Agile Methodology

The unique way to IT Consulting & Audit

In terms of technology, several factors can slow down your company. Deconstruction and review of the systems that are concealed within IT projects are important to monitor any issues. For this reason IT assessment and consultant procedures are a great starting point. How is ti that they look in practice? What are the IT audit and consultants’ stages, and why are they playing a vital role in business growth? Let’s work it out. The green light for digitalization has been turned on by serious players from each industry. From banking and finance firms to real estate, healthcare businesses, and travel and hospitality providers (and much more!) – all decision-makers from B2B and B2C have embraced technology to improve their market position.

Even though tech giants spend billions of dollars on Research and Development is completely incredible and overwhelming for the rest of the peloton, managers of smaller firms and start-up founders are not giving up the fight. We continue to invest in web and mobile apps (and more complex IT solutions) to get them excelling.

And you need to develop a technology plan to stay in the game. The very first thing you should be on your radar is to get and IT partner to launch an audit of your technical premises. Why? For What? Because it starts by getting rid of the obstacles that stand in your way to scale up your business.

You’ll need to budget for a qualified IT audit to identify the challenges properly.

Let’s decode piece by piece the IT audit and the IT consulting services.

What is the concept of an IT audit?

Before we disclose the process stages, we need to start with basic – what are the procedures for IT auditing? And why are they so critical for bringing projects with technology to higher levels?

IT audit is essentially a comprehensive test, designed to analyze any software products. The best practice at Ouriken from our perspective is to assign a project to our consultants and developers. We take a deep dive deep into a project, carrying a highly detailed review of the customer’s development processes.

What are the IT audit elements?

Most companies expect such programs to deliver game-changing benefits. Why is it they are working? We may divide an IT audit process into the following components, regardless of the size of a given company:

Analyzing stacking technology. In designing a product, we take a closer look at what has already been used. We’re interested in developers of software and frameworks that have decided to work with. The next issue is about the future of product development, centered on those tools and frameworks.
Running tests on code. This stage requires practical experience and expertise. This scrutinizes the code already written by tech teams of clients. We need developers specialized in different programming languages to be able to do that.
Check the check. This aspect of an It audit focuses on testing procedures, identifying continuous integration errors. We also test the data security status at this point and let our DevOps engineers examine the methodology used in the project.
Studying the administration of programs. Every digital project has its own Director of Projects. As a software house, our job is to test the backdrops of a project management workflow and look for any problems there. Optimizing the flow is important, and finding a way to improve efficiency with more agile communication.
Looking for team leadership. Locating within a team structure or team management style can be full of problems. We are looking forward to learning about the roles that team members have and how a client is coping up with new employees on board.

Pointing out the issues at each point leads to an audit and its policy formulating frames. In the end, full audit reports and a report will result in a trustworthy, well-conducted IT audit process. The next step is where IT advisory services come up. We need to take care of all the issues outlined in the paper. We lease our consultant as an outsourced Technology Referee to monitor the fixing process.

Why is it so important to audit the IT?

The meaning is straight forward. A software product needs to perform well, and be scalable, to be effective. If those things are incorrect, the technology will stand in the way of making your company prosper. We’re ready to collect data after we nail down problems and identify all the limitations. During team shadowing, we interview the mangers, rub elbows with client employees, and analyze the code and documentation. As soon as we pass that point, we’ll be able to name the solutions and create a roadmap to implement necessary project changes.

Common development issues for enterprises

Just like in film scripts, first, we have to recognize the villain to call for a superhero. What are the usual problems that business owners and C-level execs face when it comes to processing technology? What issues cause them to believe they need an outsider to solve them?

We face technology challenges for our clients in four main areas:

Firstly, Selecting the technologies in terms of reliability and scalability of their implementations. Secondly, forming of the processes of development, testing, and production. Thirdly, software consistency and team management. And fourthly, to come up with the final strategic decisions and point out one course for the technology of the organization.

Scalability and Stability of your software Technology

That is inevitable, if your business grows, you’ll need your website or app ready for a stronger stream of visitors. Whether you’re running an e-commerce site or a SaaS platform focused on browsers, the strategy should also include adding more features to attract more users.

