Why Agile Methodology is Essential for Mobile Application Development?

Mobile application development is a basic process of development of compatible and suitable applications for mobile devices like mobile phones and personal digital assistants along with other small and wireless computing devices. This application is of varied intents including entertainment and education along with financial and lifestyle and much more. With increasing internet consumption as well as awareness about technology mobile application development has become a well-known and well-needed domain of technological enhancement.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• What is Agile Methodology.
• Why Agile Practices for the Development of Mobile Application.
• Why does Gartner say Agile Development is Essential for Mobile Application Development?
• Benefits of Agile Mobile App Development Approach.
• Why use the Agile App Development Process?
• Types of Agile App Development Methods.
• How does Esferasoft strategize Mobile App Development with Agile Technology?
• Conclusion.

The development of a good mobile application, the development of mobile user interface design is really important because it considers all the constraints like screen, input, context, and other outlines. The front end development tools for an integrated User experience are UI design tools, cross-platform accommodation/ support, and SDKs to access the features of devices. The development of progressive apps is really important for compatibility in different devices and software programs like Google Android and Apple iOS. Different methodologies are adopted for the development of mobile applications based on business requirements, software requirements, prototyping, application architecture, design and development integration testing, alpha and beta testing, and market analysis.

There are four main types of methodologies that may be involved in mobile app development.

• The waterfall methodology includes the execution of phrases sequentially and completes an entire phase before moving to the next stage. There is no turning back in this methodology. The only possibility of making changes in the application is in the maintenance stage after launching the product.
• The prototyping methodology is a refined version of the waterfall methodology that allows the designer to make changes during the design phase with the use of the prototype according to the requirements. The prototype can be evaluated by the clients before proceeding with the development stage which makes it a more manageable and client-friendly method.
• The spiral methodology for mobile application development is a risk-driven model. It relies on the assessment of the risk pattern and uses multiple methods in the process of development with the combination of iteration and waterfall methodology. The complexities involved in the process are based on the project risk and requirements according to the client and are thus suitable for complex projects.
• The agile methodology is more of a management methodology adopted for the development of integrated and refined software. This method helps in minimizing the number of common mistakes or errors by allowing iterations and revisions. It involves the collective contribution of professional team members by a collaborative approach where each individual is assigned a separate responsibility in the form of the desired series of the development cycle.

What is Agile Methodology

Agile methodology refers to the continuous practice of iteration for repeating the development and testing procedure throughout the cycle of development of the application. It involves both development testing and revision, unlike the Waterfall model. Is one of the best and simplest methodologies to effectively turn your vision for a business into a full-fledged Software Solution program. It approaches application development through continuous planning, studying, improvisations, teamwork, evolutionary development, and timely delivery of complex and multifarious programs and projects.

The Agile approach for the development of a mobile application largely focuses on excessive planning including the management and evaluation of the applications thus produced. Some of the key points describing the essence of Agile methodology have been listed here for you to get a closer insight into what is the technique all about.

• The agility in methodology comes from the constant interaction between the development team and the owners of the venture which not only brings great ideas for the application but also ensures proper coordination and increases the performance of the team. The process is broken into individual small-sized models the designers are required to work on to achieve a collaborative goal.
• The development process and coordination among the different members of the development team is really important and is managed skillfully for enhancing the performance of the people involved in Agile methodology for application development. It is the responsibility of a scrum master to set this coordination, synchrony, and harmony in the team.
• The unification of all the developers and members of the team is insured for Greater goal achievement. The accomplishment of a task adopted is only possible when the development team members are self-organizing and collaborative along with the common goal of achieving the target objectives.
• The development of working software is given more importance instead of just comprehensive documentation including crude information. Responding to the constant need for improvisation is given a lot of importance. The objective is not to follow a plan strictly but to remain flexible and subject to constant up-gradation and rectification.
• The customers and clients have all the opportunities to supervise the product and make decisions regarding their requirements. The customers can always make changes to the project in the process of its development as well as after completion. Editing is allowed after the project as well as during the programming. There is less planning and more work for the creation of the product.
• Both small well as large projects can be developed using this methodology. Small projects can be implemented very quickly. It is a bit difficult to estimate the time required for the development of a large project.

