve these workflows, so that processes are as straightforward and lean as possible.

Best For:

• Projects with lots of small milestones to manage
• Projects where large teams need tight coordination
• Ongoing maintenance needs

Key Practices:

• Workflow visualization
• Easily follow-up on in-progress work
• Continuing learning and growth

Lean Development

As the name suggests, lean development aims to reduce resource waste and boost value through ongoing process optimization. It’s a minimalist, iterative development process that prioritizes continuous learning and improvement. Overall, it empowers teams to modify and adapt workflows as needed.  

Best For:

• Building MVPs
• Companies keen to unlock resource efficiency and green coding
• Projects where cost-cutting is essential (i.e. startups and SMEs)

Key Practices:

• Reduce waste at every opportunity
• Continually modify and adapt
• Empower teams to take charge of their processes

Extreme Programming (XP)

Extreme programming (XP) is a method that emphasizes radical transparency among team members. The concept is to set up close-knit, collaborative teams through communication, respect and courage. It also focuses on simplified processes and ongoing feedback to maximize product quality.

Best For:

• Evolving requirements
• Limited delivery timeframes
• A need for technical excellence regardless of speedy delivery

Key Practices:

• Pair programming
• Early and frequent testing
• Continuous integration
• Incremental design

Hybrid Agile Models

Finally, 42% of businesses today have created their own hybrid agile development methodologies. Often they pair agile with other industry-leading workflows such as DevOps. For example, ScrumBan (Scrum + Kanban) is fairly popular, accounting for 8% of working methods.

It’s worth thinking about how your teams can adapt agile in a unique way by blending methods. Find the ideal set-up that works for your group — and leverage agile experts like our top pros on TECLA.

Benefits of Implementing Agile Development Methodologies

Reap the many benefits of agile development methodologies. Here we’ll go through the key advantages for your teams, customers and business outcomes.  

Increased Collaboration & Transparency

Agile is extremely team-focused, emphasizing collaboration as a key value. Just consider that it’s the #1 benefit of agile, with 59% of businesses citing it.

Better Business Alignment

95% of new products fail because they don’t align with user and business needs. Agile reduces this risk by constantly incorporating stakeholders and feedback cycles into the process.

Higher Product Quality & User Satisfaction

Studies show that scrum teams attain 250% higher quality compared to non-scrum teams. Given agile’s focus on continuous improvement, the product is refined over time. In turn, users are happier, with 93% of agile teams achieving stronger customer satisfaction compared to non-agile ones.

Enhanced Flexibility & Responsiveness

At the same time, agile’s iterative development processes enable teams to seamlessly adapt and pivot as needed. It’s a highly responsive methodology that enables businesses to stay flexible and scalable.

Faster & More Efficient Project Delivery

Agile is faster than traditional methodologies as well, with 18% of businesses citing development speed as an advantage. With sprints, teams complete ambitious deliverables within 2-4 weeks. This intensive working process keeps teams well-aligned for maximum efficiency.

Cost Optimization

Agile project management divides the product into milestones and phases, making it easier for businesses to budget and scale. This detailed level of project and sprint planning means you can allocate resources more efficiently and avoid cost runs.

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Common Challenges in Agile Adoption

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Overall, agile software development workflows can set up your business for better outcomes. Yet, it’s essential to address common challenges during the transition phase.

Misinterpretation or Partial Implementation of Agile

Sometimes businesses don’t sufficiently understand agile to implement it correctly. 37% of businesses struggle with agile due to a lack of expertise. Be sure you hire pros who are well-versed in agile and know the most effective practices.

Resistance to Change

It’s common to experience friction with your teams when making organizational changes. In fact, 47% of agile groups faced resistance in early phases of adoption. That’s why it’s important to stay transparent, get your developers on board early and set up ongoing training sessions.  

Communication Gaps Within Distributed Teams

Agile requires close collaboration among team members, which is why superb communication is a must. Think carefully about your communication channels and workflows, and get everybody on the same page for optimal connection.

Difficulty Measuring Agile Effectiveness

Agile can be effective for teams that strategically implement and tailor it. Be sure to track key metrics to learn where you have room for improvement (i.e. lead time, cycle time, velocity, bug/development ratio, delivered value, etc.). If you’re not certain how to track these metrics, consider hiring agile data scientists who can set up KPI monitoring for your business.

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Best Practices for Agile Implementation

As you assemble an agile team, keep in mind our expert-recommended practices for best results.

1. Clearly Define Roles

Make sure the roles and workflows for your agile team are clear upfront. You should have an experienced scrum master to handle daily work alignment, as well as defined stakeholders and team member roles.

2. Undergo Regular Agile Training & Coaching

Invest in training and coaching to spur results-driven agile practices. 27% of teams face a lack of agile knowledge, which is why regular training sessions can help get your full team up to speed.  

3. Prioritize Clear, Transparent Communication

Agile works best when developers feel comfortable communicating and working under their own terms. Having an open-door style and established protocols can help foster a more trusting workplace environment.

4. Utilize Agile Management Tools

To set up the most efficient agile practices, leverage management tools. The most in-demand today is Jira, with 62% of agile teams using it. Other popular ones include Miro, Azure DevOps, Trello and more.

5. Gradually Scale Agile Practices

The most effective teams constantly consider ways to improve processes and scale in new directions. Be sure to have feedback loops in place to learn how you might enhance and grow your agile practices over time.

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Scaling Agile Development Methodologies for Remote & Global Teams

Agile by the Numbers

• 70% of agile projects are successful compared to waterfall-based ones.
• 65% of companies have been using agile for at least 3 years.
• 64% of businesses have improved software delivery with agile.
• Agile enables 60% more revenue growth compared to other methods.
• 60% of companies have experienced increased team productivity via agile.
• 51% of businesses have achieved greater delivery predictability with agile.
• 49 % of companies increased customer satisfaction through agile.
• 45% of businesses have boosted software quality with agile.
• 42% of organizations use agile to reduce development costs.

(Source: Simform)

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Agile is the ideal methodology to get results with remote, hybrid teams. To successfully scale with agile, consider these key areas.    

Overcome Time Zone Challenges

If your agile group doesn’t have a lot of workday overlap, create a tailored communication plan. It’s important to define channels and policies that set expectations for team members everywhere. Additionally, have set weekly milestones, detailed documentation and asynchronous tools available for experts to advance their work during non-shared hours.

Leverage Tools for Remote Collaboration

Equip your teams with the best tooling, so that collaboration is straightforward and agile project management is well-integrated. Some popular remote-friendly tools include Loom, Miro, Workfront, Jira, Slack, Asana, Notion and more. Leverage apps like these to ensure close-knit agile teams.

Adapt Agile Culture for Nearshore & Offshore Teams

Finally, company culture is crucial for cultivating agile key practices such as continuous improvement. Make an effort to build a people-first agile team that is focused on collaboration, transparency and ongoing learning. Doing so will enable you to build more effective working groups and get high-performing results.

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Make the Most of Agile Development Methodologies With TECLA

Agile development methodologies have the transformative power to enhance CX and collaboration at scale. Put our best practices and scalability tips into practice to unlock a range of agile advantages — including speed, flexibility and cost.

Assembling an agile software development team can be challenging in today’s competitive market. Lean on a top talent partner like TECLA to match you with leading, agile-backed experts from LatAm. Learn more about our agile-enabled talent network and implement agile practices with our pros today.

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