But if the program isn’t robust enough, it will be frustrating for you and the customer of your product to increase the number of functionalities. You wouldn’t want your customers to fall off your website or device, as the page load time is too long. Most importantly, you would not want your product’s features to fail to work properly. If the primary functionalities refuse to perform well, scalability will do not do the trick.

Develop, Test and Manufacture

Each software solution has to have a co-ordinated product development sequence. Though it sounds obvious, it is worth treating each of these environments with the same level of respect. You’ll miss fixing the bugs along the way if you put most of the effort into the development phase and skip to the production. In addition, if development, testing, and manufacturing environments do not match, you will stumble over problems later while upgrading your product.

Our dedicated developers at Ouriken take care of those three elements. They can track and eliminate any bottleneck situations because they have unlimited access to the whole production process. They immerse themselves in the project to discover any issues related to code, tools, test methods, and DevOps activities.

Code Quality and the People Behind it

While roughly two-thirds of respondents are satisfied with their software quality, there has been a general downward trend since 2016.

Only 43% of respondents are satisfied with their current code review process, or very satisfied.

The respondents identified code review as the number way to improve the quality of code for the third straight year.

These insights into software development indicate that code quality is still something that needs to be improved and code analysis is a part that needs to be focused on.

Luckily we got a solution here. Through various, foreign IT ventures, our contractors, lead and senior developers have accumulated their valuable experience. One of their goals is ensuring high-quality code.

Grow Your Company with a custom Tech Strategy

The importance of developing a sound strategy, particularly with a focus on tech, is hard to overestimate. We do what it takes to create one for a consumer – we evaluate the business needs, the value of the company and how it can grow with the help of the latest technology.

We help set the goals and help our clients achieve them. A digital strategy is not a ready-made product put on a shelf, it is a project that is fully customized.

Time to improve your IT Audit & Consultancy Business

It’s a milestone for your business to recognize a technological problem within your organization. To do this, a software house specializing in providing IT consulting services needs to be teamed up with.

Immediately after a startup or a well-established organization decides to put their faith in our expertise we release our troops. We call it a period of Exploration and that is where the beauty lies. Our consultant will take a deep dive into your idea with a Dev team backed up. We are the technological situation and the level of workflow. We are on a roadblock chase. We need to learn what slows the process down, and what the limits are.

Then ultimately, step-by-step, we go through your delivery process. To dod this, we are armed with weapons such as codebase review, delivery process assessment, then workshops conducted with key players in your project.

Performance Boost – it’s not a vague idea or a sales pitch fueled by buzzword. It’s a commitment to deliver technology factors that are responsible for your business’ performance and development.

Optimization of development- opening our consultant’s doors to your software development climate. The outcome of the consultation process with IT? To take the technological productivity to a different level.

Ouriken Consulting excels in co-creation & collaboration activities for the development of creative & innovative products or delivering high-quality services in the field of IT.

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Agile Methodology

Which one is right for you: Waterfall or Agile?

The first thing to discuss before starting a project for most IT companies is whether to follow the Waterfall or Agile software development method. The two methods come with their own distinct advantages and thus contribute differently to the resulting performance. Here, in order to help you choose better, we aim to differentiate between the two.

System of Waterfalls

The waterfall method is a conventional, linear approach to the creation of code following a recorded sequence of steps:

Documentation of criteria
Design
Testing code and unit
Testing the system
Testing of user acceptance
Correction of bugs
Product completed

The above sequence is followed by a waterfall method project in steps without going back and forth.

Waterfall’s Method Advantages

The project’s process flow is determined and agreed from beginning to end, making end-to-end planning more efficient and transparent.
Measuring progress across the SDLC is easier.
Client presence is hardly needed except for pre-determined reviews and approvals.
Design is completed early in the development cycle, making the completion of the project faster in projects requiring the integration of multiple modules.
Since ALL the software deliverables are decided early, the software can be planned more carefully – this will ensure that no aspect of the software being developed is wrong with the software as a whole.

Related Post: What is Agile Methodology?

