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In the global market, it has become a new normal to integrate technology in the existing business model to achieve technical superiority and improve operational capabilities. To do so, all kinds of Businesses outsource to meet their technological needs and expect their outsourcing partners to improve their business processes and maximize revenue. Outsourcing your software development requirements can help you focus on business development and management while IT experts handle your software development needs.It can easily be interpreted that the global outsourcing market occupies a share of around $77 billion. 65% of the businesses that have already outsourced successfully are aligned in a queue to outsource more of their IT and software services to attain a competitive edge in this modern era of technology.Although, everyone agrees that outsourcing your software development is a budget-friendly practice. But we cannot neglect the fact that outsourcing comes amidst some challenges as few business owners fail to choose the right development partner. They end up choosing a partner having insufficient know-how about the customer’s business needs and product objectives.[lwptoc title="Factors to Consider While Outsourcing Your Software Development" skipHeadingLevel="h1,h4,h5,h6"]With time, the number of IT outsourcing service providers is increasing at an accelerated rate. Everyone offers different project plans and offers when it comes to project management. The options are almost infinite in such a diverse ecosystem, making it much more crucial for a business to choose the right outsourcing service provider.

Factors to Consider While Outsourcing Your Software Development

As a business owner, you can evaluate all aspects of a project but must spare time to ponder over the following points, which can help you choose the best among numerous outsourcing partners.

Analyze Your Requirements

This is the first aspect to consider every time before searching for an outsourcing service provider. The definition of best varies from person to person. To choose the best, you have to understand your needs and expectations.As a business, it’s your liability to run a smart decision-making process by identifying your business needs, evaluating the problems, and analyzing possible solutions. There is no one absolute solution for choosing an outsourcing partner as it varies with the nature and size of your project, such as the requirements, plausible solutions, etc.

Technical Expertise and Exposure

Another crucial step is to gather information about the service provider, their skills, professionalism, capabilities of their employees, portfolio, communication skills, attitude towards the problems and challenges, seriousness regarding the deadlines, and passion for putting their two cents in an area of the technological revolution.It's always better to hold a meeting with a developer team who will work on your project. Choose a team that follows agile development methodology as it’s more effective in the project development life cycle.While communicating with the developer’s team and upper hierarchy, try to know about their working attitude and seriousness towards a project. Refrain from choosing a vendor who doesn’t have exposure to the latest technologies.

Market Reputation

Everyone wants to work with a reputable service provider. As a visionary business entity, you always search for a professional software development vendor to make a deal with. You need to know before making a contract the scalability of their solutions.Try to know about their adaptability to unseen business challenges. These are some of the most important aspects. But no one will tell you about their weaknesses, and the only way you can get first-hand info about these hidden aspects is by checking their market reputation.Look at their client and project portfolio or get client reviews on their website or social media pages. To move the extra mile, you can have their clients onboard ask for their experience and opinion. Ponder over all these aspects and decide whether you want to hire that vendor or not.

Budget & Size

Budget and Size are very important factors when it comes to outsourcing your software development. If we talk about the size of the project, keep in mind that not all companies undertake any size of projects. Some companies only opt for lengthy and complex projects.There are numerous small to medium-scale companies that undertake projects of any size and complexity. Before approaching an outsourcing partner, evaluate the project plan, whether it is small, medium, or large-scaled, then shortlist the possible vendors as per your feasibility.Analyzing the budget is equally important as sometimes we expect too much as compared to our budget. Before approaching a technology service provider, we need to analyze the budget for the project and how much Return on Investment (RoI) we can retrieve from it.Never compromise on the quality for the sake of cost-cutting. Some vendors include hidden charges in a final amount apart from the project cost. Try to neglect such vendors.

Software Project Development and Management Methodology

Adaptability is the key to survival. In today’s rapidly evolving business ecosystem, businesses need to continuously adapt to the changes and shifts in market dynamics. To stay competitive in the market, you have to opt for the agile development methodology. Agile and Sprint development models are highly effective when it comes to communication and collaboration.

Also Read: IT Staff Augmentation – Best Model for Outsourcing Software Development

Outsourcing vendors who offer flexible delivery plans are agile enough to adapt to rapidly changing technologies. Always choose the outsourcing partner who follows the agile development model and is not reluctant to adapt to the evolving expectations of the client and still deliver as per the predefined schedule.

Financial Stability of Service Provider

It is highly recommended to check the financial stability of a vendor. The client should deeply examine hierarchy and technical details etc. Unimportant factors can cast a huge impact on your project and business relations with the vendor in the future. For instance, you have signed an agreement with your outsource partner, and in the middle of the project, the vendor got bankrupt and abandoned you.Imagine the catastrophic scenario and consequences you have to deal with. Being financially stable means the vendor can sustain itself in the market for a prolonged duration having long-term achievement plans rather than having a volatile monetary goal. While opting for a vendor, one must examine how much time they are in the field or if they are an entrepreneur with zero experience and uncertain financial stability. Get first-hand info about the investors and their assets.

Trust and Security

The trust factor can’t be measured in the beginning as trust develops while working with a partner. You need to provide all your intellectual data and sensitive business information to the vendor, which can be misused if not handled by professional means.While outsourcing your software development, one of the major concerns of a business owner is data and intellectual property security. So, before choosing any vendor, make sure they will go beyond their comfort zone to protect privacy and sensitive data. It is crucial to choose a partner who runs regular security check routines and audits of its network.Check whether they possess the necessary equipment or methodology to protect your sensitive data and prevent leakage of confidential information. Due to such risk factors of privacy and data mishandling, make sure to sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) before you share any of these high-profile data with your outsourcing partner. It will safeguard your sensitive data and information from any alleged fraud or damage.

