Over the past 20+ years there''s been a massive shift in the way software is developed. It used to be that you would write out a big long list of features and you would build out one at a time until the product was complete without any regard for changing circumstances or user feedback. This was called "waterfall".

Now, things are different. The best companies don''t use waterfall. The best companies use agile software development.

In agile software development, features aren''t dictated, they''re born out of collaboration. Agile software development relies on constant delivery of code across smart and independent teams. So why would a company choose a development shop over a shop that prioritizes waterfall?

1. Agile is flexible.

Software takes time to develop, and circumstances in the business world can change very quickly. Utilizing agile you can quickly change project scope and requirements to meet an ever changing environment.

Software projects can take quite a while to develop. With a waterfall approach a development shop will scope the requirements for a job and then disappear for weeks or even months. Then, when they deliver the product, you have to hope that all the requirements were well understood and executed on. With agile being broken up into "sprints", there''s ample oppertunity for clients to give ongoing feedback to make sure that goals and the final product are aligned to client vision.

There''s nothing worse for a user experience than to launch a buggy piece of software that frustrates your users. With an agile methodology, and it''s emphasis on testing, you can catch bugs early and often so that you don''t run into potential pitfalls around usability for your end users.

At Folio1 we pride ourselves on being a best in class agile development shop. If you''re looking for agile software development contact us today.