Agile methodologies can apply in many development situations

Tech and process updates could go hand in hand for developers.

As the IT environment has changed over the past few years, it has become clear that traditional waterfall methods of app development may have to change. Many firms have already taken the plunge into discovering new techniques, aided by technological tools. If your company is among the holdouts, it's time to educate yourself on rapid application development, the leading methodologies that can help you create in this manner and the platforms your employees can harness.

Defining agility A good working knowledge of agile practices will help businesses reach their potential with this approach. The core tenets can sometimes become lost under a blitz of industry buzzwords, meaning simplicity is key.

Florida Institute of Technology professor Scott Tilley recently gave an overview of agile development ideas for Florida Today. He stated that the original Agile Manifesto, now more than a decade old, is still relevant and contains principles that favor ad hoc development rather than sticking to a rigid structure. While it may be shocking for app developers unfamiliar with this method to change their habits, Tilley connected this flexibility to agile's "startup nature," with firms refusing to fall into dead ends and instead pursuing their goals nonstop.

Combining development approaches One interesting element of software creation today is the possibility of combining practices to create a plan that suits a company exactly. InfoQ reported that industry expert Regis Medina has promoted the idea of agile and lean principles functioning side-by-side. He indicated that agile, as an evolving set of approaches, works well with the dedicated management approach of lean, which can help workers develop new competencies and solve their most pressing business issues.

Medina told InfoQ that one process promoted by lean users is observation of projects in action, getting the client's point of view about the application. This protocol may inform how developers design the next iteration of the application.

Helpful tech deployments Of course, not every company currently has the proper tools to become an app development powerhouse. This situation is easily remedied, however. Selecting the right PaaS environment can make a huge difference, granting visibility and communication that may help workers communicate with one another and apply popular methods to their work.

If you find yourself stuck in outdated development processes that aren't delivering the needed results, the answer may not be processes or technology: It could be a little of each. Making a change to your development platform could help positive new practices take hold, empowering developers and improving the products they create.