After-Sale Services

Even the most renowned software solutions and top-of-the-line software service providers guarantee 99.99%. Unfortunately, there is no ideal solution available with 100% perfection. Even if it is simple software, you can’t neglect the probability of a future error.Ensure that your vendor offers after-sale service and access to their technical support team for future assistance. This support must include recovery, maintenance, upgrades & error fixation.

Technical Documentation

Any type of software development outsourcing requires dealing with a lot of technical information and documentation. To keep the development process moving without any hurdle, maintain a technical document regarding it.The technical document or report should possess all the technical specifications, timelines, plans, and cost measures. It will help you get an estimate of your budget, time, and effort allocation.

Free Trial

If you are still confused and couldn’t decide on a vendor, you also have an option for a free consultation or a trial. You can choose any option to ensure quality, outcomes, and durability. Ensure that the solution solves your problems, has mandatory features and functions. A free consultation is a semi-stimulation feel free to ask any question and clear all the doubts so you can get a clear picture of how it will add value to your business model.

Conclusion

Outsourcing is the most efficient way to increase productivity while focusing on more core business aspects while allowing professionals to efficiently manage your project or a process. It’s all about choosing the right partner for the right project.By analyzing the factors to consider while outsourcing your software development and integrating them in your decision matrix or feasibility study, you will get fruitful outcomes by extracting the most out of the software outsourcing services.

March is here & in Pakistan, ’Tis the season of LAWN. Some brands have launched their collections and other plans to launch soon. Brands are advertising heavily on all channels including TV, Radio & Digital in order to capitalize on the hype. Everyone wants to stay on top of consumer’s minds.

At Shopistan, we excel in providing Ecommerce Solutions to our clients, efficiently managing their spending to maximize ROI. We strive to deliver maximum performance and in e-commerce, performance is synonyms to PURCHASE. Our core strategy for this season is to focus on the Pay for Conversion model. This model allows advertisers to only pay when there is a conversion contrary to the other bidding in which the system charges on impressions or click.

Pay for conversion model also allows advertisers to deliver the results at the lowest possible cost. The ad account must have more than 100 conversions in the last 30 days to use pay for conversions. Also, the ad acct needs 90% of your conversions to occur within less than 7 days after someone clicks your ad.

This should be the go-to strategy for any e-commerce business because it’s aligned with the retail’s core objective. We applied this approach on Beechtree a while back and its success was mentioned by Google in a recent e-commerce case-study. Read point 3 “connect with your customer at different stages of their purchase journey”.

By using pay for conversion we were able to automate our campaigns and reduce the advertising cost. The system uses machine learning to target the audience, we don’t have to create audiences.

Data Science is proving to be a revolutionary field, considering how the business sector uses modern data technologies for problem-solving and efficient growth. Companies will continue to adopt modern data strategies to remain competitive and innovative. The two key compelling characteristics of this transformation are increasing data process automation and instantaneous analytical solutions.In this article, we'll discuss how Data Science is reshaping different business sectors globally.[lwptoc title="How is Data Science Important for Different Business Sectors" skipHeadingLevel="h1,h4,h5,h6"]

How is Data Science important for a Business Sector?

Businesses witness a massive amount of data each day, and data science technology lets organizations make accurate choices, strengthen client commitments, and perform numerous other activities. Data science aims to create a groundbreaking product and boost its popularity on the market.

Image Source: Medium

Each phase of data science carries a particular significance in operational business ventures, ranging from collection, cleaning, visualization, storage to data-driven decisions.

Also Read: 10 Must-Know Python Libraries For Data Science

Running a successful business without data science is quite risky these days and may lead to downfall; hence, businesses should instill and enforce the modern processes and methods that will result in quantifiable outcomes.

Efficient Business Management

Businesses these days have tons of data that helps them to acquire information via proper data analysis. Data scientists are in charge of transforming raw data into meaningful data, and they help assess businesses' health. This serves to outline the company's success and product wellbeing.Data science tools uncover the latent dynamics within the data and help to interpret and predict outcomes meaningfully. This allows the organization to take crucial steps to quantify, analyze, and monitor its performance. It may also enable administrators to evaluate and recognize possible company applicants.

The OSEMN Framework | Image Source: Towards Data Science

By incorporating data science, companies may promote their employees by performance analysis, progress rate, and other significant indicators. Data Science defines primary indicators important to market success assessment. Businesses can handle themselves more effectively through data science. Through workforce analysis, companies may determine what fits well for workers.

Decision Making

The decision-makers of every company should have complete information about their business data. This may often be troublesome because about 80 percent of all data remain unorganized, and analytical analysis techniques are needed to obtain such data insight. By generating figures and numbers from data science, the company can build statistical models to simulate various possibilities.

Also Read: Data Science Vs Data Analytics Vs Machine Learning: Know the Difference

Data Science techniques and methodologies can investigate a product's background statistics and information, compare it to its rivals, evaluate the demand, and ultimately recommend when and how the goods or services can be better marketed. It will make an organization consider how the product helps and question current market practices when necessary.

