Top 10 Advantages Of Agile Methodology In Web Development 

When it comes to developing reliable software, there are different software development approaches. One of which is Agile Methodology. The majority of companies are using the agile software development approach because it’s quite flexible in nature. In this blog, we will talk about the top 10 advantages of Agile methodology.

Let’s dive deeper into the topic-

What is Agile?  

One of the popular approaches in software and web development is agile methodology. The agile methodology emphasizes on providing value to customers’ lives by dividing the entire project into small increments. Therefore, agile methodology facilitates collaborative working among team members.  

In the agile approach, senior managers allow the team members to figure out on their own what tasks they have to do.

Many organizations prefer to follow the agile approach because it facilitates collaborative efforts toward accomplishing the end goal. An agile approach is preferable for ongoing projects or where there are no defined project constraints.   

Earlier, agile approach was popular in software development, but now every industry, IT, business, or construction, is following it. 

Companies developing software or engaged in developing websites deliver work in small increments rather than launching everything on the big bang. This is what agile model is all about.

Let’s throw some light on stats –  

Research conducted by the project management institute in 2017 concluded that around 71 percent used the agile approach in their processes. The agile methodology follows the 5 basic yet essential principles –  

• It focuses on providing maximum satisfaction to the customers.   
• It divides the projects in smaller chunks  
• It puts more emphasis on working collaboratively.   
• It makes an individual accountable for their efforts.   
• The web development team or dedicated development team should respond to technological changes rather than following rigid processes.   

According to the research conducted by kiss flow in 2018, organizations that are developing projects using agile methodologies are 28 percent more successful. Therefore, organizations believe that using an agile approach in developing web projects leads to faster completion of projects and, at the same time, providing a final product that meets customers’ needs. There are various agile development frameworks. Some of them include Kanban, Lean software development, scrum, extreme programming (XP) etc.   

Big corporations are even enjoying the advantages of agile methodology such as CNBC, Microsoft, and Google use the agile approach.  So, where are you heading towards? 

Agile Methodology VS Traditional Web Development Methodologies  

Traditional web development approaches put more emphasis on following rigid plans. In the traditional software development approach, projects follow a sequential, step-by-step plan which includes various stages –  

• Requirement analysis   
• Design   
• Implementation   
• Testing   
• Maintenance   
• Flexibility   

The traditional software development approach follows systematic plans to ensure the completion of projects. Therefore, it is popularly known as a linear approach for developing web projects. On the contrary, agile methodology is a completely flexible process as team members can make changes in the project after the completion of the project.

Customer Involvement   

In the traditional software development approach, customers actively participate in the early stages of development. They have the opportunity to see the product once it is developed.

On the contrary, the agile model emphasizes high customer involvement in the development of web projects right from the start. Not only this, they can review the application at every stage of development.   

Complexity of project   

When handling small projects or projects that do not require any complex changes, then working with a traditional approach outperforms the best. Sudden changes in the project can shift the development team’s focus to move back to step 1.  

On the other hand, agile approach is highly suitable for handling complex projects or projects that are subject to frequent changes.   

Feedback   

The traditional approach clearly defines the requirements before the project starts. There is no room for feedback as sudden changes in the project can push the deadline.  

On the other hand, the agile methodology allows the development team to take continuous feedback for delivering a high-quality project.   

Agile vs. Waterfall

The requirements, design, development, testing, and deployment phases of the waterfall technique are all accomplished in a strict, sequential manner. Although it works well for steady, long-term projects like building, agile web development and agile software project management are dynamic fields where it frequently falters.
Software environments that move quickly require agility and flexibility. Imagine there is pandemonium midway through the Waterfall cycle when clients start requesting new features! Here’s where agile approaches really shine. Agile development, which embraces iterative cycles, facilitates early delivery of functional software, quick modifications, and ongoing feedback. Throughout the process, clients actively participate in testing and offer insightful feedback.
Which strategy, though, is best for you? Think about the project’s budget, schedule, and scope. Waterfall may be effective for projects with clear objectives and a long timeline. But when it comes to adaptability, client cooperation, and flexibility, agile web development comes out on top. Make informed decisions to help your project succeed!

How agile methodology differs from traditional web development?   

Basis of comparison	Traditional approach	Agile methodology
Project complexity	Traditional approach should be preferred for less complex projects or where everything confines to the fixed schedule	Agile methodology is suitable for more complex and small projects
Customer Involvement	In traditional approach, customers are involving when the project is initiated. They can see the final product after the projects gets completed	There is high level of customer involvement from the stage when the project gets initiated till it gets completed
Feedback	Under traditional methodology, there is no scope for feedback as the project has to be delivered within the fixed timespan	Feedback from customers has to be taken into consideration throughout the development process, so it is the preferred choice by developers and project managers
Project requirements	It is easy to do web development for the projects whose requirements are already defined	It is suitable for those projects where project requirements are unclear
Cost of development	Cost of developing web apps is comparatively lower than agile as the project requirements and scope is already defined	Developing projects using agile approach is expensive as the stakeholder requirements are fuzzy.
Project releases	Traditional approach is not suitable for frequent project releases	Agile methodology is suitable for doing frequent project releases
Examples	Manufacturing of cars or where minor improvements are required in the project	Skype, Philips, JP morgan chase

How does agile methodology improve communication between web developers, stakeholders, and customers?  

In the waterfall model, the stakeholders define the project’s requirements, pass on the requirements to the designer, and then developers initiate the project’s development.   

In the agile approach, the involvement of stakeholders is a must to have in all mockups; scrum happens everyday to ensure better collaboration among everyone.  

