Agile Methodology: What is Agile Model in Software Testing?
The core objective of the agile model is to make the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) process more efficient. Agile achieves efficiency through iterative development. In iterative development, the entire project is divided into small units and then each of these units is iterated till it meets the stated objectives. The duration, scope and number of iterations are clearly defined.
In this article, you will get a brief idea about the significance of the agile methodology.
What is the agile model?
It is a software development approach that focuses on iterative development. The tasks are broken down into smaller iterations by the agile methods. Right at the beginning of the development process, the project requirements and scope is laid down. Specific planning is done to determine the scope and duration of each iteration and the number of iterations should be clearly defined.
Each iteration is referred to as a short time “frame” in the agile process model and it lasts around one to four weeks. The project risk is minimized by breaking down the entire project into smaller parts and the overall project delivery time requirements are also reduced. A team is involved for each iteration working through a full software development life cycle including requirement analysis, planning, coding, design and testing before a product is demonstrated to the customer.
Following are the six phases of the agile methodology:
1. Gathering requirements: The requirements are defined. The business opportunities should be properly explained and the effort and time should be planned accordingly to develop the project. Based on the information provided, the economic and technical feasibility can be evaluated.
2. Designing the requirements: When the project has been identified, then coordinate with stakeholders so that the requirements can be properly defined. The high-level UML diagram or the user flow diagram can be used to show the work of new features and ascertain how these new features can be applied to your existing system.
3. Initiate the iteration process: When the requirements are properly defined by the team, the work begins. The project is worked upon by developers and designers with the objective to deploy a working product. The product goes through different stages of improvement so that a minimal and simple functionality is included.
4. Testing: the product’s performance is examined by the QA team and potential bugs are identified.
5. Carrying out deployment: A product is issued by the team for the user’s work environment
6. Obtain feedback: Once the product is released, the final phase is to obtain feedback. In this phase, the product feedback is received by the team and then the necessary modifications or changes are done to the product if need be required.
The right context to implement the agile methodology:
- When there is a requirement for frequent changes
- Availability of a highly experienced and qualified team
- When the project is appropriate in size
- When the customer wants to have a meeting with a software team.
Advantages of the agile model:
- Documentation can be easily employed
- There are minimal rules to be followed
- It provides the required flexibility to developers and is easy to manage
- There is less planning involved
- Functionality can be rapidly developed and demonstrated
- Early partial working solutions are provided
- Suitable for changing or fixed requirements
- It provides the required support to non-steady environments
- It enables concurrent development and delivers as per the planned context
- It promotes cross-training and teamwork
- There is a minimum requirement for resources.
Conclusion: If you are looking forward to implementing an agile methodology for your specific project, then do get connected with a reliable software testing services company that will provide you with exclusive testing solutions that are in line with your project specific requirements.
About the author: I am a technical content writer focused on writing technology specific articles. I strive to provide well-researched information on the leading market savvy technologies.