Image Source: Data Pine

Through this, businesses can figure out the approach they need to produce the best potential outcomes and recommend the best-case logical scenarios to boost their efficiency. By collecting and reviewing success measures over time, your business becomes more insightful and useful in making choices based on repeated patterns.Decision-makers in all fields can benefit from data science's wonders and make calculated decisions and more transparent future forecasts.

Data Science in the Finance Sector

Data Science helps in all financial sectors, including predictive forecasting, client service, cloud-based software administration, risk management, data protection, and marketing. Forecasting is essential in finance, and it has now become a game of coding.The majority of data scientists have specialized experience and training in statistics, mathematics, and computer science. Their expertise ranges even to data visualization, data analysis, and information management. They have extensive experience in infrastructure architecture, cloud computing, and data management.

Risk Management in Data Science | Image Source: KDNuggets

Data Scientists are well acquainted with Artificial Intelligence and machine learning; they develop and evaluate algorithms that detect everything from ill intentions to how public sectors invest and spend their capital.

Data Science in Healthcare Sector

Approximately 1.2 billion medical records are generated annually in the USA. Also, enormous sums of health-related data are made available by the widespread application of smart technology. This unlocks new doors for better healthcare.Healthcare stores details about clinical reports, genetic records, healthcare administration files, internet research, and billing information. Data scientists and machine learning specialists' main goal is to capture and organize vast quantities of data and analyze and better comprehend it.

Image Source: Frontiers

Data Science also allows for predictive analysis. The researchers compile data from individuals, identify associations, examine case notes, connect signs, behaviors, and familiar history, and then forecast. Besides, biomedical parameters, including therapeutic variables and genome composition, indicate and classify disease evolution. It helps boost the quality of life by the effective prediction of diseases.Every other healthcare system uses numerous methods to enhance the collection of patients' data. The technology to incorporate data science changes the healthcare sector and brings it to the next level. As the data amount increases, the application of data science into medical fields will be expanded, contributing ultimately to technical developments.

Data Science in Telecommunications

A business may make data-based decisions by convenient data analysis rather than speculation through a telecom data analysis tool. The task of data analytics in telecommunications is to offer each firm a single view of its data throughout its departments. As data is streamed from various data sources around the organization, the company will utilize any team feedback to find the best answer for any problem.Telecom companies are prone to fraud. But the sooner telecom companies evaluate large quantities of data, the quicker they can detect unusual call patterns associated with potential fraud.

Artificial Intelligence-based technologies such as automated anomaly detection enable the fast identification of "real party" so that the company can dodge and catch the fraudulent parties.To support the customer support staff more effectively in addressing customer inquiries, the supplier of telephone services uses data collection to review and manage thousands of records, images, documentation, client data, and surveys. They will save a lot of time and resources while addressing consumer complaints through the call.Data science is now an essential part of the telecommunications industry. As data tools become more readily accessible, data science, Machine Learning, and Artificial Intelligence are increasing in this field.

Ending Note

Data Science will bring tremendous benefits to your business in numerous areas, including decision-making, recruitment, training, marketing, and many more. Every business should adopt modern data science technologies to remain competitive and holding a spot in the market. Data analytics contribute to educated decisions that allow your company to spend intelligently and strategically.Share in the comments section below about your opinion and experience about how Data Science is reshaping different business sectors.

While Covid-19 continues to hover like a dark cloud, most companies and individuals struggling to find a new normal in the pandemic-rich world have now got an effective medium to sustain their business needs. The containment measures like strict lockdowns ensured that people stay at home and spend more time in front of their screens as it has uplifted the internet as the primary source of entertainment and a shopping platform. This new normal molds traditional brand reach and visibility by pushing companies to adopt digital mediums and that has influenced an era of digital transformation which we are witnessing today.[lwptoc title="Digital Transformation - The Only Silver Lining Of Pandemic" skipHeadingLevel="h1,h4,h5,h6"]Under the shadow of the ongoing pandemic, consumers have shifted dramatically toward online mediums, and companies have also made reforms to meet consumer demands. Different survey reports confirm the sudden shift toward digital interaction between customers and companies. Indicators also reveal that Respondents are three times active now than the pre-crisis period as at least 80 percent of customer interactions are now digital.

Also Read: Shopify Plus v Magneto 2 v WooCommerce – Best ecommerce Platforms

Digital Transformation Statistics

• Below are a few statistics and reasons that reveal how pandemic changed the marketing world, and companies rely more on digital marketing.
• 40% of social media users polled said they were spending more time on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
• Indicators reveal an almost 70% increase in social media content generation during the COVID-19, a 60% increase in blog content, and a 50% increase in video content
• 80% who have a content marketing strategy, 70% made significant or moderate adjustments to their strategy because of the pandemic
• 70% of companies have shifted from face-to-face interactions to a digital medium
• 75% of Small businesses claim that they have improved their digital marketing areas like SEO, social media marketing, and data analytics
• 25% of consumers started watching more live streaming videos during the pandemic
• According to Forbes, OTT platforms in India experienced an 80% surge in subscribers amid the lockdown.

Based on the above-revealed stats and data, we can easily understand how people think and behave in recent times. These routine shifts and behavioral changes push businesses to explore more about consumers’ interests and improve their digital reach.

