Month: July 2021

Why are agile methodologies key in software development?

Agile methodologies are some of our favorites, as they are the working models we use at Nuvolar to develop our solutions. Thanks to these frameworks, we can develop high-quality applications faster and with more convenient technical methods. Partly, this is because these procedural frameworks prioritize partial deliveries of the developments, allowing their elaboration through iterative cycles. In this way, continuous feedback helps to improve the application and adapt it to the needs of the client and end users.

Do you want to incorporate solutions and applications to streamline your company’s processes and learn more about agile methodologies? Continue reading to learn all the details.

Software development before agile methodologies

Before the emergence of agile methodologies in 2001, the software development process required a large amount of documentation. This documentation also had to be available before the start of code programming. Often, the technology business analyst would write a document with the requirements and functionality that the customer needed from the application. These business requirements briefings were very extensive and included all the details of the project.

Based on this document, the developers prepared their own technical requirements document. In this report, they defined the application architecture, data structures, object-oriented functional designs, and user interfaces, in addition to other non-functional requirements. This development process — known as waterflow — continued with the coding process. This step was followed by integration and finally testing. The whole sequence could take up to two years before bringing the application to the production phase.

As you can see, this method was not flexible at all. The introduction of changes during the development of the application was complicated and delayed the delivery time. Consequently, when many of these developments were presented to the customer or released to the public, they were already obsolete. The needs of the company and the users could change in two years.

What are agile methodologies and what are their main characteristics?

All this changed in 2001. During this year, a group of renowned software developers found commonalities in the alternative work methodologies to waterflow that they were using. Among the members of this group were Ron Jeffries, Ken Schwaber, Martin Fowler, Kent Beck, and Jeff Sutherland. Together they wrote the Agile Manifesto, a document that brought together their shared proposals on how a contemporary software development process should be structured. To summarize, three of their main premises were:

• To rely on collaboration over documentation.
• To privilege organization within the team, rather than rigid management practices.
• To promote the ability to manage change rather than accept the rigor of waterfall development.

What do these methodologies consist of?

We can define agile methodologies as evolutionary methods based on timely and iterative processes for software development.

In summary, these methods are characterized by:

• Focus on collaborative development. Users and stakeholders actively participate in the evolution of the product together.
• Minimize unnecessary work and excessive documentation. The less time spent on paperwork, the more time that is available to spend creating the application.
• Accept that uncertainty is an intrinsic part of software development and that it is difficult to control changes.

In Agile methodology, work teams are multidisciplinary and composed of diverse professionals. They all possess the necessary skills to execute the work.

Considering that the goal is to develop a working technology solution, the team must ensure the correct functioning of the applications from start to finish. With this goal in mind, the database, business logic, and user interface of the application are developed and demonstrated in parts. In other words, it is not necessary to wait until the entire software is finished to test and present it. To this end, team members must collaborate and frequently meet to ensure that everyone is aligned with the objectives. It also helps l to verify what everyone is doing and how the product is developing.

We can summarize the advantages of these methodologies as follows:

• Greater capacity for rapid response and adaptation to change.
• No excess of formal processes.
• Constant communication between project team members.
• The client receives information on the development of the project throughout the process.

How do agile methodologies influence software development?

Implementing an agile procedural framework with the principles and characteristics above results in higher quality applications in less time. It’s also worth mentioning that it allows the use of more suitable technical methods in the development of tools. The methodologies we are discussing emphasize adaptability and flexibility. Therefore, there is no up-front definition of answers, as with the waterfall scheme. Instead, the problem is broken down into rapidly developable modules to test with users.

Under these conditions, it is easy to check if something is wrong or if any details are missing It is also immediately possible to adapt the effort to reinstate the original approach or change it if necessary. In the agile approach, each team member contributes to the solution and takes personal responsibility for their work.

Today, agile methodologies are adaptable to web and application development for almost all purposes. Moreover, agile development frameworks and processes prioritize the delivery of software solutions iteratively and encourage feedback. This ensures that teams tailor applications to users’ needs and expectations.

Another favorable consequence of agile development is that it facilitates a process of continuous improvement. Indeed, the solutions developed require constant updating of their functionalities and support. Therefore, the iterative nature of these methodologies helps to establish a culture of continuous improvement.

What are the most commonly used agile methodologies?

There are many agile methodologies practiced for software development. Each of them allows different levels of flexibility during the process. Below, we will briefly mention some of the most commonly used ones:

Scrum

Scrum is a model suitable for projects whose requirements are constantly changing. It consists of delivery cycles called sprints and structured meetings to:

• Plan the sprint and establish sprint priorities.
• Engage the team by reviewing a list or backlog of user stories which helps to define the amount of work for the sprint.
• Update the development status of the sprint.

The sprints culminate with a meeting demonstrating the functionality of the product to the customer. This demonstration is followed by a retrospective team meeting to discuss achievements and improvement requirements.

Extreme Programming Model (XP)

The success of the Extreme Programming Model (XP) methodology depends largely on the team’s technical expertise and commitment to collaboration. In short, it consists of developing several small versions of the application. This reduces the costs generated by changes in requirements. The work dynamic involves pairs of developers who execute a simple design and whose code is continuously improved by considering user feedback.

At Nuvolar, we use the Lean methodology.

