Adapt or Fail: Why Mobile Development and Testing Need to Be Agile
Companies and teams are transitioning to agile to reap its many benefits—things like earlier and more predictable delivery, greater flexibility, better quality, and faster turnarounds. Whether you’re developing an exciting new piece of software for PCs or creating the next big video game on a console, agile is a popular methodology to turn to.
However, when it comes to effective and efficient mobile app development and testing, transitioning to agile has almost become a requirement.
According to Gartner, the increased demand from enterprise businesses has put a level of pressure on IT organizations to deliver large numbers of mobile applications that’s higher than ever before. Because of this, mobile development teams have to turn to newer, faster methods.
“Enterprise application development teams use traditional practices to define and develop desktop applications; however, most don't work with mobile app development, due to device diversity, network connectivity and other mobile-specific considerations,” said Van Baker, research vice president at Gartner. “Instead, (application development) managers should use functional, performance, load, and user experience testing, as well as agile development practices.”
Appinventiv Technologies, a popular mobile app development service company in India, further argues that agile is the best method for mobile app development due to the rigorous testing and teamwork required. Agile allows you to make amendments at any stage of the process, both welcoming change and using it as an advantage.
And changes will have to be made once your mobile app launches. User preference and demand is a moving target, so when new UX or performance standards are set, agile allows teams to be more able to alter an app’s course. Mobile projects need to adjust to changing consumer needs while being responsive to the demands of businesses that commission mobile projects, and agile gives teams this freedom.
The barrier to entry for mobile app development is low. Anyone can put together a small team and start creating new experiences for mobile devices. However, in order to set yourself up for success and expand the lifecycle of your project, instituting agile development and testing should be a strong consideration.
The market is both crowded and competitive, and BlazeMeter founder and CEO Alon Girmonsky believes agile is how you can keep your head above water.
“What agile enables you to do is to survive in a highly competitive market,” Girmonsky tells AgileConnection. “It also allows you to go to market faster and test the waters, so to speak, correcting mistakes and perfecting your business model quickly. And these are only a few of the advantages that agile bestows onto you.”