Most Heated Ecommerce Platforms During COVID-19

From the empty hallways of shopping malls to the busy servers of online shopping portals, COVID-19 has reshaped every place and process. As we discussed earlier Majority of consumers are now heading towards digital marketplaces to shop. An August 2020 survey from eCommerce ad agency Channel Advisor conducted by Dynata shows the following results.

US Top Retailers Ranked By Retail Ecommerce Sale In 2020

(All sales are in Billion Dollars)

• Amazon: 309.58
• Walmart: 46.2
• ebay: 38.8
• Apple: 27.51
• The Home Depot: 16.71
• Best Buy: 15.7
• Target: 13.82
• Wayfair: 11.66
• The Korger Co.: 11.28
• Costco Wholsale: 11.18

Effect of Pandemic on US’ Retail Ecommerce Sales (2018 – 2020)

As the pandemic has accelerated eCommerce dependency worldwide in a dramatic manner as online sales are conquering new peaks. In the 3rd quarter of the US retail forecast, the following results are found.(The following graph represents sales in billion dollars)

Influencer Content

People are bound to spend more time in their homes due to strict lockdowns, the closure of mainstream cinemas and amusement parks, and watching more influencer content. Since May 2020, digital consumers from the US and UK who followed influencers like Vloggers and Youtubers were most interested in influencer content that entertained or helped them do stuff with their daily lives amid the lockdown routines. The graph below portrays the post-impact shape of influencer content.(All portions represents percent share of total volume)

The Opportunity In This Era of Digital Transformation?

Although around 70% of businesses have already undertaken or implemented marketing transformation strategies to eliminate the product-consumer gap, consumers still feel businesses are still lacking in offering the mobile friendly platforms and accurate customer support.

Conclusion

The above statistics and data show upheavals in the global market, and we saw a rapid transition towards digital dependency during the pandemic. Examining the differences between what we saw in Pre-COVID trends vs. what we experienced in 2020 reveals a surprisingly unique set of observations. You can’t sell a car in a fish market and vice versa - the digital transformation is inevitable. To meet consumers’ demand differently and sell where people are looking to buy, it is now crucial for businesses to adapt to the recent changes and improve their digital channels.

Online shopping is rising so quickly that the global online shopping market size is expected to cross 4 trillion in 2021. These stats give attention to the debate on the best ecommerce platforms. While some people prefer Shopify Plus, some side with Magneto 2, and others enjoy their ecommerce experience on WooCommerce.

Are you also confused about selecting the best ecommerce platform among these? We are here to knock that confusion away by getting into the details of all these platforms in this article. Let's take a look at the market share of the best ecommerce platforms.

Best ecommerce Platforms Market Share in 2020

• Woocommerce: 32%
• Squarespace Commerce: 17%
• Shopify: 15%
• Magento: 4%
• Wix Stores: 4%
• Others: 28%

Now, let’s analyze each of these best e-commerce platforms individually:

Shopify Plus

Shopify provides cloud-based ecommerce platform to a large number of businesses. It is quite popular with small-scale businesses, but it also powers big ecommerce organizations.Shopify emerged as one of the most successful startups in 2006. There are currently over 500,000 stores on its platform, including Tesla Motors, Wikipedia, Mozilla, and Google.

Image Source: IceCubeDigital

Shopify stores are operated by the ecommerce business itself, unlike Wix, Squarespace, and Magneto. Although Shopify needs less maintenance than alternatives such as WooCommerce, it can still be a little more costly and constrained in certain situations. Shopify is a CMS, like WordPress, made to build online stores. It is very easy to use and can be handled effectively by a non-technical person. It lets your store go live in less than 20 minutes with a working e-commerce shop. The shop's personalization is as simple as possible. You can render any look for your website and bring in the vibe you want.

Image Source: WebsiteBuilderExpert

Shopify Plus is a "Pro" edition of Shopify, a publicly-traded Canadian-based business e-commerce website that originated to support small retailers. With its ability to automate complicated technologies and still maintain product lists of up to 100 variants through many platforms, Shopify Plus is one of the strongest ecommerce applications for business enterprises. Shopify Plus provides more technological assistance, onboarding and automation resources for facilitating the process of products.

Shopify Plus gives you the following benefits:

• A Secure and Fully Hosted Platform
• Unlimited Bandwidth
• Shopify Plus Customisation
• Time-Saving
• Better Scalability

Although Shopify provides the basic tools that retailers need to start and develop in e-commerce, Shopify Plus is the answer to consumers who have grown significantly larger than their expectations and want to expand without spending large amounts of time, money, and energy.

Magneto 2

Magento is an ecommerce platform made for medium to large online stores. It provides one of the most durable feature sets, making it perfect for aspiring online stores. Magento is among the most scalable website designing tools in the world. However, it needs a lot of developer expertise and substantial investment. If anyone has no programming background, he should not opt for Magento as it is not recommended for beginners. It's best for businesses that have good budgets.

Image Source: AlanStorm

The Magento UI is considered by developers to be very practical since there is a simple, easy configuration and the Navigation Menu includes clients, items, promotions, sales, and reports. Magento Open Source includes the following features:

• Mobile-optimized shopping
• Instant purchase
• Global selling
• Site search
• Extended Functionality via App marketplace
• Integrated checkout, payment, and shipping
• Customization options available
• Catalog management

Image Source: MagePlaza

Magento provides ecommerce store owners with protection and security, which is a core priority for online stores. Being one of the most used ecommerce platforms, Magento has a broad customer base that helps enterprises get quick support.

