What is Agile development? Is there a difference with Waterfall?

As companies shift their focus to online customer experience and sales growth via digital, the demand for speedy renewal and update of websites is increasing, and the development methodologies adopted for this purpose are becoming more and more important for companies. Agile development, in particular, gained attention in recent years as one of the methods that can quickly give shape to business value in the age of rapidly changing customer needs and trends.

Agile development methods are often compared to "waterfall development," which is a traditional process. In waterfall, each phase needs to be completed before the next one begins, so if there is even a small omission in the previous phase, it is impossible to proceed. Also, it is difficult to go back after moving on to the next step, and because the releases are made only after all development is complete, it is difficult to fix problems afterwards.

Agile process, on the other hand, is based on repetition of development cycles called "iteration," in which requirements definition, design, development, testing, and release are carried out in a short 2-3 week period, enabling projects to proceed with a sense of speed. In addition, since it is possible to test and release the software many times during development, it is easy to understand the results in real time, and is also possible to proceed flexibly while responding to various changes that occur.

Why Agile?

One of the benefits of using Agile is that it allows for customer centric solutions.

Because iteration requires short development cycles, a final, complete product is not the result.  Instead the initial release can be an  MVP (minimum valuable product), and the development can proceed with improvements and adjustments while actual users use the product. We can proceed with development while having actual users use the product and make improvements and adjustments based on data and their feedback. Iif adjustments need to be made, there is little rework, so the risk is relatively low compared to conventional waterfall development.

In addition, Agile is not just a method to be used for development; it is more effective when the right processes are in place in the right areas for the duration of the  project, including goal setting and decision making. Keeping the customer at the center of decision making, setting appropriate business goals, and adopting a quick decision making process are the keys to giving a company a competitive edge and leading to further growth.

CI&T’s Lean-Agile processes and approaches

With 15 years of experience in Agile, CI&T has developed its own unique agile methodology to meet the needs and changes in the market, using it to provide digital solutions to customers more efficiently.

CI&T's unique methodology is called "Lean Agile", which combines the traditional Agile methodology with Lean principles known from the Toyota Production System. It aims to eliminate waste and make it easy to scale Agile teams.

We not only develop your digital products, like apps and platforms, using Lean-Agile methodology, but we also provide an Agile approach throughout the entire project from the introduction of Agile processes (internal process development) to Agile mindset. Both of which are effective in promoting corporate digital transformation (DX). Even if you do not have experience with Agile, we can help you start small where you can without interfering with your daily business.

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