What is Agile App Development For Startups: Everything You Need to Know!

Many startup founders find the approach exciting but need help with its adoption. Entrepreneurs face several challenges while applying agile to their app development projects. This piece explores how startup founders can overcome the obstacles of agile app development.

Most startup owners need help to go from 0 to 1 with their software development projects. This becomes much more challenging for entrepreneurs with non-tech backgrounds. Imagine trying to build a tech product, hire developers and a CTO, and manage the non-tech side of the startup.

This balancing act needs an anchor, and that is where agile app development comes into play. It is an iterative approach to software product development that breaks your project into smaller tasks. This helps you gradually build the product without massive investment and effort. Moreover, agile allows you to test and validate the product with each iteration so you can offer a more refined user experience with each update. Agile app development is instrumental in making you quickly adapt to necessary changes so you can deliver better results.

However, adopting agile has its own set of challenges. From resistance within the organization to a new approach to DevOps and CI/CD implementation issues, adopting agile can be daunting. This article will focus on your questions about agile app development, what makes it ideal for your development projects, what its challenges are, and how you can overcome them.

What is Agile Application Development?

Agile application development is an umbrella term.

It is a collection of different methodologies and processes. These methodologies optimize collaborations, iterations, and adaptation to market changes. The goal of the agile approach is simple: deliver value to the customer faster!

The agile app development process is divided into short sprint cycles lasting 2-4 weeks. Each sprint has cross-functional teams working on specific tasks. At the end of the sprint, task outcomes are evaluated, and based on the result, the next sprint is planned.

In the context of your app development, this process involves teams working on a minimum viable product(MVP) first. At the end of the sprint, MVP is tested, and test results are used to build the next iteration. So, it is a continuous process that helps your startup improve the product with each iteration.

Before you use agile, it’s essential to understand that this approach is not for everyone. Agile can prove detrimental, especially if you have a fixed scope and your timelines are tight. Here are some key differences between agile and traditional development approaches to help you decide whether it suits your startup.

How Agile App Development Differs from Traditional Development?

Before choosing agile for mobile app development, you must compare it with the traditional approach. This will help you validate whether agile is suitable for your startup. Here are some key differences between the two approaches,

Understanding these differences will help you understand why agile is crucial for your startup. Agile makes more sense if you are developing a tech product from scratch. If you decide to use agile, you can use many different methodologies, like Kanban, Scrum, and Extreme Programming(XP).

4 Types of Agile Methodologies for Mobile App Development Startups

Here are some of the critical agile methodologies to use for your app development project.

Kanban: Kanban provides flexibility and visual frameworks for better collaborations. It is designed to help you visualize your development tasks, limit work in progress, and maximize work efficiency.

The Kanban methodology involves tracking tasks across teams through visual boards. Each board has different columns for planned, ongoing, and completed functions. It helps you track each development task and help identify critical bottlenecks blocking the process flow. The Kanban board also helps keep the whole team on the same page.

Scrum: Scrum is one of the most popular agile methodologies. Its strong focus on collaboration brings teams together, which is why 66% of Agile businesses prefer Scrum. Teams using Scrum deliver 250% of improvements in app quality.

Scrum is similar to Kanban in many ways. Like Kanban, it consists of a board, but the twist is that the team has to complete their task within a specific period known as a sprint. It involves sprint planning, sprint review, incremental delivery, and transparency.

Extreme Programming (XP): Extreme Programming (XP) is also similar to Scrum methodology. XP mainly focuses on continuous development and delivery. However, extreme programming (XP) involves several processes to ensure efficient software development:

Planning game– A collaborative approach where developers and customers prioritize features.

Small releases– Releasing software in small, recurring iterations to collect quick feedback minimizes the risk.

Customer acceptance tests– Ensures that the software meets customer requirements, improving satisfaction and reducing work.

Simple design– Focuses on creating a straightforward solution, minimizing complexity, and improving responsiveness.

Pair programming– Two developers work together on the same code, enhancing code quality and knowledge sharing.

Test-driven development– Writing tests before code ensures high-quality, bug-free software and reduces future maintenance costs.

Refactoring– Continuously improving code quality and structure to keep it clean, maintainable, and adaptable to changes.

Metaphor– Using a shared, simple analogy to communicate the design and architecture of the system, ensuring clarity

Sustainable pace– It helps manage work that prevents burnout and ensures long-term productivity and high-quality code delivery.

Read detailed original content here: Agile App Development: A Startup Guide to Overcoming Challenges