WooCommerce

WooCommerce is the most common tool of building an eCommerce store with a 32% market share placing it at #1 in the e-commerce market share list of 2020.

Automattic bought WooCommerce in May 2015 for $30 million, according to the reported deal.

Automattic is the company behind WordPress.com as well. WooCommerce is the perfect ecommerce platform for small companies who already own a WordPress site. It is also ideal for those who want a comprehensive web store but are on a budget. It also has tons of third-party themes and plugins, making it versatile to meet most requirements.

Image Source: WordPress

The free version includes the following features:

• Mobile-optimized shopping
• Inventory management
• Search engine optimization
• Shipping options and calculator
• Catalog management
• Product reviews
• Coupons and discounts
• Geo-location support

Even though the UI of WooCommerce is very simple, you need to have the basic HTML or CSS experience to run and maintain your online store on this platform. It also includes SSL support. However, it requires you to obtain your own certificate.

Image Source: NextCart

Being an open-source solution, it gives you a lot of features on its free version. However, you may enjoy its advanced features like product comparisons, pop-up notifications for the latest orders placed, multiple payment methods, products displayed before purchasing, quick browsing, etc.

Which one is the best ecommerce platform among Shopify Plus, Magneto 2, and WooCommerce?

Regardless of your businesses' size, you can get numerous benefits by selecting the right e-commerce solution. Moving to a different platform will result in high costs and require many efforts, hard work, and time. So, it is wise to choose the right e-commerce platform for your business in the very beginning. Many considerations play a role in assessing which eCommerce platform to use. It depends on your technological expertise, budget, the scale of your business, and appropriate features required. That being said, you may pick the desired e-commerce platform as follows:

• You should choose Shopify Plus if you have little technical knowledge and are merely searching for the best way to start your shop with unlimited bandwidth.
• Go for Magento 2 if your budget is not restricted and you are looking for a strong place to launch your large store.
• If you want to learn to do your stuff yourself and want an option that can expand your business without compromising its potential, you should opt for WooCommerce.

Conclusion

A specific ecommerce platform could take one business to the top and may restrict another one. So, choosing the best ecommerce platform for your store depends upon your requirements, budget, user interface, and many other factors. Carefully analyze your needs and then proceed with testing an ecommerce solution. After testing, opt for the one that you feel is the best for your specific business needs.

Having decided to invest in software, you’re now curious to learn what exactly is the agile methodology. Very succinctly, agile is a process for creating, deploying and refining software in the shortest possible time and at the lowest cost. At the core of agile software development is collaboration – namely, cross-functional and self-organizing teams working in small, yet flexible, increments, to build and deliver software. So, what does agile have to offer over other software development methodologies like waterfall?

In this post, we’ll cover everything you need to know about agile software development. Specifically, we’ll highlight the key benefits of going agile and give you compelling reasons to choose this methodology over other techniques. Whether you need to build an eCommerce platform, deploy a bespoke CRM or simply refresh your enterprise mobile app, adopting agile methodologies provides an easy way to achieve software excellence.

What Is Agile Software Development?

Image source: https://devcom.com/tech-blog/agile-advantages-for-business/

Agile software development is an umbrella term for a set of practices and frameworks that enable teams to work more efficiently. It provides a way for developers to create better software, fast though short interactive and iterative sprints/sessions. Whereas more traditional development methodologies like waterfall require project completion to gauge success, agile tracks the quality and speed of development regularly, making it easier to make changes as required.

Although incremental software development techniques go as far back as the late 1950s, agile gained traction in 2001 when a group of 17 leading developers published the “Agile Manifestoâ. The manifesto introduced 12 principles and four key values that guide developers on how to exercise iterative techniques for great results.

For example, the manifesto’s values encourage developers to prioritize:

• People and interactions over tools and processes
• Customer collaboration over contract negotiations
• Working software over formal documentation
• Being flexible over following a plan

Traditional software development often results in dysfunctional teams with conflicting self-interests. Agile, in contrast, helps teams maintain their integrity and build better software while providing greater adaptability. Daily team meetings are typical in agile companies to ensure everyone is up to date on their current responsibilities.

Key Stages of the Agile Software Development Life Cycle

The agile methodology shortens the software development life cycle (SLDC) by breaking builds into smaller segments. Here are the key stages:

1. Concept This is where the team assesses the economy and technical feasibility of projects and decides which ones to prioritize.Â

2. Inception Team leaders work with stakeholders to identify requirements. Next, they pick team members individually and map out each member’s workload for the duration of the increment.

3. Iteration/Construction The team begins to work on the first iteration of the project, which may just be a minimum viable product. Developers and UX designers mostly focus on feedback and iteration requirements in this phase.

4. Release Quality testing, bug fixes and user documentation help the team release the iteration into production.

5. Production The team offers continuous support to help the software run smoothly and ensure it can bounce back from any uncertainties of sudden changes.

6. Retirement This phase is reserved for end-of-life activities. It involves removing a software release from production and starting over with a new project.

These six phases define Agile SDLC.

Typically, the work within the SDLC is categorized into sprints“ a set period during which a specific activity or task is finished and reviewed. For each sprint, the development team and customer discuss the tasks that need to be completed during that time frame. Plus, the team solicits feedback from the stakeholders and customers and develops strategies to incorporate learnings into the next sprint.

