Agile Scrum Vs Code-As-You-Go Methodologies

Introduction

In today’s article we will take a look at the common Agile development methodology using Scrum. Next, we will look into the scenarios when this changes into a code as you go model. This is not a very efficient way of development and causes a number of issues we will look at.

So, let us begin.

What is Agile Scrum?

The agile development methodology using scrum is one of the most widely used methodologies for software development. It has evolved as a replacement for the old waterfall method where all planning and tasks were detailed before development begins. Agile scrum asks us to prepare a list of tasks to be completed for a project. This is known as the backlog. We have a sprint which is usually 2-4 weeks depending upon the complexity of the tasks and the team size. This is the duration for a standard feature cycle. The team has a sprint planning meeting and decide which tasks or stories are to be completed in the cycle or sprint. This sprint includes design, development, testing and deployment to the final product to be looked into by the business team. Any additions or modifications can be handled as part of the next sprint.

When we move into the Code as you go mode

In many cases, we see that when the requirements for a particular task/story keep changing within a sprint or if the requirements for a task/story keep on changing after every sprint and this happens too often, we sort of move from the agile scrum model into a code-as-you-go model. This leads to a few problems including:

1. Timelines to complete the overall project cannot be determined as the requirements are never fully understood or completed
2. Frustration or lack of achievement seems to creep into the team as nothing seems to be completed or achieved.

This has been seen to be a common problem where the initial backlog is not detailed enough. The solution to this problem is that although there could be minor modifications after an item goes into development or even after it has been completed, the major portion of the logic must be determined in the initial backlog. This might not need to be too detailed but enough to cover the main points. Another important thing to consider is that all major stakeholders must be involved in the initial backlog setup process as it has been seen many times that new stakeholders or users come in very later in the process and that also may lead the agile process to turn into a code as you go process.

Summary

In this article, we took a look at the agile scrum development methodology and when this turns into a code as you go process. While agile is a very efficient way to put the product in front of the end user soon for understanding and handling modifications, not having a clear initial understanding of the task may lead to too many revisions and end up changing the whole process into a counter effective model. Happy coding!