What Is Agile Software Development?

Agile Software Development has fundamentally transformed how software is built – and that’s no exaggeration.  With its iterative workflow, flexible planning, and new forms of collaboration within and between teams, Agile has become the go-to approach for modern software delivery. IT trends clearly show that more and more teams are shifting away from the rigid waterfall model in favor of agility and responsiveness. In fact, 85.2% of developers now use Agile methodologies in their work (source:  Stack Overflow).

What Is Agile Software Development?

What exactly is Agile Software Development, and why should you consider implementing it in your team? 

Agile Software Development is a set of methods and practices based on values outlined in the Agile Manifesto (which we discussed in our article Agile: What Kind of Approach Is It & How to Use It in Client Collaboration) 

At its core, it emphasizes people, customer collaboration, and responsiveness to change instead of sticking to a fixed plan and documentation. It’s about observing, adapting, and responding, whether to changes in the business environment or shifts that happen naturally throughout the project lifecycle.

Unlike traditional project management, where everything is planned from start to finish, Agile is based on short cycles (called sprints), usually lasting about one week (and sometimes 2-4).  Each sprint is finalized by delivering a new product version, completing specific tasks, and planning the next sprint, all while learning from what happened in the previous week/sprint.

Agile Software Development isn’t about observing rigid timelines mapped out from A to Z; rather, it prioritizes flexibility, adaptability, agility, and responsiveness to changing project needs. If it turns out that step C should come before B, an Agile developer won’t hesitate to pivot.

Good to Know: Agile Delivery Framework at j‑labs

At j‑labs, we support our clients at every stage of collaboration, working within a framework developed based on our experience. In short, it works like this:  

1. Each process begins with a meeting during which we discuss requirements, business goals, and identify potential challenges together with the client.
2. Based on the gathered information, we assign the right specialist or a full team. We analyze both the technical skills (hard skills) and the soft skills of our senior developers, because we care about matching them to the project and the client’s organizational culture.
3. At every stage, the client can count on full support – both from the Delivery Manager, who ensures smooth operational cooperation, and the Business Account Manager, who keeps a close eye on strategic goals and communication.

We believe this approach aligns with the idea of Agile Software Development.

Working with Agile Software Development from the Inside Out. What Should You Expect?

A team of developers working in line with the Agile methodology delivers every stage of the project with each sprint. In practice, coding, testing, and quality verification must be completed in a fairly short time, which requires excellent organization and the team’s full readiness to act from day one of the sprint, but it produces results that speak for themselves.

One of the most important elements of effective Agile work is refining the backlog – the process of assessing, classifying, and editing the product backlog. Without it, it’s hard to talk about smart product development – and at j‑labs, this is absolutely fundamental for us.

The same applies to CI/CD (Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery). Thanks to this strategy, an experienced senior developer can instantly detect errors and take care of the product.

Lastly, we want to mention one more thing – being Agile in software development is not only about what a specialist does within the code or internal team, but also about addressing the client’s needs. What might that look like? The client shares feedback – the team updates the backlog; an idea for app development comes up – the topic will be addressed in the upcoming sprint. So on and so forth. It’s all about openness and partnership-based collaboration.

Is Implementing Agile Software Development Worth It?

Absolutely yes – primarily because it’s simply an effective solution. Want to talk about implementing Agile in your team? Or maybe you need expert support in product development? We’re here to help. Contact us through the form and let’s talk about the possibilities!