Sprint meetings should follow a consistent schedule after arranging the first gathering. On average, a sprint lasts for ten business days or two weeks. Besides attending sprint meetings, teams also have daily meetings to check in and keep track of the development, resolve any conflicts, and work to push the development forward.

What Are the Different Types of Agile Methodologies?

Agile methodologies cover a broad spectrum of practices. Some of the most common and popular ones are:

Scrum

This agile software development methodology centers around task management in a team-based development setting. Scrum focuses on small teams of 7 to 8 members and encourages them to develop software through mutual cooperation. From product owners to developers, Scrum brings everyone together to agree on methodology and features.

After stakeholders reach an agreement, Scrum supports the delivery of minimum viable software increments during successive sprints, with each lasting for 30 days. Customer needs are discussed beforehand and make up the “product backlog, which can include things like integrating certain features, fixing bugs, etc.

Kanban

The Kanban methodology originated from the automotive industry in the 1940s. Toyotas production system applied the just-in-time manufacturing process to its production cycle. The company followed a system where production was fueled by customer demands, rather than producing more goods to sell to the market.

The software industry quickly gained inspiration from this new and cost-effective method of delivering services, and the ˜Kanban Method™ was born. The four core principles of the Kanban Method are:

• Visualize your workflow.
• Limit the workflow on each step to deliver products only when customer demand increases.
• Keep the workflow smooth and learn from any disruptions that cause hindrances in the workflow.
• Nothing is perfect, so keep improving on each step.

Lean Software Development

Lean software development is simply the application of Lean principles to the process of software development. This methodology focuses on minimizing wastage and maximizing value. In terms of software development,˜wastage™ or˜waste™ is a subjective term because the key value of software comes from the mind of the developer. There are seven Lean principles guide the software development process:

• Eliminating wastage
• Focus on quality
• Create knowledge
• Defer commitment
• Deliver fast and quick
• Respect people
• Optimize

You can learn more about applying these principles to software development in this toolkit.

eXtreme Programming (XP)

eXtreme Programming or XP is another important agile methodology for software development. It teaches us to learn from the best practices that worked in the past and apply them to future projects on an extreme level. Some practices that worked out in the past include code review, testing, simplicity, and integration testing. The XP model is suitable for small teams working on small projects. It is also effective for research projects or projects involving new technology.

Dynamic Systems Development Method (DSDM)

The Dynamic Systems Development Method (DSDM) provides a framework for building and maintaining systems. This Agile method borrows a lot of inspiration from the sociologist principle, where 80 percent of an application is delivered in 20 percent of the time it takes to deliver the entire application. The remaining details are delivered when business necessities are dealt with, and changes are recorded.

Adaptive Software Development (ASD)

Adaptive Software Development (ASD) is an Agile process aimed at building high-quality software in a short period. This innovative technique focuses on learning throughout the development journey and taking explicit consideration of risks. There are three main phases of ASD:

• Speculation
• Collaboration
• Learning

By focusing on these phases, development teams can achieve the agility that is required for a successful software project.Â

Feature Driven Development (FDD)

The Feature Driven Development (FDD) framework focuses on organizing software development around key features. FDD revolves around a five-step software development process, with a focus on features. Here is what the life cycle looks like:

• Develop a model
• Build a list of features
• Plan according to each feature
• Design according to each feature
• Build according to each feature

If you are working on a large-scale development project, FDD is the right agile approach for you. However, this framework is too reliant on chief developers, unlike other agile models like XP. Benefits of Using Agile Software Development Methodologies.

Agile has become a highly effective and widely adopted development methodology that provides companies many benefits including these:

Shorter time to market

With agile, there is a greater focus on the tasks that need to be done. Developers™ energy is dedicated to building the software and delivering a working variant with each sprint or iteration. At the close of each sprint, the developers review the backlog of essentials and re-strategize how they should approach the next sprint.

Better productivity

The agile methodology infuses efficiency into resource utilization processes, allowing developers to start work faster and remain productive throughout. As tasks are broken into iterations, milestones and deadlines are always present. Developers, as a result, are focused on re-factoring and progressing through the iterations. Compare this to traditional software development, where its common for teams to sit idle waiting for work during the concept and inception phase.

Visibility from concept

Agile allows teams to check and become intimately familiar with the software from concept to production. While moving between sprints, they can provide feedback when necessary. And once a sprint ends, the team can analyze their velocity. This enables better planning, as the team can use it as a guide in future sprints to determine what they will be able to achieve.

High transparency

Agile software development is completely transparent. From end-users to developers to managers to stakeholders, everyone knows whos working on the core, what decisions are being made and whats not working. When the whole organization sees the big picture, development tends to progress quickly. Clear insights give stakeholders more accountability, and everyone realizes the importance of working collectively for the greater good.

Improved customer Engagement

Agile development requires that customers are involved in the SDLC. Thats because developers are going to rely on clients to prioritize whats going into the next session and to review minimum viable products during the release phase. This ongoing interaction minimizes the back and forth between the developers and the client. Client feedback becomes the ultimate, prioritized document that lives out in the office for everyone to see.

More opportunities for creativity

Agile practices work best when product features and vision are not clearly defined. The methodology enables product owners to adjust prioritizes and needs along the journey to take advantage of new developments. All of this allows developers to create a better product for all stakeholders. Real-time changes are a part of the process “ and the software is defined as the product owners reiterate.

