Agile Methodology in Action: Strengthening Remote Team Collaboration for App Development

As you probably already know, Agile project management philosophy is an industry standard for project management. It makes software development and launch more efficient and flexible. It is a more micromanaged model of managing projects within the predefined scope of work.

It allows teams to make changes and adapt to project requirements in real-time, thus emphasizing continuous improvement and collaboration for app development teams and more. Agile frameworks revolve around a methodology of breaking complex projects into smaller work cycles or phases, allocating responsibilities within the team, and carrying out frequent work assessments and iterations while keeping a sustained engagement with changing client requirements, thus creating a final product version that the customer is fully satisfied with.

Working on developing new features for an app can be challenging for a distributed team. However, with the right methodology and tools in place you can guarantee quick turnaround and a united team. The Agile method allows for this.

An Overview of Popular Agile Frameworks: Kanban and Scrum

Two of the most popular Agile frameworks are Kanban and Scrum, with their own distinctive features and areas of use.

With Kanban, software development is built on workflow visualization with no time-boxed development cycles compared to what one sees in Scrum. The visual representation consists of work in stages; every task passes through different workflow columns based on how the project progresses. 

With Scrum, the team strictly follows a work plan for each short development cycle. In contrast, with Kanban, the team can change the number of tasks team members work on at any given time, thus allowing for resource efficiency and helping avoid burnout.

Using Agile Methodology for Development of Mobile App Features

Agile methodology is best for mobile app development because it reduces the risk of outdated technologies, improves work productivity, allows for better and more focused control of project execution, improves product quality, and saves on mobile app development costs.

The basic framework for Agile implementation includes planning, requirement analysis, development, Quality testing, delivery, and continuous maintenance to keep the app updated enough to deliver expected outcomes. This is where the importance of managing and connecting with your team, especially if they are remote, becomes key. It is essential to clearly outline roles, responsibilities, desired outcomes, key results, and methods of communication.

The following is a step-by-step process of implementing Agile methodology for any new app launch or feature update:

Step 1: Define Product or New Features

This is the planning stage where one must outline the specific project’s to-do’s. You must ask your primary stakeholders some of the following questions:

• What will be the overall aim and application of the new app feature?
• What particular problems does the new feature solve?
• Is that specific product or service feature important for the users, and is it conducive to the brand’s business value and technical feasibility?

You may find your tasks for this project or feature in the product backlog, a dynamic document that tracks and prioritizes potential features that would improve app performance.

Step 2: Requirement Analysis

In this stage, the development cycle is broken down into smaller processes of 2-to-4 weeks called sprints, which act as distinct modules. 

The analysis needs to answer the following questions:

• What will be deliverables for each sprint?
• What will be the requirements for each sprint?
• Within what time frame would each sprint be completed?
• What kind of team members would be needed (UX designer, QA tester, etc.)?

Based on expertise and responsibilities within a team, users are delegated tasks to define the strategic workflow, and due dates are specified for completing tasks in this phase. Additionally, you can analyze if there is opportunity for improving workflows and communication to extract the maximum benefit.

Step 3: Software Development

The sprints are executed at this stage, and team members start working on the project requirements. With Agile project management software, workflows can be adjusted and updated, which allows for prioritizing new tasks in the Product Backlog as required, and properly delegating sprint tasks as they are worked on.

During this phase project reports also enable essential insights into the teams’ performance and the project progress updates. Synchronous and asynchronous communication help team members to be aware of any changes and updates. 

Using Kanban as a framework tool helps to visualize workflow, delegate work to the right individuals, avoid confusion, solve problems as they arise, create transparency, and improve work efficiency. Daily standup meetings are used to communicate work progress, identify roadblocks, make required changes, and plan on forthcoming work.

Step 4: Continuous Testing & QA

Testing at the end of each sprint allows for upkeeping the Quality standards during each project phase. This ensures that each new feature or functionality developed during a sprint is up to date and fulfills the expected outcome. 

After review, a demo is presented before the stakeholders, important feedback is collected, and necessary changes or updates are made as directed. This feedback is also used to improve the subsequent sprint output by enhancing the efficiency of tasks and updating team performance.

Step 5: Launch & Ongoing Monitoring

Once all the stages of the development are complete according to the sprints planned, and the application has passed the testing phase, the app is released to production. Continuous monitoring is undertaken to collect user reviews, feedback, and any technical errors or problems at this stage are analyzed for making changes in the next sprint.

Key performance indicators (KPIs) are tracked on a weekly or monthly basis to evaluate whether key results have been attained.

To gain the most efficiency when using Agile methodology, get feedback more often and early during the workflow process so as to make app improvements without any roadblocks. Even with Agile frameworks, teams should always be open-minded to adjust their workloads and timeframes since sometimes things don’t always work according to plan. 

Communication is Key to Successful Launches and Future Ingenuity

Communication is most critical in the launch and monitoring phase, especially regular communications with the product owner and all other stakeholders so that any problems are addressed early on, and project transparency is maintained.

Since the product features are delivered incrementally in rapid succession, ideas can be tested on the go, data collected, and these insights can be used to provide the best features.

Since every step during the development process is managed in detail and changes can be made midway through a project, Agile development methodology helps develop and integrate new features for apps, making for an easy and streamlined process. With Agile frameworks, stakeholders can also make better decisions and fetch higher investment returns by lowering surprise expenses. By setting up clear channels of communication and defining team responsibilities you can have success with new features.