The Role of IT-Dedicated Teams in Agile Software Development

The practice of agile software development revolutionized both software teamwork and delivery around the early 2000s when the methodology was first introduced. Since then, it has spread like wildfire through the business software development world, transforming long and arduous development cycles of whole-scale pushes into short, functional cycles of flexible adaptation.

Agile software development frees companies from needing to wait years to see the results of a single update wave. Instead, focusing on skilled teams delivering one stable feature or change at a time. This, in turn, has made software easier to facilitate with remote, hybrid, and uniquely outsourced teams. Dedicated software development teams make it possible to put together your own agile team at any time, with a staffing solution of experts that is just as flexible as the development cycle itself.

Today, we’re talking about the role of IT-dedicated teams and how they can rapidly provide your business with agile software development.

Understanding Agile Software Development

Agile software development was introduced as a way to overcome the many downsides of the traditional major-update mentality. Where old software pushes relied on massive whole-system version releases that could become hit-or-miss in any specific regard, agile focuses on fast iteration, functional value, working code, responsive change, as well as user collaboration.

The Agile Manifesto says:

We are uncovering better ways of developing software by doing it and helping others do it. Through this work we have come to value:

• Individuals and interactions over processes and tools
• Working software over comprehensive documentation
• Customer collaboration over contract negotiation
• Responding to change over following a plan

That is, while there is value in the items on the right, we value the items on the left more.

Principles of Agile Development

There are 12 principles of agile development that serve as the guideposts for every agile project.

1. Satisfy customers through early and continuous delivery of valuable software.
2. Welcome changing requirements, even late in development.
3. Deliver working software frequently, on a shorter timescale.
4. Business people and developers must work together daily throughout the project.
5. Build projects around motivated individuals with the support they need. Trust them to get the job done.
6. Face-to-face is the most efficient and effective way to convey information in a dev team.
7. Working software is the primary measure of progress.
8. Agile processes are sustainable and can continue indefinitely.
9. Continuous attention to technical excellence and good design.
10. Simplicity is maximizing the work not done.
11. The best solutions emerge from self-organizing teams.
12. Reflect regularly on effectiveness and adjust

Benefits of Agile Methodologies

Agile development takes the focus away from monolithic updates and puts it back on functional code that improves with every iteration. An agile team will have some deliverable improvement every few weeks or months, depending on the project. They will be able to respond to the latest feedback to make the software better for users today, based on what is best for the company and the users at the moment.

In fact, this is a massive improvement from the traditional 1-4 year development cycles, providing a flexible and highly team-based way to create a constant flow of positive improvements to any software project.

The Importance of IT-Dedicated Teams in Agile Software Development

An IT-dedicated team features a group of contractors specially assembled to focus on your company’s software project. They are the software equivalent of a super-group. A team has the exact experts you need to bring the perfect balance of skills and experience to the table. A dedicated team will then work together on your project for as long as you need, iterating one functional, enjoyable, and responsive agile update after another.

Whether you are building brand new software or want to keep your company’s custom software flexible and ever-improving, a dedicated team provides the flexibility as well as the expertise necessary to provide exactly the fast-iteration satisfaction that you (and your customers) need.

Focused Expertise and Skills

An agile software development team works best when made up of people with the right balance of expertise and skills. You can build that team dynamically using dedicated team services. A dedicated team is built from individual contractors who have exactly the balance of skills, experience, as well as self-motivation you need to create the perfect agile collaboration. They will also stay dedicated to your project for as long as you need.

Efficient Collaboration and Communication

Dedicated teams are also designed to work together. They provide an efficient solution to collaboration and communication by working solely on your project. Unlike other contractor arrangements, you know that your dedicated team is focused entirely on working together. Thus, building a stronger team dynamic in order to deliver better code.

Faster Time-to-Market and Adaptability

Having an internal agile development team can be beneficial. However, you can start building a dedicated team without waiting months (or years) to find the right permanent hires. A dedicated team of hand-picked contractors allows you to move immediately into the update cycle. This, in turn, provides a much faster time-to-market delivery and the ability to quickly adapt to market needs.

Building High-Performing IT-Dedicated Teams with ParallelStaff

ParallelStaff makes it possible to quickly and efficiently put together the dedicated software development teams you need to immediately begin the cycle of flexible and functional code delivery. Our focus on collaboration and skill assembly makes it possible to access top talent both inside and outside your country and seamlessly integrate with your existing process.

Access to Top Software Development Talent

ParallelStaff also provides onshore and nearshore recruitment services. We can help access a deeper pool of skilled and available contractors at any time. We can access top software development talent to rapidly build the agile development team that will best serve your software and company goals.

Seamless Integration into Your Existing Processes

Our dedicated teams are prepared to integrate smoothly into your existing business processes. Using the agile principles, your team will quickly adapt to the needs of the project and the company to begin delivering whatever new changes, updates, and required features.

ParallelStaff’s Commitment to Agile Best Practices

At ParallelStaff, we fully embrace the agile principles and best practices. In fact, our teams are well-versed in agile methods and are ready to begin working together on rapid, efficient, and positively focused delivery, no matter what kind of team you build.

Managing IT-Dedicated Teams in an Agile Environment

One of the core principles of agile development is that business people and developers work together. This means that your agile team is ready to work directly with your project management, receiving feedback, and guidance, as well as providing self-motivated results. In order to have the best performance from your agile team, you have to become a proactive, agile manager.

Setting Clear Goals and Expectations

Set clear goals that your team can use as guideposts. You can set overarching goals that every update should strive to meet or adaptive, short-term goals based on feedback and more immediate need and your agile team will focus each update cycle to meet them.

Encouraging Open Communication and Feedback

Agile software development thrives on open communication. Provide encouragement when your team is going in the right direction and delivering great updates. Also, give feedback to help future updates meet changing needs or reach even greater heights of excellence and quality.

Continuous Improvement and Adaptation

Expect a cycle of continuous improvement and adaptation – and become a part of that cycle. Give your team the tools, information, and feedback they need to improve their work with every single update cycle.

Measuring Success: IT-Dedicated Teams and Agile Development Outcomes

How do you know if your agile dedicated software team is successful? Set performance indicators and evaluate their impact regularly. In fact, agile development welcomes success measuring because each update cycle is an opportunity to improve.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for Agile Teams

Key performance indicators, or KPIs can serve as guideposts for an agile team to aim for constant improvement. Even without oversight, an agile team can use KPIs to know if each update is better than the last. Your company’s management can also use KPIs to see the measurable success rate of your dedicated agile development team and their results.

Evaluating the Impact of IT-Dedicated Teams on Projects

Measure the progress of your project before and after assigning an IT-dedicated team. You can often measure the improvement with every iteration cycle. A well-balanced team of highly skilled individuals implementing the agile development principles typically provides measurable improvement every few weeks or months.

To measure the impact, consider the performance, KPIs, as well as user-experience changes since your dedicated team began their process.

ParallelStaff’s Track Record of Delivering Agile Success

ParallelStaff specializes in delivering agile-ready teams to businesses with custom software to build or improve. In fact, each of our agile dedicated teams is well-balanced for the task at hand, skilled in collaboration, and experts in their own software specializations. Our teams also work together efficiently, are internally motivated toward excellence, and are ready to integrate smoothly into your company’s existing processes.

ParallelStaff is the best agile software development option available. We have access to a vast development talent pool and teams ready to become dedicated to your project for as long as you need. Book a meeting with us today to consult on the unique needs of your business and software, and we’ll build you the perfect team.