Common Agile Methodology Tools, When it comes to agile development tools, teams may use:

Agile for Scrum automatically updates stakeholders on a projects progress. Plus, the tool allows for better data minimum with burn down charts and sprint reports.

Pivotal Tracker helps with the management of mobile-related projects. Though a little complicated on the surface, its easy to use after a brief orientation session.

AtlassianJira + Agile facilitates development by incorporating flexible workflows along with Kanban and Scrum.

ActiveCollab aids software development in small companies. The tool provides excellent support and requires little training to get started.

Conclusion

While software development takes longer than most companies think, agile development offers a way to accelerate software delivery. The approach embraces continuous changes that arise in the software development life cycle enabling teams to break the long phases into smaller segments. This allows quicker and more frequent delivery of working software.

With other methodologies like waterfall, it isnt possible to see working software until youre almost at the completion stage. With agile, teams provide functioning software in all key stages of the agile SDLC. So, rather than using four fixed stages, why not use a methodology that enables you to approve features without having to worry about finances and other risks? Agile software development allows for better product quality while offering flexibility that all project stakeholders crave.

At ShopDev, we use agile software development to help our customers achieve tangible outcomes right from the beginning. The methodology helps us create more features in a shorter period and also enables clients to capitalize on opportunities as the project unfolds. If you require software and want it to be built in the best way possible, contact us today so that we can start developing your software in an innovative and agile way.

In this article, we'll discuss why Agile for software development is an ideal approach while working remotely. Being Stuck in traffic, face-to-face demonstrations, and meetings, and a little gossip session at the coffee table in office – Before 2020 this was a routine for every employed individual. After COVID-19, to contain the spread of the virus, people around the world are forced to work remotely from their homes: a new normal for the world. To fulfill the communication gap, conventional teamwork routines need to be revised. Although remote work is not part of agile methodology like scrum, the adaptation of agile methodology can make remote work more efficient.

Benefits Of Scrum and Sprint

Agile Methodology is based on procedures like Scrum and Sprint meetings. Sprint meetings are carried out to schedule activities for the near future. The breakdown of the whole project into sub-tasks allows the stakeholders and product owner to mutually plan the deliverables for the upcoming weeks. Scrum meetings are scheduled daily with the team in which every team member demonstrates the progress of their part and any possible blockage. All these reports are shared with the product owner to avoid any redundancy or clash. Remote teams specifically enjoy the perks of this methodology as it doesn't leave any void for errors caused by miscommunication and the progress of remote team members can be easily monitored with this methodology.

Agile Methodology In A Nutshell

Agile methodology was originally designed for software development now used in many other fields to improve productivity. The methodology first coined at the start of the 21st century as mainstream project management practices experienced the defects in the waterfall model while dealing with lengthy and complex projects. The waterfall model is a linear model that completes a project by finishing one phase after another whereas the overall roadmap is already determined at the start of the project. On the other hand, the agile methodology provides a dynamic roadmap, due to its adaptability and flexibility.

Benefits of Agile for Software Development

Since Agile Methodology can be implied to any area, it has become crucial for remote teams to follow the Agile Development Methodology, which has brought up modern-day Remote Agile Teams. Let’s discuss in detail how Agile Methodology benefits remote teams.

Transparent Objectives

While working with remote employees the product owners usually fail to create clear milestones. Instead, they just order a product or service, and when things crash both sides experience failure. While with Agile the product owners partially act as stakeholders (due to scrum routine) and the whole team set up the roadmap for the project by setting out clear milestones. This level of flexibility allows the remote teams to work from different continents and remain goal-oriented. Making milestones clear also assists in dodging most of the probable hurdles by filtering out the inputs and output first.

Diversity and Freedom

Remote teams can enjoy the overwhelming diversity and fully acknowledge the overall mindset of other team members. Isolated team members lack the same level of creativity and experience which can be very useful for the growth of themselves as well as the organization. Agile supports sharing ideas as it provides an organized base to get the work done as per requirements. While Agile is not immune to the changes that the team suggests thus promote diversity by enabling the freedom of expression for all remote teams.

Flexibility

The primary feature of Agile for software development is flexibility as seen in all other features directly or indirectly. Due to remote work, it becomes mandatory to go for it. Remote teams have different skillsets and working taboos but if we allow the agile methodology to join the room all teams can be made flexible and co-operating. Agile Teams and product owners become more synchronized for successful and on-time completion of the project and due to flexibility offered by Agile methodology, any undesired or unpredictable circumstances can be foreseen and avoided.

Time Factor

A project is defined as something that has a starting date and an ending date. It shows the importance of the time factor in any project. Agile promises you the opportunity to do the work done within the designated time frame. By adopting the agile methodology you get a more picture of milestones and a transparent roadmap with the flexible team so you can surely meet the strict deadlines and it becomes much easier for the remote teams to make timely deliveries.

Reduced Risks and Errors

Remote work routines are highly vulnerable to errors and damages because of communication gaps and time zone differences. But working with dependable Agile Teams, you can dilute the risks of failure. It can save the project from any plausible damage. From the investment risks to productivity risks these risks are not a problem anymore due to the immense level of transparency and connectivity by agile methodology. Primarily due to consistent feedback and responses from the product owners, the risks for any kind of imbalances or damages afterward can be eliminated simultaneously and it also paves the way for the team to mark progress.

