You don’t need to be tech-savvy to understand how agile software development can benefit your business, but it’s important to understand why Agile has become a prevailing methodology in the software industry over the past 20 years and is now commonplace in non-tech project management as well.
Born in 2001 from the ‘Agile Manifesto’ put together by a handful of software developers looking to radically overhaul project management, Agile is now one of the most popular methodologies due to its flexible and evolutionary approach.
Before Agile, products would literally take years to reach the market. Firstly, problems would be identified and then solutions planned. Everyone on the team would then work in order to create the solution (in full) and then it would be introduced to the marketplace. This type of approach is known as Waterfall.
The main drawback with Waterfall is that those working on the project have to stick to its requirements and scope of work that were defined at the outset of the project; no changes can subsequently be made.
Again, you don’t have to be tech-savvy to see the problems with this approach: namely, it can take years to get the product to market, and by the time it does, the market will have moved on. In addition, in the intervening years, competitors could have emerged, with features that don’t appear in the original requirements; however, there is no mechanism for changes to be made along the way.
For customers, they would experience years passing before critical issues would get solved, but by then, other products would be offering new features. And so it would continue.
By comparison, Agile allows project managers to have greater control over their projects. It focuses on delivering quality and value as early as possible to the customer as well as completing the project within the given project constraints.
Key founding principles include satisfying customers through early and continuous delivery of valuable software; welcoming changing requirements at any point in the delivery cycle; delivering products frequently through shorter development timelines and using working products as the primary measure of progress.
These perfectly highlight how Agile takes a completely different approach to project management and focuses more on the experience of the end user.
Effectively, an Agile framework means that tech firms are more likely to deliver the type of intuitive user experience customers would expect due to a higher focus on user interface design and a stronger capability to ‘flex’ solutions based on feedback. If this is the case, then the technology you use shouldn’t require training for you to be able to use it.
Think about the online banking experience you had 10 years ago compared to today – this is the difference between legacy technology providers and those that take a more agile approach.
Mortgage Magic is just one of a number of firms that are using Agile approaches to deliver better products to customers – and the benefits set up apart from our competitors.
For example, with Intelligent Office, 360 Dotnet, XPlan from Iress or Mortgage Brain, as a mortgage broker you would have to input all of the data from a factfind yourself.
With Mortgage Magic, simply completing the easy E-ID process can automatically import data on the clients and even link to a credit check, making the whole process more intuitive, quicker and easier – leaving you more time to add value to your clients by advising them on their requirements.
It’s 2022 and Agile is over 20 years old. However, too many firms are still providing products which has been developed and updated using outmoded methodologies, meaning you, the customer, is provided with an experience which leaves a lot to be desired.
Instead of using time-consuming products which offer a substandard experience, why not give newer offerings a try?
You’ll likely be using something which has been developed using Agile methodologies to deliver customer value early and often, and so will feel the benefits sooner and see more regular product improvements as well.
Tanjir Sugar is a director at Mortgage Magic
