Agile Methodologies

We know our industry, and we know that the number one challenge for our customer base is assessing the value of a software project. Many developers construct extensive project outlines and then go off and build your project in isolation. Though the finished project may be delivered exactly to the original specification, often the client will find they’ve paid a lot of money for a product that doesn’t quite fit. In spite of better intentions, sometimes developers and customers think they are saying the same thing but find out too late that they had different ideas of what their finished product would look like.

Let us introduce you to Agile development. Sterling Grace Technologies builds software in an Agile way, building testable software quickly, encouraging customer participation through regular feedback, allowing for rapid course correction as we respond to changing business needs. What does this look like?

Short development iterations. Forget the old way of spending months building projects in the dark. Agile development requires the developer to work a series of short iterations, often lasting two weeks. At the end of each iteration a usable product demo is delivered for review.

Constant customer feedback and steering. With each iteration we will meet with stakeholders to demonstrate the current state of your project, encouraging an open line of communication and allowing refinements to be made before the product diverges to far from your vision. The project steering is placed firmly in the hands of stakeholders, with every iteration review offering the opportunity to adjust priorities and react to changing requirements.

Improve your return on investment. The iteration process encourages the shortest possible route to a minimal but functional application, prioritizing revenue generating features over bells and whistles in the early development phase. This is the best way to help you see a return on your investment as quickly as possible.

Better budgeting and decreased risk. Each iteration attempts to deliver a self-contained development project. Invoicing is done per iteration and is due at the beginning of each service period. At the end of a given iteration you may find that the project is sufficiently completed to meet your goals, and may elect to conclude the project without further billing. This allows us to react to changing budget concerns, reducing a client’s commitment and fostering trust in the client-developer relationship.