Be Agile, not Fragile
Revolution IT, one of Asia Pacific’s leading software testing firms, is committed to delivering exceptional results and creating real value for clients. Ever wondered why Agile is the new buzz word? The answer is simple… it’s the way of life these days-‘quick in momentum’.
Agile has gained popularity because it is lightweight, flexible, and simplistic with more “actions than words” – just the way we want our lives to be. Agile seems to be the dominating industry trend; banking, telecommunications, defence, fashion, etc. have already embraced it and the ones that are not may soon be labelled “Fragile”.
Revolution IT and the Agile methodology share a similar principle – “The highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery.” Both are powered by intellect and are driven by a set of values. Revolution IT is a team of valuable software testers that are not order takers, but consultants who offer their decision-making capabilities to ensure that the product/s released align with the strategic direction.
Within Agile, the testers are involved in the project from the inception of the project and have a 360 degree view of the entire SDLC. They even offer suggestions and improvements in the project strategy (an uncommon trend) to help build a better working solution. The Agile team liaises directly with stakeholders without all the time-consuming exhaustive project documentation which can lead to a happy delivery like a Hollywood ending.
Agile methodology is driven by such values as transparency, simplicity, and unity. The visibility depicted by Burn down, Velocity, Burn up, and Tests leave no room for unpleasant surprises and a fragile product. Working software is the primary measure of success and a real ‘value for money’ outcome for the customer. It allows the freedom to take swift actions to unexpected issues that are easily missed in the ‘risk mitigation plans’. Another feature that makes Agile unique is its capability to adapt to changing requirements/stories even towards the late stages of the project, giving customers the competitive advantage.
Agility is an evolving process and is powered by the following elements:
• Continuous build, refactoring, integration and collaboration.
• Daily stand-ups to decide each day’s tasks after reviewing yesterday’s task status.
• Acceptance testing at the end of each cycle (sprint).
• Frequent releases with updated release plan, backlog and optimised estimations.
• Evolving strategy with new goals, continual analysis of funding allocation, and charter to meet the vision.
Let’s discuss a scenario:
There is a proposal to start a fully equipped school in the country. If the government were to follow the waterfall model, the children may be deprived of necessary education for a couple of years by the time we reach the ‘deployment’ stage. However, a quick (but still quality) setup for delivering education starting with building classrooms would be the Agile way to go; enabling education delivery in one-third of the time. Once the basic setup is complete, the Agile methodology will allow delivery of the additional amenities, i.e. playground, swimming pool, etc. While the children receive the priority elements of their education, the rest of the work can be in progress. New features can still be discussed. You can engage with the stakeholders on the release plan for additional features; do we try to squeeze all of them in, or can we release the next most essential features first and then the others as enhancements later?
I hope by virtue of my words and my love for Agile I have managed to keep you reading until the end! And if you are indeed reading these last lines I can gladly welcome you to the Agile fan club!
Written by Megha Arora – Consultant, Revolution IT
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