Developing software is hard. But over the past year, Far Reach has learned ways to reduce the risk of software projects, make the process transparent, and keep the client in the loop. We use agile scrum as our secret weapon.
The traditional approach to software development has been a black box. The agency meets with the client, makes some best guesses about what they want, has a few more meetings to talk about specific features, and then goes off for weeks or months while the nervous client waits to see if anything pops out the other end!
Then there’s the “ta-da” moment where the client sees the end result. The problem is—more often than not—things change. And when it's been months since “The Plan” was made, often times going back and making a tweak can be very costly.
Throughout this outdated non-agile process, the client has not seen the software functioning and hasn’t been able to give feedback on specific features they would like or maybe some they no longer need.
At Far Reach, we build software in partnerships with our clients using the agile scrum framework. Because we work in increments, which we then combine to make a complete functioning piece of software, our customers get to see steady progress and make small changes with us as we move along.
As our client, you can expect to see new software to review throughout the project and a constant dialogue with the people building it. It sounds crazy, but many agencies rely on information that is months old to build critical software for your company. The speed of business moves far too fast to rely on old information. As the client, you should have the opportunity to provide input throughout the process to make sure the software meets your business needs with as few surprises as possible.
Scrum also allows us to look ahead and make sure all the pieces of your project are going to fit together as expected. Can you imagine taking off from an airport and never checking to see if you're still on the right path until you arrive at your destination? One way we avoid this scenario is by doing regular demos as we build your software to get feedback from you and your stakeholders.
Long gone are the days of crossing your fingers and hoping good software comes out the other end. Using agile scrum development can help ensure you get exactly what your business needs.
If you’re interested in learning more about agile scrum, we recommend you read this scrum book. You’re also invited to attend the monthly Cedar Valley Agile Meetup.