Drawback’s of process Waterfall

Up to the last few steps of the process, no working code is made.
It is not appropriate for projects where there is a risk of changing requirements. There are a fair amount of improvements that consumers put in with most projects.
Therefore, it will be impractical to use the waterfall model approach in such situations.
Changing a project’s scope in a waterfall methodology frequently can cause expensive delays and drastically change the required output.
Since all modules are integrated only at the last stage, it becomes difficult to identify potential project bottlenecks
Often with only the specifications file, it is difficult to visualize the program in its entirety. So in cases where changes to the software are needed, this can only be done after the development process has bee completed. This makes it hard to implement software changes when following the Waterfall method.

Agile is an iterative software development process that requires a close feedback loop to quickly develop applications. Agile deviates from a document-based approach to a collaborative software development approach. “Sprints” are created during the development of software using Agile instead of tasks. That sprint usually lasts a few weeks ad within that time a list of deliverables is completed and sent to the customer for review. There is an end-of-spirit test for customers after which the job for the next sprint is decided.

The benefits of Agile method

Because the user is often involved in the process of software development, the correct decisions are made in the project very early.
For what the technology is shaping us to be, the user gets a first-hand view and can, therefore, get a sense of ownership of the venture.
If the time-to-time market available is short, Agile can help you quickly release a rudimentary software version.

Agile method Drawbacks

Agile can be problematic for customers who have no time or interest in getting involved with the project frequently. Since agile involves frequent re-prioritization, a few modules set for release within a sprint can become difficult to complete. In such instances, adding all of the functionality to the code requires additional sprints. This can increase the time and cost of implementing the solution.

While Agile and Waterfall are popular methods of software development, we are absorbing your requirements at Ouriken to design our own software development framework or to use Agile and Waterfall methods to deliver our best. To learn more about our methods of development, get in touch with us now.

Ouriken’s Agile consulting framework includes agile consulting, delivery transformation, digital, analytics, and development to meet customer needs. Ouriken is a standalone web design and digital agency. We design and implements powerful solutions for small and medium businesses in technology, business, and operations.

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Agile Methodology

What is Agile Methodology?

Agile Methodology is a process that promotes continues iteration of development and testing throughout the software development life cycle of the project. Unlike the waterfall model, both development and testing activities are concurrent. It’s also a hyped word in the IT industry where they use it to describe the alternative method of project management. A process that provides quick and capricious responses to the feedback they receive on their project. During the development cycle itself, it creates opportunities to assess a project’s direction. Assessment of the project in regular meetings is called sprints or iterations.

It’s very empowering in nature that helps companies to design and build the right product. It is beneficial for software companies because of the management process and it helps them to analyze and improve their product throughout its development which enables companies to make a highly valuable product so they stay competitive in the market.

Origin of Agile

A small group of people in 2011, tired of all the traditional approach for management of software development projects, so after brainstorming for while they came up with the agile manifesto. It is a more practical and improved method for managing the progress of software projects.

Four Important agile manifesto values:

Instead of processes and tools focus should be more on individuals and interactions.
Rather than comprehensive documentation, working software is a priority.
Contract negotiation is a bad practice in agile, customer collaboration is more vital.
Instead of the process working like a robot and following a plan, it must respond to changes.

Business advantages of Agile

Whatever the common risks that are associated with the delivery, scope, and budget of the project, it gets reduced with the help of agile management. It focuses on the encouragement of collaboration between the customer and the team, offering mutual benefits in the migration of high risks during the development of the software.

In 2009, Dr. David F Rico did a comparison between agile and traditional methods of software project management. He analyzed 23 agile processes during his research and synthesis, comparing them with 7500 traditional projects. There he found 20 projects where agile was beneficial, in terms of business value 41% were better, 83% showed quicker time-to-market speeds, Quality-wise 50% were high, 50% were inexpensive, and 83% were more productive. Since then, agile consulting services are offered to boost the performance of their software development life cycle.

Agile Methodologies

There are many agile methodologies that share similar philosophies, characteristics, and practices. Subsequently, each agile has its own practices, terminology, and tactics at the point of implementation.