Hence, Agile methodology facilitates a high level of collaboration between project managers and customers as there is continuous interaction with the customers not just at the beginning but also at the end of the project.   

For example – Customers can interact with the development team to ensure that the project meets their expectations or not.   

10 Advantages of Agile Methodology in Website Development   

The advantages of Agile project management will range depending on how various teams choose to apply best practices. Nonetheless, it is widely acknowledged that Agile provides the following fundamental advantages:

1. Provides high-quality product   

Agile methodology breaks the entire project into small and manageable tasks so that the team members easily collaborate.  

Additionally, in agile, each feature is tested as and when it is developed. The testing is performed for every feature, and the product owners share reviews with the entire development team, and the team works together to fix the loopholes in the early stages of development. Hence, improving the quality of the product. Agile project management approaches have an iterative approach, which means that procedures are refined with each repetition of a time interval. One of the main tenets of Agile is the continuous emphasis on quality assurance and improvement, which leads to the production of better products.

2. Focuses on customer satisfaction 

Customers need not wait for months or years to get a product that is not meeting their expectations. Agile methodology satisfies its end users by keeping the customers in the loop. The development team can make the prototype changes based on the product owner’s feedback. This way, the product is built by keeping customer expectations in mind.  

Waterfall methodology does not involve the customer in all stages of development. In the agile development approach, developers conduct weekly meetings to interact with customers and create a customer-centric product.   

3. Ensures better control over the projects   

As the project involves various stakeholders, the agile approach gives them better control. Every team member understands their deliverables and actively participates in the process.

Daily stand-up meetings are conducted so the development team can check the project’s progress each time. Not only this, under the agile approach, planning meetings take place that allows team members to brainstorm with each other and plan for the next sprint.  

4. Provides greater flexibility   

Agile development allows the team members to become more flexible as the project members can make changes in the project if there is a change in project requirements or if the customer needs changes.   

Consider an example of a stakeholder who wants to add a new feature to the product; agile methodology allows the development team to iterate the process and deliver the final product without disrupting the overall development process which in turn leads to greater flexibility.  

5. Faster launch   

One of the prominent advantages of Agile methodology allows web developers to launch the website quickly. In the traditional approach, the website launch happens at the end of the project. So, it becomes a time-consuming task to gather inputs from the stakeholder, and when the product is going to launch, revisions are added to the product.   

On the other hand, agile methodology focuses on evolving your product on a regular basis as there is a scope of direct feedback.   

6. Continuous delivery of the product   

There is a scope for continuous improvement in agile methodology. Every product is the better version of last one as there is transparent communication between stakeholders and web developers. The agile approach’s objective is to continuously improve the product and deliver the project on time. 

Additionally, the agile process is interactive, delivering products in increments, which prevents the repetition of mistakes from the previous sprint in the next one. As a result, it ensures continuous improvement of the product at each stage.

7. Transparency   

Agile methodology is more about working collaboratively to accomplish development goals. The team conducts daily meetings to track the progress of each team member. The agile methodology enables clients to actively participate in every project stage, including creating a project plan, performing iterations, and developing new features.

Every team member knows each other assigned tasks, and everyone is involved from the start in planning, reviewing, and testing. Hence, it leads to better transparency and develops a healthy work environment.  

8. Faster time to market website   

The website development team can quickly launch the website in the market. All thanks to agile methodologies! The agile development approach is an incremental and iterative process, so team members get continuous feedback to make the changes on the go, thereby, increasing the development speed.   

9. Reduces Risks   

Regarding the traditional waterfall model, there was some uncertainty involved in project development. Agile is popular not only for flexibility but also serves as a risk-reducing technique.  

In the agile process, the client and project manager conduct regular team meetings to ensure everyone is on the same page. In the agile process, the team conducts testing of the product after development, and they collect feedback after each iteration.

10. Relevant metrics   

The traditional waterfall model focused on completing the project after the approval of documentation. However, agile is a flexible approach that allows for easy measurement of progress in any task. Agile provides insight into some exact metrics, such as lead time, cycle team, etc., that can help to measure overall team performance.  

Read also- Responsive Web Design And Development 

Wrapping up   

You might get a clear idea of why agile is the most preferred approach for software development. Though companies are still using the traditional waterfall model in developing projects, the majority of organizations are adopting agile methodology in their processes.   

It completely depends on your project requirements as to whether you should go with agile or waterfall as you might get a quick know-how of the advantages of agile methodology.

FAQs  

Q1. Which project methodology is best for web development?

The waterfall approach is suitable for developing a website when project requirements are defined in advance and there is a fixed timeframe for completing the project. On the contrary, the agile development approach is used for developing web projects with no defined scope of work.

Q2. Which is the most popular methodology for agile?

Scrum is the most common agile methodology for development, whereas Kanban is ideal for maintenance and support projects.

Q3. How does Agile help adapt to changing requirements?

Agile values adaptability. Short iterations prevent last-minute surprises and rework by enabling early integration of input and changing needs. A preference for functional software over extensive documentation makes modifications easier as you go.

Q4. What are the top 5 agile principles for custom web development projects?

1. Provides maximum satisfaction to the customers
2. Deliver the project in smaller increments
3. Put collaborative efforts toward the completion of the project
4. Do regular face to conversations with the customer
5. The web development team should adapt to changes in technology rather than following rigid processes.

Q5. What are the different types of Agile methodologies?

 While Agile principles remain core, several methodologies exist:

• Kanban: Visualizes project flow, focusing on continuous delivery in small batches.
• Scrum: Employs time-boxed sprints, daily stand-ups, and backlog management.
• Extreme Programming (XP): Emphasizes close collaboration, testing, and iterative development.
• Crystal: Adapts Agile to different project sizes and priorities.