The 6 stages of the agile software development
"If technology companies want to continue to play a role in a volatile industry, software development teams need a way to
release their products as much and as quickly as possible. The agile software development lifecycle method has been
specifically developed for the rapid development and implementation of software through an agile method."
Read all about the stages of the agile software development lifecycle (SDLC) to determine if this process fits your team's
needs.
1. Phasing out and prioritizing projects
In the first phase of the agile software development life cycle, the team phases out and prioritizes projects.
Some teams may work on more than one project at a time, depending on the organization of the department.
For each concept, you could define the business opportunity and identify the time and work that must be done to complete
the project. Based on this information you can assess technical and economic feasibility and decide which projects are
worth following up.
2. Formulate requirements for the first sprint
Once you've identified the project, you can work with stakeholders to determine requirements. You may want to use user
flowcharts or high-quality UML diagrams to show how the new feature should function and how it fits into your existing system.
From there, you select the team members who will work on the project and assign them resources. Say one timeline or
process map in Lucidchart to distinguish responsibilities and clearly show when certain tasks need to be completed during
the sprint.
3. Construction/iteration
Once a team has determined the requirements for the first sprint based on stakeholder feedback and requirements,
the work begins. UX designers and developers begin working on their first iteration of the project, with the goal
of launching a working product by the end of the sprint. Remember that the product will go through multiple rounds
of revisions, so the first iteration may only contain minimal functionality. The team can and will do additional sprints
to expand the entire product.
4. Putting the iteration into production
You are almost ready to bring your product to the world. Complete this software iteration in the following steps:
Test the system. Your Quality Assurance (QA) team should test functionality, detect bugs and record positives and negatives.
Address any defects.
Finalizing the system and user documentation. Lucidchart can help you map your code through UML diagrams or show user
flows so everyone understands how the system works and how they can further extend it.
Take the iteration into production.
5. Production and continued support for the software release
This phase includes continued support for the software release. In other words, your team must ensure that the system
continues to work properly and must show users how to use it. The production phase ends once support ends or the release
is phased out.
6. Aging
During the aging phase, the system release is taken out of production, usually when you want to replace a system with
a new release or when the system turns out to be redundant, redundant or not in line with your business model.
Agile software development sprint planning
Within the agile SDLC, work is divided into sprints, with the goal of producing a working product at the end of each
sprint. A sprint usually lasts two weeks or 10 working days. The workflow of a sprint typically follows the following
baseline:
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Plan: The sprint starts with a planning meeting, where team members come together to work out the components
for the next round of work. The product manager sets priorities based on a backlog of tasks assigned to the team.
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To develop: Design and develop the product in accordance with the approved guidelines.
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Testing/QA: Completion of careful testing and documenting results before delivery.
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To deliver: Present the working product or software to stakeholders and customers.
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Judge: Solicit feedback from the customer and stakeholders and gather information for the next sprint.
Outside of sprint planning meetings, your team should meet daily to monitor progress, clear any roadblocks, and keep the process moving smoothly.
Also remain flexible and open to changes. This method is not called “agile” for nothing.
In short: The goal of the agile software development lifecycle is to create and deliver working software as quickly as possible.