Why Agile Practices for the Development of Mobile Applications

With the increasing advancement in technology and smartphones, it has become even more challenging to develop an application with a long lifespan that is optimum in performance and is loved by the end-user at the same time. In the era of increasing competition, it has become really important to build Agile practices for mobile app development having easy adaptability and risk management. It also enables the team to access constant possibilities of deep supervision along with continuous evaluation for improvement.

The development of a mobile application is not as simple as it seems to be.  It is a challenging task that requires a lot of expertise and a team of specialists, who can communicate every detail to the customer and discuss with them the key objectives to comprehend the requirement of the application as well as the qualities needed. Agile methodology for mobile application development also puts forward the option for clients to improvise and suggest changes in the project before it is completed. This not only has a great possibility for hai customer compliance but also quite a good scope for revision, renovation, and rectification.

The completion of a high-quality product needs the distribution of tasks to a responsible and capable specialist for the establishment of quality and customer satisfaction in the product thus delivered. Handling different tasks and synchronizing them in a common procedure to attain the goal is a very complex task for the project manager but also so very helpful in the creation of high-quality applications without much fuss.

Moreover, it is the duty of the company as well as the team of application developers to adapt to the constantly changing trends in the market to gain positive outcomes from the customers as well as the end-users. This is possible only through Agile methodology for mobile application development which leaves the scope for flexibility and constant up-gradation of the software as well as services intended for the end-user. All these positive points make agile methodology for mobile application development a really good decision.

Why does Gartner say Agile Development is Essential for Mobile Application Development?

According to Gartner, Inc., the traditional methods will not work with mobile application development that is used to define and develop desktop applications. Gartner said that AD teams will have to employ practices that are distinct from traditional AD as need from business units in enterprises increases pressure on IT organizations to pass numerous mobile applications. These distinct methodologies should provide ample opportunities for constant improvement, up-gradation, studying, reviewing, and testing which enables the delivery of good quality service to the customer as well as to the end-user.

Due to device diversity, network connectivity, and other mobile-unambiguous considerations, enterprise application development teams use conventional practices to construe and grow desktop applications, but mobile app development programs are not able to use conventional practices, Van Baker, research vice president at Gartner told the media during a presentation to IT leaders in China in his interview this month. According to the vice president, AD managers should adopt functional, performance, load, and user experience testing, as well as agile development practices rather than traditional methods.

Mr.Baker told the media that users have found it defying to completely define what a mobile app needs to do. This may be because of the complexity and confusion that the development process of mobile applications has within itself. He said that the traditional practices of having the end-users of the mobile app and employees sit for a discussion for a business to employee app for a business-to-customer app is a practice that normally fails. This Failure may be due to the inability of the developers and specialists to study the requirements that the end-users want to get fulfilled through the application.
Most applications have the reputation of not being able to build a customer-friendly interface thereby entering a poor user experience, due to poor user interface for poor responsiveness or poor application workflow.

The User experience can be enhanced only when their needs are studied well and the facilities of the application are communicated in a presentable manner. There is a lot of testing required for developing a compatible app that differs from the traditional desktop application. Therefore the testing must be conducted across a combination of different devices and operating systems. This is because there may be compatibility issues between the web application and the mobile application due to improper or insufficient testing of the software. A two-tier approach should be adopted while testing the app on device simulators and trying to produce a real-world user-friendly experience across different devices. This not only creates comfort for the user in terms of the range of devices on which the application can be used but also gets more and more people to turn into happy customers who are going to come back to the mobile application often.

Emphasis should be put on Rapid development and deployment practices in the mobile market by constantly applying iterate in their application development process, and that is what Agile methodology for mobile application development is doing. This methodology lets the user or the developer perform constant analysis and lay improvisations in the application.

Benefits of Agile Mobile App Development Approach

Agile methodology for mobile application development is an interactive approach that leads to the development of an application with the complete cycle process divided into multiple sub-modules or small parts known as mini-projects. Each mini project or some module is assigned to two different members of a team of Specialists that collaborate and work together to complete the development cycle starting from designing to development and testing after which the project is delivered under expert supervision and constant improvisation. Some benefits of the agile mobile application development approach are listed below for you to get a better understanding of the pros of the process.

