Choosing the Right Agile Methodology to Accelerate Project Development

Development speed is one of the key factors playing a critical role in the success of a software project since it directly impacts app time-to-market and determines how soon a company can start generating revenue and achieve a return on its investment. It can also significantly affect total development costs, given that many developer teams operate under a time-and-materials model, which means they are paid for the actual hours worked on a project.

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Companies prioritizing speed can use different measures to accelerate app development and delivery, and implementing Agile practices for project management is one of the most efficient ones. For 14 of the last 17 years during which Digital.ai conducted its annual “State of Agile” survey, accelerated software delivery has been the most cited benefit of adopting Agile.

In this article, software development experts from Itransition provide four ways that Agile can impact how long to develop an app and offer tips on selecting the right Agile methodology.

How Agile Accelerates Software Projects

When it comes to software development speed, it is generally considered that teams using Agile can outperform those relying on more traditional approaches. Here are the key reasons why:

Continuous Process Improvement

In Agile, the entire development process is split into small periods of work called sprints. Each represents a repetitive cycle of design, coding, and testing lasting between one and four weeks. After a sprint, a team holds a retrospective and discusses what went well and what went wrong during the last cycle, which helps identify inefficiencies in the development process and refine it continuously, enhancing the development speed.

Utilization of Stakeholder Feedback

After sprints, the team also demonstrates increments of their solutions to key project stakeholders and gathers their feedback via interviews, usability tests, and other techniques. Based on this feedback, teams can refine the solution during the next sprints to better align it with stakeholder requirements. Thus, teams can prevent future software reworks, which could otherwise incur additional time and expenses.

Early Bug and Error Detection

Instead of conducting tests during a separate phase at the end of SDLC, Agile teams integrate automated testing processes into each sprint, which promotes earlier and quicker detection of bugs, flaws, and other technical issues. Not only does it allow teams to create more reliable and stable applications, but it also eliminates potential time expenses associated with late-stage testing.

Focus on Collaboration

Retrospectives, daily stand-up meetings, and other practices involved in the Agile development process stimulate closer communication and collaboration within teams. This, in turn, helps promote a more cohesive project vision among its members and reduces the risk of misunderstanding, which can also contribute to the overall development efficiency and speed.

Beyond internal collaboration, integrating complementary services such as network and security solutions can help Agile-driven companies maintain robust digital infrastructures and protect sensitive data while accelerating delivery cycles.

How to Select the Right Agile Methodology

Choosing the right Agile approach can be challenging, given that there are multiple options, each with its own specifics. To make the right choice, consider taking the following measures:

Evaluating the Project Context

The selection of a project management methodology should never be arbitrary. It must align closely with the project’s specific context, objectives, requirements, and desired outcomes. The right framework can determine whether a project runs efficiently or descends into confusion and delay. When choosing the most suitable approach, decision-makers should evaluate several key factors:

Project Team: Consider the team’s size, structure, and geographical distribution. A small, co-located team might thrive under an adaptive or agile methodology, while large, cross-functional teams spread across regions may benefit from a more structured, plan-driven approach. Equally important are the team’s technical expertise, communication skills, and experience with collaborative tools, as these influence how effectively they can execute within a given methodology.
Project Complexity: Assess the scope, interdependencies, and number of activities involved. Projects with well-defined, sequential tasks may align with traditional frameworks like Waterfall, while those involving constant iteration, feedback, and evolving requirements are better suited for Agile or hybrid approaches. Complexity also includes the number of stakeholders, integration points, and external dependencies that can impact workflow and delivery.
Project Risks: Evaluate the degree of uncertainty in project requirements, potential for scope changes, and exposure to external risks. High-risk projects—where requirements may shift or evolve—benefit from methodologies that support flexibility and continuous adaptation. Conversely, projects in stable environments with low volatility might gain efficiency through predictive, process-driven methods.

Ultimately, the methodology you choose should balance structure with adaptability, providing enough control to meet deadlines and budgets while remaining flexible enough to respond to inevitable changes along the way.

Reviewing Available Options

The next step for decision-makers would be gaining familiarity with popular Agile methodologies, delving deeper into Agile concepts such as Scrum, Kanban, Scrum of Scrums, and Extreme Programming to better understand the advantages, limitations, and specifics of each approach and determine which one can potentially suit their project.

Involving the Team in Decision-Making

Decision-makers should then hold a series of meetings with representatives of the development team to discuss several chosen methodologies and agree on a common stance on which one is better to select, given the project’s needs and requirements. Decision makers can consider combining elements of several approaches rather than choosing a single methodology. For example, the team might implement Daily Scrums in conjunction with a Kanban board and cards, an approach called Scrumban.

Piloting Agile Methodologies

After selecting a particular approach, a company should test it in practice by gradually implementing some of its elements into the team’s work. After observing the team’s work and analyzing their feedback, decision-makers can understand whether the chosen agile methodology is feasible and efficient and scale its use without the risk of implementing the wrong approach.

Final Thoughts

If quick app delivery is your top priority, consider implementing Agile principles to manage the work of your project team, as this methodology can enable the team to perform at increased efficiency and speed. There are multiple Agile methodologies you can select from, and a brief guide from this article will help you make a more intelligent choice.

If you are still not sure about which methodology is right for your unique business case, turn to third-party app development experts, who can analyze your project requirements, resources, and constraints to suggest the best-suited option. Such experts can also help implement the chosen methodology and guide your team on using Agile practices to ensure smoother and faster app development.