Scrum

A management framework with far-reaching abilities to manage the iterations and increment in all project types. Scrum is lightweight and can be used with other agile methodologies for various engineering practices. Because of their simplicity and having a higher productivity rate scrums have grown in popularity within the agile software development.

Lean and Kanban

Lean Software development

Originally developed by Mary and Tom poppendieck, lean software development is an iteration methodology where many of its principles and practices in lean software development came from the lean enterprise movement, and Toyota was the first company to utilize it. This value-based method focuses on delivering an efficient “value stream” mechanism that gives the value to the project. This methodology works on some of the principles those are, eliminate waste, amplify learning, make decisions as late as possible, deliver results as quickly as possible, empower the team, build integrity, and envision the whole project.

It works as a first choice only the features that have real value to the system, delivering and prioritizing them in small batches leads to the elimination of waste. It emphasizes on speed and efficiency relying on rapid and reliable feedback between the customers and programmers. Ensuring Everyone’s productivity this methodology concentrates on efficiencies of team resources.

The Kanban Method

Kanban Method is used to manage the project’s creation while concentrating on the continued delivery and not over pressurizing the development team. Just like Scrum, Kanban processes help teams work together and efficiently.

Three principles of Kanban Method

Visualize what you do; see all the items within the context of each other.
Limit the amount of work in progress (WIP): balance the flow-based approach so teams are not committed to doing too much work at once.
Enhance the flow: as soon as one task is finished start on the next highest job from the backlog

The promotion of continued collaboration is encouraged and ongoing learning and improvements to provide the best possible workflow for the team.

Extreme Programming (XP)

Originally described by Kent Beck, Extreme Programming is one of the most well-known and controversial agile methodologies. It’s a highly disciplinary method of continuously delivering high-quality software faster. To perform continued planning, the customer is actively involved with the closed knit team. The extreme programming method is based on four simple values, Simplicity, Communication, Feedback, and Courage.

Crystal

In developing software, crystal methodology is one of the most lightweight and adaptable approaches. Including Clear, Crystal Yellow, Crystal Orange, and other uniquely characterized methods, it’s made up of several processes. The factors which drive processes are the size of the team, the criticality of the system, and the priority of the project. There are several essential values of crystal method, they are, Team Work, Simplicity, Communication, Reflection, Frequent Adjustments, Improve Processes. Like other methodologies, this agile process promotes early and frequent working software delivery. Encouragement of high user involvement, adaptability, and eliminations of distractions and bureaucracy.

Dynamic Systems Development Method (DSDM)

Firstly known as Rapid Application Development (RAD), which originated in 1994, the Dynamic Systems Development Method provides an industry standard framework for project delivery. Although the RAD approach developed in an unstructured fashion it was very popular in the 1990s. Now DSDM has evolved and matured, it provides management, execution, foundation in planning, and scaling of the agile process and iteration projects. It has six key principles revolving around the business needs, Value, Active User Involvement, Empowered Teams, Frequent Delivery, Integrated testing, Stakeholder Collaboration. Approach for delivery and acceptance criteria, DSDM uses “fitness for business purpose”. The main formula for DSDM is 80% system development in 20% time.

Feature Driven Development (FDD)

Feature Driven Development was developed by Jeff De Luca, along with contributors, A.M. Rajashima, Lim Bak Wee, Paul Szego, Jon Kern, and Stephen Palmer. It begins by first establishing the shape of an agile model, it is a short iteration process and it is model driven. Because they are small and useful, these features appeal to clients. By using these eight practices the FDD is designed and delivered, Domain Object Modeling, Development of Features, Component and Class Ownership, Feature Teams, Inspections, Configuration Management, Regular Builds, Visibility of progress and results.

Conclusion

A very exciting and fascinating approach to software development is agile management. The result is a more rewarding experience for everyone involved, by integrating the product developers and customers in the planning and implementing processes. If done properly, organizations can continuously find ways to increase the value to their customers. It produces more generous end results for the company by those who are actively working on the project and create a more positive experience for the customer. As Agile Consulting says “Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow.”

Ouriken is a standalone web design and digital agency. We design and implements powerful solutions for small and medium businesses in technology, business, and operations.