The principal idea behind agile software development, i.e., customer satisfaction is sought by continuous deliveries of value-adding software, by maintaining steady communication with the client and, also, while focusing on intra-team communication.

In contrast to early practices, the Agile methodology is not featured by the complete definition of a product i.e., a complete analysis or the definition of all categories/requirements but by a constantly evolving interaction that enables constant delivery for Agile software development companies.

A major advantage of using Agile methodologies is swift delivery while offering constant delivery of value to the customer, since deliveries are incremental.

There are numerous methodologies that adopt the Agile mindset. Here are five main Agile methodologies and their merits and demerits in software development.

Main Agile methodologies:

1.      Scrum:

It can be assured with positivity, that the most used of the numerous frameworks of Agile methodology is the Scrum. Scrum is distinguished by numerous cycles or stages of development, known as sprints, and by the optimisation of development time for a software product.  It is generally used to manage software development projects, but also can be used in a business-related context.

There are small 15-minute meetings daily called the daily scrum, that synchronises activities and finding the excellent way to plan the workday.

2.      Kanban

Kanban derived from Japanese is linked to a time concept, ‘just in time’. In fact, the Kanban method exists on a Kanban board segmented in columns, that displays the flow of the software production.

As the development progresses in the software development company in UAE, the information included in the table changes, and when a new task emerges, a new card is created.

The Kanban method demands communication and transparency so that team members have a clear picture of the development process.

3.      Extreme Programming (XP)

Developed by Kent Beck, this is a regular Agile Development framework, and can be used by software development companies of various sizes.

It is an approach that values communication, simplicity, feedback, courage and respect and emphasizes customer satisfaction above everything else. This method develops trust in developers by motivating them to accept changes in the customer needs, even if they come into the later stages of development cycle.

Collective action or teamwork is crucial in XP, because when there is an issue, it is solved by the entire team of managers, developers, or customers. Hence it is essential to create the right environment conducive for high productivity and efficiency.

With extreme programming, software is tested from the start, garnering feedback to improve development.

4.      Lean Development

Lean Development is an approach that has been derived from Lean Manufacturing of Toyota and applied to software development in software companies in Dubai.

It provides a conceptual framework and adopts values, principles and good development practices that can be applied to an agile development approach.

There are seven fundamental principles:

  1. Doing away with things that do not matter i.e., things that does not offer any value to the customer’s project),

2. Quality development (bringing in quality in development demands discipline and control of the quantity of residuals created

3. Developing knowledge (the team is encouraged to document the whole development infrastructure to later retain that value)

4. Diverging commitments (this point encourages the teams to have a complete understanding of the requirements of the business).

5. Swift delivery (deliver value to the customer without delay).

6. Managing conflict (communicating and managing conflicts are two major points).

7. Optimize for the entirety (The development order has to be perfected enough to be able to single out and resolve errors in the code, for the sake of creating a flow of true value)

5.      Crystal

This is a class of Agile methodologies which comprises variants such as Crystal Clear (max 8-person team), Crystal Yellow (max 10–20-person team), Crystal Orange (max 20–50-person team) and Crystal Red (max 50-1000 people).

Crystal emphasizes on principles such as People, Interactions, Community, Skills, Talent and Communication, to deliver the best possible software development process.

The heart of this development process is interaction and symbiosis, which must be present between the people allocated to the projects and processes to yield efficiency to the development.  Many IT Software Companies in Dubai use the advantages of Agile methodologies. As we all know that every method has its own pros and cons.