Today, every organization strives to offer its products and services with a user-friendly and out-of-the-box mobile app. This demand has put pressure on companies providing mobile app development services to deliver rapid software solutions with minimal anomalies. This need for speed and efficiency has encouraged companies to opt for the agile methodology for their development teams in Scrum ITSM.
The agile methodology is a widespread practice in software development that focuses on constant iteration and simultaneous testing throughout the software development lifecycle. Ensuring maximum customer satisfaction with organized teamwork and continuous planning is the primary goal.
While there are different agile methodologies, Scrum is the most preferred practice for development projects. The 14th Annual State of Agile Report reveals 58% of organizations in the survey have implemented Scrum for their teams.
This blog explores the agile scrum methodology. Its implementation in organizations, and how mobile app development can benefit from this practice.
What is Agile Scrum ITSM Methodology?
While Scrum is a subset of Agile methodology, there are minor differences in its functionality. Joseph Griffin, author of Project Management Ethics and Decision-Making: A Practical Framework for Creating a Healthy Environment, explains the difference between Scrum as,
“Whereas Agile is a philosophy or orientation, Scrum is a specific methodology for how one manages a project, [..] It provides a process for how to identify the work, who will do the work, how it will be done, and when it will be completed by.”
Primarily, unlike traditional development projects that focus on an application as a whole, a scrum framework breaks the projects into small deliverable sections. As a result, it helps self-organizing and cross-functional teams to reach adaptive solutions.
More importantly, this framework aims to avoid making significant changes to the entire project and limiting them to minor components. Additionally, with the scrum framework, clients are regularly updated about the project status.
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For instance, suppose your team is developing a food delivery app for a client. By implementing Scrum, you can organize teams that separately work on UI, security, workflow, data access, and more. Then, with each task’s completion, the client provides feedback, and the developers implement the changes in the app. This way, you can ensure that any last-minute changes do not delay the app’s launch and ensure client satisfaction.
So, how to apply this approach to your next project? First, let’s take a look at the main elements of a scrum framework- Scrum Team.
To make the most of this framework, a team should be formed consisting of the following structure –
Product Owner
The product owner is responsible for product backlog prioritization and is the key stakeholder of an app development project. Their role also includes making decisions that help the team members achieve their goals and allocate tasks best suited to their expertise. A product owner also answers any questions or roadblocks that a team member may face and ensures that every member works towards the common goals set for the entire team.
Scrum Master (Scrum ITSM)
A scrum master is a coach to the team members, ensures efficiency and self-organization of the team, removes any impediments the members face, and acts as a guide in every development process.
Additionally, it is also the responsibility of the scrum master to help the product owner in product backlog management and make appropriate suggestions that benefit the organization. The Scrum Guide developed by Ken Schwaber and Jeff Sutherland clearly distinguishes between a Scrum Master and a Product Owner’s duties and cannot be performed by one individual in Scrum ITSM.
Application Development Team
A team based on the scrum methodology is usually cross-functional, which means that it consists of members of different backgrounds. For example, a scrum development team may include coders, testers, quality analysts, and more. Since all the application development requirements are met in one team. The members have a better understanding and ease of communication.
Scrum Events/Meetings (Scrum ITSM)
To ensure multiple teams working on different app sections, the product owner and scrum master communicate through various events.
Usually, a scrum framework functions through ‘sprints’ or short phases of a software development project. They can last either for weeks or months, depending on the size of the project. In this framework, every sprint has a goal that consists of tasks a team is expected to complete within a given period. In addition, after every sprint, the teams record client reviews and retrospectives (improvements and lessons learned during the particular sprint).
The first step in scrum events is the sprint planning meeting held before the start of every sprint. At this stage, the development team and the product owner meet to discuss the project’s goal, evaluate the Product Backlog Item, divide it into tasks for the teams, and finally establish a workflow in Scrum ITSM.
After the teams begin working on a sprint, the scrum master keeps track of daily scrum meetings. Moreover, Sprint Review Meeting and Sprint Retrospective are held after every sprint by the Scrum Master and the Product Owner.
Scrum Artifacts (Scrum ITSM)
The three pillars of scrum methodology are – transparency, inspection, and adaptation. Maintaining scrum artifacts provides the Product Owner with the required information to help the team decide on a common goal and function by the three pillars’ principles.
Scrum artifacts include –
the Product Backlog that lists all the tasks required for the project,
the Product Backlog Item (PBI) is the functionality that is yet to be delivered in a project,
the Sprint Backlog consists of the requirements to be fulfilled in a particular sprint, and,
the Sprint Burndown Chart shows the remaining sprint tasks and hours left to complete them.
Benefits of Agile Scrum Methodology in Mobile App Development
Now that we have seen how a scrum team functions in an app development environment, let’s look at how this framework can enhance the mobile app development services of a company-
#1 Better time management
Deadlines are a nightmare for developers, and the agile scrum framework allows them to keep short and achievable deadlines without the long hours. Moreover, as the sprints last not more than 2 to 4 weeks, developers can plan their daily tasks one after another to complete the job before the deadline. Besides, the Scrum Master can also monitor a sprint’s progress and, accordingly, allot more time if required.
#2 Improved App Quality
Since client review is part of every sprint, there are no discrepancies between its idea and the team’s goals. Moreover, a sprint is considered complete only after the Product Owner is satisfied with the work and rectified errors. Thus, the final product is scrutinized from every angle and has better performance than a traditionally developed app.
#3 Cost-effective Solutions
In a traditional setup, the app development company submits an estimate for the project at the beginning. Clients may be dissatisfied about spending significant amounts without any performance review available. However, with the scrum framework, clients have a clear idea of every completed section of the app and do not hesitate to pay more if the project requires additional spending in Scrum ITSM.
#4 Planning is Easier
For a goal-oriented company, the scrum framework allows planning every step of the project. With sprint planning and daily scrum meetings, the entire team is aware of the timeline and the amount of work achieved during this period.
Suppose one of the teams faces difficulties meeting the deadlines, other teams can extend their support if needed, and the team can complete the deadlines. This convenience of decision-making is why transparency forms one of the essential principles of the methodology.
#5 Efficient Teamwork
Needless to say, when a team is monitored, assisted, and supported, it is bound to show improved performance. Moreover, the Scrum Master and the Product Owner are available to extend their expertise to explain the functionality of a feature of the application.
Conclusion
Mobile app development requires agility more than any other field owing to the growing demand. With the scrum framework, mobile app development teams can coordinate better to work without deadlines’ constant pressure. With short and attainable goals, they can make the most of their skills and knowledge to help their organization provide better customer service. Agile Service Management
We at Simform are thrilled to be part of the rapidly growing mobile app development industry in Austin. Our development teams are always excited to provide best-in-class services in software development.
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