Agile software development Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Agile software development - Essay Example Agile software has a lot of flexibility as opposed to the rigid waterfall. The main hallmark of the agile system is its adaptability and agility. The iterative nature of agile makes it to be able to work without following a given pattern. A lot of iterations are involved including testing, coding and designing. Agile is different from waterfall in the sense that unlike the waterfall system which cannot allow for any changes to be made once the design is already completed, agile has no rigidity and allows for changes to be made and improvements to be done even at the last stages of software development. Teams developing software through the use of the Agile process are usually cross functional in their nature. There have been always an expertise sharing and close cooperation unlike the case with waterfall. (Highsmith, 2002) The waterfall model happens in a manner that is sequential, moving from one stage to the other. This software development undergoes various stages including identifying the specification before conception, then analyzing, working on the designs, coding and testing, debugging then installing and finally, maintaining in the end. The developing team moves to the next stage only after the previous stage is completed. The engineers working on the software do spend much time at every stage and there is no chance of debugging once the software is made ready for the testing process. The Waterfall methodology considers documentation as an integral part of the software development. The Agile methodology has a team that is adaptive and that can easily respond and adjust to the changes in the requirements. Effort and time must not be invested on by the team thus reducing the chances of being irrelevant in terms of customers’ needs and wants. The team has a face to face communication with the customers hence having quality products at the required time. It is not always difficult to assess and establish the required