At CodigoDelSur we work with all types of companies, from startups to large multinationals. Different as they may be, we have decided to use Scrum in all our projects as it will propel the accomplishment of our and our clients’ objectives.

You may be wondering why we’ve selected an Agile approach and are splitting the development work into 2-week sprints, so here we wanted to explain to you how we see it:

Being in an ever-changing environment and surrounded by other highly competitive companies has led to a real need for companies to create unique, innovative products that are custom made for their clients and which can adapt to daily changes. If clients don’t simply love your digital product, they’ll easily find an interesting replacement for it. Scrum proves useful for those companies which are trying to shock the market as they enter it and quickly adapt to its needs and preferences to be the chosen one. Using an agile approach means developing the product incrementally, allowing you to add any changes that may be needed, and adapting the app on the go while getting potentially shippable products after each increment. This methodology and process let us focus on quality and service while giving you flexibility by having the opportunity of adding changes, quickly pivot when needed, and be more involved during the entire project. Here are some examples of the benefits this approach has:

1- CONSTANT CHANGES IN THE MARKET

Just as a reflection of its reality, a digital project needs to allow quick changes to be entered throughout the development process. Having an agile approach allows the dev team to concentrate their efforts on small deliverables, thoroughly redefining, and prioritizing each short-term backlog. This helps avoid duplicating several tasks, save time, and adjust each functionality to the latest trends.

2- FOCUSES ON USERS

In general, agile methodologies have a strong user-centered criterion to define which features to develop, helping to consolidate the digital product’s business value. Having the possibility of beta testing provides invaluable reviews for the project to learn from and adapt.

3- COMMUNICATION. COMMUNICATION.COMMUNICATION.

Not to be overlooked, constant communication is what makes agile project results even better: increased team-client cooperation reaches the extent of having the team understanding and sharing the client’s vision, passing on to greater engagement and ownership, and consequently both higher-quality initiatives and results.

4- FAST FEEDBACK, FAST CORRECTIONS

Focusing on small units of work and obtaining constant feedback of clients leads to increased quality, as well as quick correction of potential errors that may take place. Misinterpretation of or natural changes in the client’s requirements are also easily detected and corrected. Higher customer satisfaction is an obvious consequence as well as increased trust in the selected development team. Not to mention, all the time saved by not needing to create a detailed project plan.

5- FLEXIBILITY IN SETTING PRIORITIES

Scrum enables flexibility for customers when goal-setting. Each sprint will have a specific backlog that the team will execute and deliver, generating more value for the project and being able to measure productivity and prepare for the next sprint. This flexibility is paramount when entering the ever-changing app market. Planning, developing, and delivering features in two-week sprints allows the possibility of launching beta versions ahead of time, trying them out in a small audience, and correcting and adapting any changes that may come up to add more business value.

6- PREDICTABLE COSTS AND SCHEDULE

Given each sprint has a specific duration and cost, agile methodologies allow product owners to always be in control of how much they spend. Considering the ballpark estimates provided by the dev shop together with the sprint-by-sprint reality, clients can have a better idea of costs per feature, consequently leading to a better-prioritized backlog for future sprints.

7- MOTIVATED TEAM

The team can regularly witness the value generated by their iterative work and rarely needs to repeat tasks from scratch. Also, they achieve success every sprint by setting realistic expectations and propelling motivation. It also allows project managers to assess how accountable and committed their team members are, and to understand their teams’ capacities leading to a more successful goal-setting.

Are you convinced yet?