Agile Process

Process Solution

Challenge

The project must succeed

Companies looking to outsource software development are faced with the challenge of finding a provider who will understand their needs and execute on time with a high-quality solution. Once engaged, how does the company know that the project is on track and that important issues are being addressed?

Solution

Carbon Five offers many iterations with many levels of feedback

At Carbon Five we have adopted and mastered an Agile methodology that faces these challenges head on. We did not invent this way of working, and won't go into too much detail here. However, Kent Beck's Extreme Programming Explained is the first book we read when formalizing our development process in late 2000, and it is an excellent introduction to the approach.

The central feature of our process is short development cycles that feature a range of feedback mechanisms designed to improve the efficacy and reliability of subsequent iterations. How we work with our clients and implement their requirements evolves and improves during the course of the project.

We begin each iteration with an assessment of priorities with the client and an exercise to define the details of the highest-priority features. The iteration proceeds with implementation and testing of these defined priorities; results are discussed with the client each day. The iteration ends with a presentation of working features and a review of estimates against actual work completed. We use feedback from this presentation to set priorities, plan and estimate work when planning the next cycle.

When applied with discipline, this process ensures that our developers are focused on our clients' top priorities and have the information they need. It gives our clients valuable insight into project progress and the quality of the work completed; it also allows them to change project direction if new requirements emerge.

Value

Low-risk, high-value software

Our Agile Process reduces the risk of software development by focusing on client priorities and providing high visibility into project progress. It is a nimble, efficient process with low administrative overhead, which adapts well to different clients and projects.

The software this process produces not only addresses present business needs but is designed to accomodate future growth. Combined with our Bootstrapping services, it is also an effective way to train and transition to in-house developers.