Agile Project Management Tools

Agile took over the world like a pandemic. Many organizations have started thinking that it can be a potential tool to help in project management because of its promising results. There exist a variety of agile project management tools in the market among them two most detailed agile project management tools are Jira and Yodiz. Both are very customizable, but Yodiz surpasses Jira when it comes to cost-friendly choices. These tools are heaven for remote teams and allow them to connect and adopt agile principles.

Conclusion

The adaptation of agile methodology is a prolonged process that must be welcomed by the entire team. The role of team leaders also plays a critical role in making the agile routine a new normal for their team members. Although the cultural change in organizations is not something that happens overnight if everyone keeps putting his/her part of the effort and works collaboratively it’s not something that can’t be achieved. In the Post-COVID19 world, Scrum and other agile methodologies proved to be sunshine in dark to keep the team collaboration active despite the long distances, strict lockdown, and remote work. By adapting and merging the aforementioned features and benefits of agile in your project can open new corridors of success for your organization. This way the containment measures and obligation to work remotely also possess an opportunity to mark success in the form of agile methodology – Go Agile.

Staff augmentation has emerged as a popular strategy for organizations seeking to augment their workforce with specialized skills and expertise without the long-term commitment and overhead costs associated with permanent hiring. Finding the right outsourcing partner is crucial to ensuring the success of your projects and achieving your business goals. In this article, we will explore the top qualities to look for when selecting a staff augmentation partner and delve deeper into each aspect to help you make an informed decision.

1. Extensive Talent Pool:

One of the key qualities to consider in a staff augmentation partner is the size and quality of their talent pool. A reputable partner should have access to a diverse pool of highly skilled professionals who possess the specific expertise you require. This pool should consist of professionals with a proven track record in their respective fields. When evaluating potential partners, inquire about the breadth and depth of their talent pool to ensure that they can quickly identify and deploy top talent that aligns with your project requirements. By leveraging their extensive talent pool, the partner can save you time and effort in the recruitment process, allowing you to focus on your core business activities.

2. Expertise and Specialization:

Look for a staff augmentation partner that specializes in your industry or the specific skill sets you need. It is essential to ensure that the partner has a deep understanding of your business domain, including its unique challenges and requirements. This industry-specific knowledge enables the partner to provide resources who possess not only the required technical skills but also the contextual understanding necessary to drive your projects forward effectively. A partner with domain expertise will be better equipped to provide the right resources who can seamlessly integrate into your existing team and contribute to your projects from day one.

3. Flexibility and Scalability:

Your staff augmentation partner should offer flexibility and scalability to adapt to your changing needs. As your projects evolve, you may require additional resources or need to adjust the team size. It is crucial to choose a partner who can provide resources on-demand, whether you require a single professional or an entire team. A flexible partner can quickly respond to your resource needs, ensuring that you have the right people in place when you need them. Furthermore, the partner should have the capacity to scale the team based on project requirements, allowing for optimal resource allocation and cost-effectiveness.

4. Robust Screening and Selection Process:

A reliable staff augmentation partner should have a rigorous screening and selection process in place. This process ensures that the partner thoroughly assesses the skills, qualifications, and experience of potential candidates to ensure they match your requirements. A partner with a robust selection process will go beyond evaluating resumes and conduct technical assessments, interviews, and reference checks to verify the competency and reliability of their talent pool. By partnering with a provider that maintains high standards in their selection process, you can have confidence in the quality of the resources they provide.

5. Effective Communication and Collaboration:

Strong communication and collaboration are essential for successful staff augmentation. Your partner should have clear and efficient communication channels in place to facilitate seamless interactions between your existing team and the augmented resources. Regular updates, progress reports, and proactive issue resolution should be part of their communication framework. A collaborative partner will ensure effective knowledge transfer and integration of the augmented resources into your team, minimizing any disruptions and promoting a cohesive work environment.

6. Commitment to Quality and Client Satisfaction:

A reputable staff augmentation partner should prioritize quality and client satisfaction. They should have a proven track record of delivering high-quality services and meeting client expectations. When considering potential partners, ask for testimonials, case studies, and client references that demonstrate their ability to deliver successful outcomes. This information will provide insights into their commitment to excellence and their track record of achieving client satisfaction. A partner that emphasizes quality will ensure that you receive top-notch talent and achieve your project goals

7. Proven Track Record:

Consider the experience and track record of a staff augmentation partner before making a decision. Look for partners who have successfully executed similar projects in the past and have a strong reputation in the industry. They should be able to provide success stories and examples of their contributions to clients' achievements. A partner with a solid track record demonstrates their ability to navigate complex projects, adapt to evolving requirements, and deliver results. Such experience and expertise instill confidence in their capability to meet your expectations and drive project success.

Conclusion:

Finding the right staff augmentation partner is a critical decision that can significantly impact the success of your projects and the overall growth of your organization. By prioritizing qualities such as an extensive talent pool, expertise, flexibility, robust screening process, effective communication, commitment to quality, and a proven track record, you can ensure that you choose a partner who meets your specific needs and adds value to your business. Remember, selecting the right staff augmentation partner is an investment that can fuel your success in the ever-evolving business landscape. By partnering with a reputable provider such as shopdev you can access the right talent, enhance your project outcomes, and gain a competitive edge in your industry.