There are numerous opinions about the feasibility of applying Agile methodology for software development outsourcing projects. One of the main reasons that make it difficult for this initiative is the barrier to establish effective ongoing collaboration required in Agile projects. Between an outsourcing vendor and the customer company. This is because of the physical distance and/or time-zone difference between these parties, especially when it comes to offshore outsourcing. And the vendor’s development team needs to adapt to changing customer’s requirements.
But at Trustify Technology, we have no problem choosing Agile methodology of working (e.g. Scrum, Kanban), for the software outsourcing projects we take on.
In our experience as a leading software outsourcing company in Vietnam and internationally, on the contrary, there are several advantages in which Agile provides development teams to better manage their outsourcing projects based on linear software development models (for example, Waterfall and V-model).
Efficient Project Planning with Agile
Traditionally, using Waterfall development, outsourcing vendors have to plan the entire software project from the beginning, which in itself takes time. And if the plan derails and needs to be changed during development, it leads to many rework or even starting all over again.
As with Agile methodology, detailed planning is required for upcoming iterations. Using this short-term iteration planning approach, the third-party software outsourcing vendor schedules a two- to six-week iteration, provides some solution functionality, and then schedules a new iteration.
Enhanced Progress Tracking and Flexibility in Agile Projects
Working in accordance with the Agile methodology allows the software outsourcing vendor to analyze the results of each iteration and regularly evaluate the progress of the project. And once the changes required for an agile project are clear (e.g. incorporating new features or technologies to meet market changing demands), they can be designed and implemented during the development process, while in linear software development even minor changes that need to be updated can get the project into risky territory.
Agile: Elevating Team Collaboration and Management
After one iteration, the outsourcing provider can assess their team’s performance, identify the team’s areas for improvement, and try to improve them in the next iteration. Based on the results of individuals during each iteration, team leaders can also identify team members who are not meeting the desired work pace and potentially assign more appropriate staff to meet outsourcing projects goals, on time and within budget. The flexible nature of Agile development allows vendors to continuously improve outsourced project management and continuously improve the performance of development teams.
Continuous Improvement and Higher Solution Quality
Linear software development methodologies like waterfall usually have testing and QA performed at the end of the software development life-cycle (SDLC). If the previous steps of the SDLC (e.g. discovery, requirements analysis, design, or development) take longer than expected, testing can become less focused on in order to meet project deadlines. In Agile outsourcing, the vendor conducts testing and QA continuously during each iteration to quickly detect and fix software quality issues. As a result, the quality of software project outcomes improves.
Get Ready to Embrace Agile for Project Success
Don’t forget that the success of agile development collaboration outsourcing starts with the vendor’s and customer’s readiness to be agile. If either one of the parties is used to traditional software development methodologies, moving to Agile requires a shift in your company’s mindset and the introduction of agile development practices, such as close and transparent collaboration between all stakeholders and the willingness to implement changes throughout the project.