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The Software Planning and Development pillar of the Released Method is structured around a cyclical lifecycle model that incorporates agile principles, focusing on iterative development and continuous improvement. This model is executed through a series of sprints, each delivering valuable, functional software that aligns with customer needs and adapts to changing requirements.
Adhering to the principles of the Agile Manifesto, the Released Method prioritizes customer satisfaction, embraces changing requirements, and emphasizes collaboration between business stakeholders and developers. The process is designed to maintain a sustainable pace, ensuring long-term project viability and technical excellence.
Sprints within the Released Method are time-boxed periods that typically range from one to four weeks. The focus is on delivering a working increment of the software at the end of each sprint, aligning with the agile principle of frequent delivery.
The four phases of the lifecycle - Envision, Prototype, Architect, and Validate - encompass a range of activities:
- Brainstorm: Encourages creative thinking and idea generation without constraints.
- Hypothesis: Formulates potential solutions or approaches to the identified problems or needs.
- Wild Ideas: Promotes out-of-the-box thinking to explore innovative solutions.
The output of this phase includes a set of GitHub issues, categorized into functional requirements, non-functional requirements, and priorities.
- Build: Develops initial prototypes to test the viability of the ideas.
- Verify: Tests and validates these prototypes against predefined criteria.
- Fail Fast: Emphasizes quick learning from unsuccessful ideas to refine the development process.
Customer engagement during this phase is critical for feedback and ensuring the prototypes align with their expectations and needs.
- Develop: Transforms prototypes into fully functional features, incorporating necessary elements for a robust, secure, and reliable product.
- Document: Ensures comprehensive documentation for each feature, aiding in clarity and future development.
- Refine: Involves fine-tuning features for optimal performance and quality.
- Validate: Rigorously tests each component to ensure it meets the agreed specifications and client requirements.
- Optimize: Focuses on enhancing code efficiency, performance, and scalability.
- Enhance: Incorporates feedback to improve and add value to the product.
In the Released Method, each sprint is meticulously planned to include aspects from all four phases. This comprehensive approach ensures that every sprint contributes to the project's overall goals while remaining adaptable to evolving customer needs and market dynamics.
The sprints are structured to encourage a balanced workload, foster team collaboration, and promote a culture of continuous learning and improvement. Regular reviews and retrospectives are integral, allowing the team to reflect on their progress, adapt their approach, and enhance their effectiveness.
In summary, the Software Planning and Development pillar of the Released Method integrates agile principles into a robust, iterative process. This approach fosters flexibility, encourages innovation, and ensures a consistent focus on delivering high-quality software that meets and evolves with customer needs.