Agile software development: the benefits of choosing Beta 80

Agile software development is emerging as the most effective method for aligning development  activities with business needs, in terms of delivery speed, functionality and performance. Relying on a specialist in the field such as Beta 80 means acquiring methodologies and skills, incorporating them directly into business processes. 

What we mean with agile software development 

An agile software development is a set of techniques and methodologies that allows companies to accelerating their applicative time to market or additional features, obtain higher quality code and align the product with the users' demand. 

Scrum is among the most popular agile software development frameworks and prescribes an operational process based on repetitive cycles of activities (sprints). 

Each sprint lasts 2-4 weeks and its goal is to achieve an increase or a small improvement in the application - such as additional functionality, bug fixes, etc. - in the direction of the final objective. We then proceed for gradual and frequent releases. Users can start using new releases right away, benefiting immediately from the improvements, so they don't have to wait for the final version. The developers thus obtain valuable information on the outcome of the project, managing to correct errors already in progress (thus reducing the waste of a possible failure). 

The synergy between developers and operations is a key point of agile software development and the techniques to maximize collaboration have been codified within the DevOps frameworks. If the Agile approach focuses on code development, the DevOps paradigm gives further effectiveness to the development process, dealing with the aspects most related to business and culture, also defining the tools to achieve the goal. 

The importance of a qualified partner 

Implementing the new agile software development methods therefore means having skills on a plurality of technological and methodological themes. Not only you need to be prepared for new cloud native trends and application modernization, but also to have a thorough understanding of process frameworks, change management dynamics, organizational best practices. 

The most obvious temptation is to purchase software or development services from outside, but this includes the risk of losing control over the development process and obtaining applications that differ from the requirements and business needs. On the contrary, if the company decides to become a software factory, the commitment of money, time and resources would have an unsustainable impact, also considering the shortage of specialized skills and the riskiness of the operation. 

In medio stat virtus: the winning option hangs for the implementation of an agile software factory within the company organization with the support of a qualified partner. 

Why choose Beta 80 

With over thirty years of experience in the IT consulting sector, Beta 80 provides the customer with a team of specialists, who work in close synergy with the corporate IT department and business users, directly within the workplace. 

Thanks to the know-how gathered while working with companies of very diverse sectors and sizes, Beta 80 professionals bring transversal skills on agile software development - from app modernization to DevOps methodologies to change management. While learning the knowledge on specific business processes, they collect feedback from users, participating actively in internal activities. 

Direct contact between company staff and Beta 80 professionals offers a series of remarkable benefits. First of all, since it shortens the distance between developers and users, it avoids the disconnect between the business needs and the development pipeline.  

Furthermore, by establishing a virtuous communication circle and implementing the best-practices on agile software development, this relationship shortens the time of application delivery without the risk of jeopardizing the quality of the code. On the contrary, it improves it.  

In conclusion, relying on the experience of Beta 80 means minimizing the risks of failure and obtaining tangible returns in a very short time, thanks to the use of agile methodologies that return benefits during the entire life cycle of the project, without waiting months for the release of the final application.