Seven Great Reasons To Use

an Agile Software Team

When you’re choosing a new public health data system, you want one you can use right away but that isn’t limited to what you get “off the shelf.” You want to be able to request customizations of screens and workflows, enhancements, and new features to meet your organization’s current needs, and also to address inevitable changes in these needs over time. To get what you’re seeking, you need a team that can accommodate your requests, deliver value quickly, and keep you in the loop throughout the software development process. You want the end result of this partnership to be a data system that helps you care for your clients, assess and demonstrate the impact of your work, and satisfy your stakeholders.

In software development, Agile is one approach that equips a team with the mindset and practices that will help them give you what you’re looking for. Agile principles originated in the U.S. in the 1990s as a response to frustrations with traditional, plan-driven approaches. Some developers and sympathetic others thought these approaches put more emphasis on planning and documentation than on actually delivering working software to customers. In the years since, Agile has been widely adopted throughout the software development industry for its emphases on communication, responsiveness to change, and the delivery of high-value software and services. Here are seven great reasons for customers to use an agile software development team:

Customer Satisfaction

Because Agile software teams prioritize customer collaboration and feedback, customers are invited to participate actively throughout the development process, providing input, reviewing incremental deliverables, and suggesting changes. This level of customer involvement helps ensure that the final product aligns with the customers’ needs and expectations, which results in a higher level of customer satisfaction.

Quick and Frequent Value Delivery

Agile teams emphasize the delivery of working software in small increments at regular intervals. This iterative approach allows customers to see tangible progress and value earlier in the development process than would otherwise be the case. They can also begin using and benefiting from the software sooner, even if not all features are implemented yet.

Adaptability to Changing Requirements

In traditional approaches to software development, having project deliverables that are “set in stone” may mean that changing requirements mid-way has costly, time-consuming consequences. With an Agile team, whose approach is iterative and inherently flexible, customers can more easily request adjustments, new features, or even shift priorities during the development process. This adaptability helps customers remain responsive in the process to their own organizational changes, evolving understandings of what they need, and critical developments in public health, such as emerging best practices, newly available technologies, and even outbreaks or epidemics.

Reduced Risk

Agile software teams promote frequent interactions with customers, encouraging open communication and regular feedback sessions. Through these interactions, customers help steer the direction of development through providing insights and spotting potential issues sooner rather than later. These interactions also provide a context for useful consultation by the software team. In short, a continuous feedback loop provides opportunities for the software team and the customer to develop a solid, shared understanding of what the customer hopes to achieve.

Improved Product Quality

Agile teams promote a culture of continuous learning and improvement. At the end of each interval of work, the Agile software team reflects on the experience, identifies areas for improvement, and makes plans for implementing desired changes to the process. Through this practice, the team is able to continually increase the effectiveness and quality of its work, which contributes to the product quality experienced by the customer.

Transparency and Visibility

Agile teams promote transparency by making the development process visible to customers. Customers can view progress through various visual tools like work plans and demos. This transparency and visibility provides customers with valuable insight into how their feedback influences the project, and helps them develop trust and confidence in the software team’s work.

Cost Efficiency

With their focus on delivering the highest-priority features first, Agile teams help customers manage costs by ensuring that financial resources are allocated first to the most valuable aspects of the software. The iterative process and customer collaboration also contribute to cost efficiency, by helping to prevent costly rework later.

An Agile Software Team Helps You Make a Difference

Working with an Agile software development team benefits customers by contributing to a customer-centric, flexible, and collaborative partnership. An Agile team is able to adapt to changing requirements, deliver value quickly and frequently, and effectively address your organization’s needs and expectations. All this – with the additional advantages of reduced risk and cost efficiency! When you’re looking for a new public health data system that meets your organization’s needs now and can grow with you over time, you need an Agile team on your side.

To learn more about how our Agile team at Luther Consulting, and Aphirm^Ⓡ, our modular, collaboratively customizable, and client-centered public health data system, can assist your organization in its data collection, management, and reporting needs, please contact our Client Relationship Manager through the form below. We’d be glad to schedule a conversation to learn about your needs, and share how we can help.

We don’t just make software. We help you make a difference.

For further information about Agile, see the Agile Alliance’s Agile Essentials.