• Faster development- As the development of the mobile application is divided into sub-projects or independent mini-projects, it becomes a lot easier to handle the projects and complete them within the time frame with the collaboration of different teams independently. As each specialist team member has their role and idea about their contribution towards the completion of the process it becomes a lot easier and hassle-free to assign duties and decide roles. there is little or no dependency upon different members of the team thereby letting everyone put their best efforts into streamlining the app development process to ensure faster delivery.
• Reduction of risks- the changes in the needs of the market have led to enormous pressure and rest in the development of any kind of application for different systems like Android and iOS. Due to the fast pace of advancement in technology the data collected for the development of apps may go outdated by the time the app is launched which leads to a poor reputation and skeptical future in the market of Digital Services. In a situation like this Agile methodology is a better choice than not only improves the coping capacity of the team but also lets them take some calculated risk for the growth of the company as well as their projects. The agile methodology enables the mobile app development company to make specific changes in selected areas without the disturbance of other areas of coding thus reducing the chance of errors and misinterpretation of information.
• Improved quality- Unlike other app development models which let the customer test the app at the end of the development phase, the agile methodology for mobile app development allows its testing, validation, and experimentation after every step and encourages modulation of the sleekest of details. This quality reduces the risk of any chance of a bug being left at the time of quality testing for approval of the completed project. Every element of the application is tested at different stages of the development process and the required adjustments and modulation are made for the delivery of optimum quality of applications and services.
• Uninterrupted project management- Projects can be easily managed by a team of Specialists who are experts in multiple individual fields of work. When assigned different tasks according to the skills, the dependency is reduced and management of the project can be done easily at the ground level. By keeping a well-managed record of the completion of projects and tasks, the company or the team can assess whether the proposed plan is being fulfilled or not and what improvisation does the team need for their approach towards the completion of the project.
• Strengthened customer experience- A lot of emphasis is put on strengthening the customer experience by providing them information and answers for improvisation at every step. Agile methodology for mobile application development ensures full transparency with the client thereby reducing the chance of any miscommunication and inconvenience. All this effort for personalization creates a Win-Win situation for the developers as well as the customer.
• Lower cost of development- As there is the involvement of the whole team from planning and execution to the delivery of the cost of making the application is greatly reduced due to shared responsibility and quick delivery of service. It also enables you to complete the project in less time with the available resources and money.
• Customization- As improvisation and customization can be done at each step according to the customer’s need, there is an increased chance of delivery of services according to the choice of the customer or the user who is supposed to use the mobile application. The constant iteration and improvement that are done in the application as per the customer need and the comfort of the end-user provides a great opportunity for a highly customized product that will eventually lead to satisfaction and contentment in the minds and hearts of the people using the service.
• Higher Return On Investment- As the app owners and app users find it easy to test and experiment with their Idea and apply personalized touch to their product, there is a higher return on investment for them as well as for the company which develops the mobile app. With the increased customer friendly nature of the application, more and more people will turn to it for the services that it provides and eventually market the application through the word of mouth and by being a happy part of it. This builds greater trust and reputation which is another important aspect to increase the ROI of the company.
• Increased Market reach- As the whole team collaboratively works on small projects, the chances of running behind deadline is negligible which makes it easier for the project to be designed and delivered on time and reach earlier in the market as compared to the competitors. This increased market reach is not only important to get an edge over the customer but also a very crucial part in capturing a wider audience through the unique idea that is presented through the application.

Why use the Agile App Development Process?

The most important reasons why you should use the Agile methodology for mobile application development are listed below for you to understand this concept a bit more closely.

• There is a high return on investment due to the iterative nature of the app and the speedy development process due to the teamwork involved. This leads to rapid application development and like the waterfall development methodology which is more rigid and complicated. More and more satisfied end-users will increase the Goodwill of the product in the market which is possible by the use of this methodology. Agile methodology allows the developers to derive ROIs earlier as compared to other methods.
• Due to the teamwork and scope of improvisation at every step, there is a highly reduced risk of any errors or mistakes in the application development process. Different problems can be lined up easily and solved with a team effort simultaneously with transparency and promptness.
• Tere Jaane improvement in business agility with increasing advancements in the industry of Smartphones and applications being used there. The agile methodology enables adaptation of trends as well as adjusting to wearing business needs. This quick shift and agility give the developer an advantage over the competitors.
• The productivity is enhanced with timely delivery and friendly collaboration among experts in different fields who work together as a team. The scrum master who handles the team and ensures coordination along with accountability is a key role player in increasing productivity.
• The quality of the mobile application developed through Agile methodology is far more up to the mark as compared to the applications developed through other methodologies because of the increased coordination and teamwork along with real-time improvements and necessary testing of quality standards that are maintained.
• Responsiveness is increased in this methodology because of the constant customer feedback and the addition of new features instantly according to the requirement and changing preferences of the audience. The process of updating the app serves to be a good practice that enables constant revision and removes any bugs that may be there in it.

