Published: March 23, 2022
These days, there is a ton of chatter about agile development. What is it exactly, and how can you integrate it into your development game plan? Fear not, Envano’s agile development experts are here to weigh in on the pros and cons and how you can integrate it into your team.
Website redesigns are complicated to manage. They require planning, flexibility and trust between key stakeholders and the development team. Oof.
Not only that, website changes can easily exceed budget if they are mismanaged. Double oof.
That means that when I find a process that makes it easier for our clients and my team to develop efficiently and stay within budget, I make the most of it. That’s where agile development comes in.
What is Agile Development?
Agile development is the methodology we use for clients who want to redesign their websites. We use this process to identify, prioritize and deliver the minimum viable product feature set that the client can use to test the site with users, see the initial impact and identify opportunities for future enhancements.
With agile, not every feature on a list of requirements will make it into the end product. We identify the most valuable items by effort and impact and work on them in a sprint, which is the time (typically one or two weeks) when deliverables are completed.
Agile Methodology
The agile methodology is best defined through its manifesto and supporting twelve principles.
We are uncovering better ways of developing software by doing it and helping others do it.
Through this work we have come to value:
Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
Working software over comprehensive documentation
Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
Responding to change over following a plan
Who’s Involved in an Agile Development Project?
Firstly, agile development is a collaborative process with our clients. The main players and their roles include:
Key Stakeholder = Client
Role: Develops the list of requirements, provides feedback and serves as the main point-of-contact.
Product Owner = Project Manager
Role: Identifies most valuable features alongside the software development team. Champions client’s needs and owns the process of redesign.
Software Development Team = Developers, Lead Developers, Designers
Role: Designs or develops features in each sprint. Partners with the Product Owner to determine which features are the most valuable.
Why Choose Agile for a Website Redesign?
During a website redesign, our overall goal is to keep the process as simple as possible and to deliver a minimum viable product that provides the functionality our clients want and that enables user testing as quickly as possible.
For example, one reason that agile development is more effective is because we don’t have to scope out change orders and pricing for work that differs from a predetermined statement of work.
When work is outlined ahead of time (like in a waterfall approach), steps and timing are often miscalculated as there are more unknowns at the beginning of a project than at any other time. It’s called the cone of uncertainty. When additional changes are requested, change orders are created, which take up time and money. That makes setting a budget—and sticking to it—very difficult. Usually, this miscalculation can lead to costly over-engineered solutions that aren’t responsive to the user’s needs.
Typically with an agile development approach, clients only pay for the work that is completed. The client sets their budget at the beginning, and they pay for the deliverables they receive. This is especially important when clients are building a website and adding features through an iterative process. It’s very flexible to their needs from both a budget and timing perspective. At Envano, we use a Partnership Agreement to better allow for this iterative process.
Final Thoughts on Agile Development
Finally, your website is a living, breathing part of your business. And it’s an important one, at that! Don’t make it more complicated by choosing the wrong approach to your website redesign.
Envano has experience collaborating with clients through agile development, and we know that it works well for our client’s business needs. Do you need a partner to join you on your upcoming website redesign? Let us help! Fill out our contact form and let’s chat!
By Cory Puuri, Digital Project & Accounts Manager