Lastly, we will discuss the Lean methodology. This is the methodology we use at Nuvolar to approach application development for our customers. This scheme of work focuses on creating highly usable and easily manageable software for users. It includes the most beneficial and necessary functionalities according to the purpose of the solution. With this objective in mind, we propose short iterations to design, build, test, and analyze a prototype with minimum requirements.

At the end of each iteration, we present partial deliverables to the client. Then, we restart the process to incorporate new requirements and make improvements, if necessary. The idea is to avoid wasting time and resources. This also allows us to perform customized and quality development within the agreed deadline.

At Nuvolar, we can do it all! We have a great team of multidisciplinary professionals who understand your needs and those of the users of your applications. We are experts in custom software design and development, and highly-experienced in working with UX and UI design criteria. Our services include product development and implementation management, as well as consulting and post-deployment support. Contact us to learn why we are your ideal partner for cloud solutions!

How cloud solutions contribute to business growth

How companies grow depends heavily on their use of technology. The clear trend in the business world is towards cloud solutions. With cloud solutions, companies gain many advantages, such as the ability to optimize resources and work more efficiently. How else can cloud computing help companies grow?

In this article, we will analyze some of the main advantages that new cloud technologies are bringing to large and small organizations. But first, let us tell you exactly what we mean when we talk about cloud solutions.

What are cloud solutions, and what are they for?

The cloud is a concept that involves migrating multiple computing resources to external servers and processing units. A cloud solution provides users with access to services, applications, and platforms through an Internet connection.

This type of resource outsourcing can be applied in very diverse fields. A common one is data storage. It is increasingly common to save files on remote devices, either in a private or public cloud. Keeping documents on a remote devices facilitates employee collaboration and reduces investment in personal equipment. Of course, it also increases security by preventing accidental loss of information.

Another area where cloud solutions are booming is software. Just a few years ago, companies had to spend a lot of resources on keeping their employees’ applications up to date at each workstation. With the implementation of cloud solutions, software updates can take place remotely, delivering new features constantly and immediately. Again, this favors the growth of companies by allowing resources, both human and material, to be better utilized.

It is clear that cloud solutions are becoming increasingly important in the business landscape. But how do they really help companies grow?

Cloud and business growth: two increasingly linked concepts

The cloud model helps companies grow in many different ways. Let’s take a look at a few examples of the benefits of cloud solutions.

Business growth depends on collaboration

One of the strengths of the cloud is its ability to centralize files in one place. Historically, achieving universal access by workers within a company was possible with network drives or servers. In this type of infrastructure, ongoing maintenance is vital to avoid errors and data loss. Scalability is also extremely difficult as it requires continuous investment to purchase new equipment and increase storage.

All of these inconveniences can be obstacles to a company’s growth. But with the advent of cloud solutions, all employees have space to save their files and can easily access shared files. If a company needs more storage space, then it simply has to add it. The provider is responsible for maintaining the servers and providing protection in the event of unintentional loss of data and information.

In short, the company no longer has to worry about the storage infrastructure. It simply has to focus on managing its files and keeping them organized.

Flexibility to scale up or down

Another advantage of cloud solutions that helps companies grow is scalability. Peaks of activity are common for many companies, whether it’s increased demand for their services or new projects. It is possible that, during a period of increased work, the company needs specific resources, applications, or services. Then this need disappears after completing the work.

In these situations, cloud solutions play a key role. If the company needs specific software or to increase its storage quota, then it can purchase it temporarily. As soon as it is no longer needed, the business can simply reduce its subscription. This flexibility eliminates license purchases, hardware investments, and other expenses. In addition, it is possible to expand the company’s capacities in just a few clicks and across the board for all users, if necessary.

Telework is a reality

In times of crisis, teleworking can become a company’s lifeline. Employees can continue their work from anywhere, whether at home, in the office, or traveling. Teleworking has undoubtedly helped companies grow even in the most challenging situations.

With a growing number of cloud services, more companies can offer teleworking options to their employees. For example, a company can contract a number of cloud services, such as spreadsheet managers or document processors, cloud storage, invoicing systems, etc. to facilitate remote work. All of these cloud-based services can be scaled up or down as needed and many provide constant updates to keep up with the latest business needs.

It’s important to keep in mind that the cloud model not only allows the execution of third-party applications over the Internet. It also tolerates the creation of customized software for individual companies, all hosted remotely. This greatly facilitates usage on any device, regardless of its operating system. As a result, it is possible to meet any organizational or logistical needs, provide universal access to the company’s tools, and update them simultaneously on all of the organization’s device.

Ultimately, whether a company relies on third-party services and software or designs its own, doing so in the cloud favors teleworking. Moreover, it minimizes costs and allows organizations to implement improvements quickly.

Businesses now only need a web browser

Lastly, cloud solutions increase business growth by removing some critical barriers. First, specific hardware specifications are no longer required to run certain programs. Since all data processing is done remotely, cloud-based applications have much lower minimum specifications. This results in better performance, even on modest devices. Consequently, the company will not have to make significant investments to keep its employees’ equipment or workstations up to date.

Secondly, there is no need to install anything. Most cloud-based applications and services are accessible from a web browser. Thus, a single software provides access to an infinite number of resources that only require Internet access. Most of today’s web browsers are automatically updated, solving security issues on their own.

Are cloud solutions really the future of business growth?

Undoubtedly, they are. In this article, we have discussed the different cases in which cloud solutions play an important role in promoting business growth. Although not all organizations have the same needs, cloud solutions can adapt to almost any circumstance thanks to their flexibility.