Types of Agile App Development Methods

There are six major types of agile methodology for the development of mobile applications which are listed below. These methods will give you a closer insight into this methodology and enable you to choose the best for the development of your mobile application.

• Adaptive software development methods for the development of the projects require the shifting of category. This applies to short span app projects and helps a lot in collaboration, speculation, and learning to achieve the common goal of a good app with the best features and customer compliance along with convenience.
• The crystal method makes use of application properties like effective communication, reflective improvement, frequent delivery, easy access to expert users, focus, and personal safety a priority in the development of the application. This goal is achieved by taking the help of configuration management, recurrent integrations, and automated tests that not only help in increasing efficiency and communication but also give a good experience to the user of the application.
• The dynamic systems development method or DSDM is an iterative development method that lets the application move to the next stage by delivering working systems in the blink of an eye. This development method makes the use of knowledge tools and techniques for the delivery of the best features and the creation of a new application in a decent time frame. It lets you study the changing scenarios and helps in delivering the services in the best possible way.
• Feature-driven development is also a model-driven type of Agile methodology for the mobile application development process. A model is designed by experts at the start of the application development process and different features are then classified with iterations.
• Lean development is also one of the types of agile methodologies that are implemented for the development of Amazing mobile applications. This type of app is all about managing the risk and making the best out of them. This risk management offers the developers a competitive advantage over II the counterparts who are into the same business.
• Extreme programming is another type of agile methodology for the development of the mobile application which focuses on practicality and follows the principles of design and code instead of crude documentation. This makes it easy for the team members to understand the process and contribute in the best way possible to the process.

How does Esferasoft strategize Mobile App Development with Agile Technology?

When we talk of agile methodology for mobile application development, the list of benefits won’t end. The functional requirements are often segregated to ease the application development process.

Constant reviews and improvisations are held until the common goal of the creation of the required application is achieved. As different customers have different requirements according to their brand and need of the app, constant up-gradation and bug fixing has to be done for the development of an easy to use and user friendly application. The development approach is divided into some basic categories according to the goals that need to be achieved.

• Acceptance test Driven development or ATDD is the practice of effective communication by connecting with designers, developers, and testers before the actual implementation of the idea of code.
• Agile modeling involves the documentation of all the principles and values that have to be applied for the mobile application development work such as extreme programming, Rational Unified Process, and scrum. The modeling of an idea before its implementation eliminates any possible chances of error.
• Agile testing is a crucial part to ensure that there are no mistakes, errors, or bugs remaining in the mobile application development process for the final program that is released in the market. Testing is important and is led by a team of expert testers including UX-UI designers and app developers in the team.
• The backlogs of the mobile application are known by every team member and each one is familiar with the company’s proof-of-concept so that they know what to do and how and when to do it. Disinformation of backlogs helps the company to achieve the goals according to the client’s Expectations through an iterative and incremental approach towards the process.
• The development of the app is also behavior-driven so that it gives Prime comfort and convenience to the user and does not miss anything that the user is expecting out of the app.

Conclusion

Choosing the Agile methodology for the development of an appropriate and user-friendly mobile application is the best choice that a  mobile application development company can make. This methodology ensures the development of high-quality apps thereby increasing the Goodwill of the mobile app development company in the market with the amazing key features that it has which have been listed above. This methodology adopts a cohesive work approach and brings to use the ability of collaboration and teamwork needed for or the optimum functioning of the workforce in an organization by using the skills of every specialist to its full potential.

This approach enables the close involvement of customers in the process thereby increasing the speed and efficiency of the decisions being made along with the discussion of several benefits to both the customers and Developers along with the end-users after the release of the mobile application in the market. The constant testing and improvisation are all that a customer needs from a mobile application development company while trying to get his needs fulfilled by the service provider. Choosing the Agile methodology for the development of a mobile application is the best thing a company can do. This not only leads to the achievement of exceptionally good results but also helps the company with its reputation in the market because of a satisfied customer and happy end-user which is earned through constant improvisations and revisions of the projects being done.