Agile Model

Software development uses a planned and structured process to develop software products. The term 'software development', is the process, which involves writing and maintaining the code used to develop a software. However, often the process of software development includes the idea of the software, designing the software through to the final development of the software, which is then handed over to the client. There are different models, which have been used to develop software. They include the waterfall model, spiral model, prototype model, incremental model, agile model, etc.

What is Agile Model?

The term agile stands for 'moving quickly'. This software development methodology is based on iterative and incremental model of software development. The requirements and the solutions are a product of collaboration between self organizing and cross functional teams. It is a lightweight software development model, which developed in the 1990s'. This model was developed against the background of the heavyweight models, which were famous for being heavily regulated, regimented, micromanaged.

There were certain principles on which the agile model was to be based. The most important of the principles is customer satisfaction by giving rapid and continuous delivery of small and useful software. The delivery of the software happens at regular intervals as opposed to after a number of months, which is the case with the waterfall model. This is the point where in the waterfall model vs agile debate the agile model scores over the waterfall model. The measure of progress used in agile modeling is the different working models delivered to the client. Since the software is developed in small batches, changes can easily be introduced into the software product. There is a lot of scope for cooperation between the business people and the developers, as the requirements keep coming from the business people at regular intervals. There is a lot of emphasis laid on technical excellence and good design of the software. The software development team has to adapt regularly to the changing circumstances.

Agile modeling is a methodology, which makes use of practice for modeling and documentation of software based systems. Traditional modeling methods in software development projects have given way to these practices which are applied in a more flexible manner. It supplements the different agile methodologies like extreme programming, agile unified process and scrum models.

Agile Model Advantages and Disadvantages

After having understood the agile model, let's turn our attention to know, where does the agile model score over the other models of software development and what are the shortcomings of the agile model.

Advantages of Agile Model
The most important of the advantages of agile model is the ability to respond to the changing requirements of the project. This ensures that the efforts of the development team are not wasted, which is often the case with the other methodologies. The changes are integrated immediately, which saves trouble later. There is no guesswork between the development team and the customer, as there is face to face communication and continuous inputs from the client. The documents are to the point, which no leaves no space for ambiguity. The culmination of this is that a high quality software is delivered to the client in the shortest period of time and leaves the customer satisfied.

Disadvantages of Agile Model
If the projects are smaller projects, then using the agile model is certainly profitable, but if it is a large project, then it becomes difficult to judge the efforts and the time required for the project in the software development life cycle. Since the requirements are ever changing, there is hardly any emphasis, which is laid on designing and documentation. Therefore, chances of the project going off the track easily are much more. The added problem is if the customer representative is not sure, then the project going off track increase manifold. Only senior developers are in a better position to take the decisions necessary for the agile type of development, which leaves hardly any place for newbie programmers, until it is combined with the seniors resources.

Agile Model in Software Testing

Agile model is not only used in software development, but also for software testing. Agile model testing is carried out from the perspective of the end user. There is no emphasis, which is laid on the rigid testing procedures, but the focus is rather on conducting the tests iteratively on the newly developed software component, as well as regression tests are carried out on the entire software to check if any new bugs were introduced into the software. In the agile testing model, the focus shifts from 'testers as quality watchdog' to 'the entire team quality watchdog'.

As the name of the testing methodology suggests, the testers have to adapt themselves to rapid development cycles and make the required changes to the test suite. In this software testing type, the aim is to test from the perspective of the customer as early as possible in the development process. Because the testers are involved early on in the entire process of software development, they give the necessary information, feedback and suggestions to the development team, rather than after the development has come to the final stages.

Agile model has given the software development process an effective and practice based methodology. Therefore, the principle 'maximize stakeholder value' can actually be put into practice, leaving the customer satisfied and happy.