When you think of agile software development, you probably think of a few different acronyms: SCRUM, Kanban, and maybe CAAS. In reality, there are many more processes that can be considered “agile.” In fact, the scrum process is just one of many potential software development life cycle (SDLC) methods that meet the principles of agile software development. How you implement those principles determines which methodology best suits your team and project needs. That’s why this article will walk you through an overview of common SDLC strategies and how they differ from one another. You’ll also learn about the pros and cons of each strategy so you can choose the one that works best for your team and projects moving forward.

What is an agile software development life cycle? #

An SDLC is the process used to design, develop, and deploy software. You can use an agile software development life cycle to structure your team’s workflow and project timelines in order to increase productivity and reduce risk. The most important principle behind all agile methodologies is a focus on adapting to change. As a software development team, you want to be able to respond to new information and feedback as quickly as possible. There are three basic principles behind each agile methodology: – Responding to changes in the project’s needs and requirements. – Ensuring that team members have the proper tools and support to do their jobs. – Fostering a culture of trust, collaboration, and creativity.

Scrum #

The scrum methodology has become the default choice for agile software development. It’s been used by tech companies and startups all over the world for decades. Scrum is a project management method that uses a “what you see is what you get” (WYSIWYG) approach to managing projects. Each scrum project has a clear goal and a dedicated team focused on delivering results on a regular cadence. Scrum teams work in sprints of two weeks or less; they forecast the amount of work they can complete in the next sprint and report progress at the end.

Kanban #

Kanban is a method of project management that focuses on continuous improvement. If a scrum team is working towards a goal, a kanban team is working to make sure the process itself is as efficient as possible. Kanban is an inventory-based system that uses a visual board to track work in progress. Each team member has a card on the board showing the work they’re doing, the work that is waiting for them, and the work that has already been completed. This visual board helps teams stay on track, identify bottlenecks, and understand which parts of the process need to be improved.

Lean Software Development #

Lean software development is a different implementation of agile software development. It’s focused on continuous improvement and process optimisation. Lean is especially useful in software development fields that require research, testing, and quality assurance. Lean teams break down their project goals into smaller tasks and focus on how to do those tasks more efficiently. Lean projects are usually more research-intensive than other agile project management methods. These teams take the time to determine how their project should be designed and built, and how people will actually use the final product.

Continuous Integration (CI) and Continuous Delivery (CD) #

Continuous integration and delivery is another way to implement agile software development. It’s a method designed to increase software quality by testing the latest code changes on a regular basis. This process requires developers to integrate their code with the rest of the project on a regular cadence. They then test the code and make changes if needed. Developers also take the time to automate tests for the code they’ve written. They use the code to test other parts of the project, and they report any issues that arise. This helps teams catch bugs and issues early, making it easier to correct any problems and improve the project.

Conclusion #

End-to-end agile software development methodologies ensure teams are working towards a goal and receiving feedback regularly. You’ll know if your team is successful because you’ll have regular updates and be able to adjust your strategy as needed. Agile methods are also flexible; you can choose to implement any one of the methods listed above or a combination of methods that best suits your project needs. For example, you can have a scrum team focused on releasing new features every two weeks and a kanban team focused on testing and improving the rest of the project. If you’re just getting started with agile software development, you can use one of the less common methods listed above or read more about scrum to get a better understanding of what’s expected of your team.