Agile Deployment seeks to deliver an IT based product quickly (2-3week cycles) for the user community (customers and/ or internal staff) to try it out and provide feedback.

All feedback received is then used by the development team to determine how the product is developed further. Initiating a pattern of further development, additional feedback and so on in order to grow the product organically, based on what people say they want. Agile Deployment working best where there is a need to create a sense of community around a product, such as a website or smart phone application.

The main benefits of Agile Deployment relate to how knowledge is gained very early in the life cycle whether a product is likely to be successful or not, before a large investment in time and money is made. The main risk of Agile Deployment is that development never ceases. Meaning if the development team was outsourced in the first place there will be an ongoing cost to continue to support development of the product.

If you would like to discuss Agile Deployment further, including how best to manage the risks involved, please make contact using the form below. Remember at PACE-Consulting.co.uk you are dealing direct and so all services are offered at extremely competitive daily rates or as fixed priced packages to ensure you get the maximum return on your investment.

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 Agile Deployment

At PACE-Consulting.co.uk we have been directly involved in managing projects and programmes for over ten years now. Those same projects and programmes have successfully delivered positive outcomes often for a wide range of organisations. We respect what the methodologies bring, particularly in how they provide clarity on the how things are progressing against the agreed plan. But as with many things in life there is a new kid in town, and that kid is getting an ever stronger following. Agile software development was born out of pioneering ‘lightweight’ software development techniques used in the 70’s, and offers an alternative to the traditional; design, develop, test and deploy techniques normally associated with technology projects. Today that continues with the advent of Low-Code technology that speeds up development further with drag and drop type interfaces.

Agile Deployment works particularly well in fast changing environments where end user engagement (customer or internal staff) is important to providing feedback on things like: ease of use, functionality and future developments. Traditional techniques can fall short in this same environment, by the time a solution is deployed, based on a design locked down several months before, the world has moved on and the product delivered already out of date. This technique also lives in fear of feedback, just in case it confirms that the investment decision was a poor one, leaving everyone involved red faced. Agile on the other hand cannot function without feedback and in a world where customer reviews, comments and live participation are now part of our daily lives, can work very well.

Agile Deployment

Two areas where agile is arguably the only way to go are: online developments and mobile/ smart phone app developments. The main reason for this is that an important part of the relationship with users in these environments is the feedback they provide. The ethos, especially with phone apps, is that people use it and they like it they tell you, often through a star rating system. If they do not they also tell you, or they leave. Those that leave are likely gone for good. Those that provide feedback are giving the organisation and development team another chance.

We have experience of using Agile working with a partner tasked with enhancing one of their clients Filemaker ERP system. The nine areas of improvement identified were first broken down into five stages and then within each stage the requirement was discussed and confirmed. Often as email conversations including screenshots immediately before the development team began coding. The enhancements were then quickly tested by the client who provided their feedback before signing off the stage. Each stage taking just a few weeks to turn around. The approach enabling the client to benefit straight away from the changes made in their live system immediately after each stage and not have to wait until the end.

Remember at PACE-Consulting.co.uk you are dealing direct and so all services are offered at extremely competitive daily rates or as fixed priced packages to ensure you get the maximum return on your investment. To discuss any of the services offered, including partnership working opportunities, please make contact using the form below.

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