Table of Contents
Introduction
In today’s fast-paced business environment, many companies have struggled to meet tight deadlines and changing customer requirements. These challenges are exacerbated by the limitations of traditional methods intended for a more structured set of activities – such as the waterfall or sequential models.
However, cloud computing has changed the way companies create products and services. This article will discuss how cloud solutions help companies implement agile methods, improving the product development process and new product introductions.
Benefits of Adopting Agile Methods
In a traditional project management process, product development follows a linear path from initiation to delivery, with an established set of activities executed in a specific order. The basic concept behind agile is that product requirements can change rapidly, which may influence workflows and timelines.
For example, a company has a software application that allows customers to manage their product registrations. However, suppose the company receives requests from customers asking for a new function or feature, such as allowing customers to register products without requiring login credentials. In that case, this change should be incorporated into the existing workflows and timelines rather than forcing companies to restart the process again. Agile methods are designed to allow companies to meet the minimum viable product (MVP) – a core feature set that can be implemented quickly.
Complex products benefit from agile methods by allowing companies to work together using techniques such as scrum and kanban, which brings development teams together at regular intervals. Cloud service providers provide a platform for collaboration by enabling users to access the same information, regardless of their geographic location. This sharing of data also enables developers to have real-time visibility into each team’s activities and progress.
As a result, fewer errors are made, and requirements can be implemented on time while allowing enough testing time. In addition, scrum teams can communicate more easily, reducing the risk of miscommunication that can lead to costly delays later in the process.
In one study, Sarah Li and Raymond Cheung from Brigham Young University found that companies using agile methods had a 50% reduction in overall development time and a 20-30% more predictable project delivery date. In addition, studies have shown that companies using agile methods are twice as likely to have real-time visibility into the status of their processes and data.
Cloud Enables Agile Methods
The cloud has played a major role in implementing agile methods by enabling companies to work together and share data. The cloud solutions provide many opportunities for companies to use the latest technology trends and create innovative products and services. Cloud-based solutions enhance collaboration within teams and provide greater transparency into product development processes.
Cloud services help companies implement agile methods by removing barriers between teams, providing access to the latest technology trends, and helping companies automate business processes.
Most importantly, cloud service providers guarantee their services for 99.9% uptime – a level of reliability that’s becoming table stakes in most business technology deployments.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Cloud enables agile methods by enabling cross-functional teams to work together easily across different geographic locations. Suppose a company is looking to implement an agile process or is considering moving its processes to the cloud. In that case, the cloud computing industry association recommends that companies start with a pilot project to understand how to use cloud services and ensure that data is secure.
Triumph Over Security Concerns
Although cloud services provide many advantages, some organizations are hesitant about moving data or applications outside their secure network. While it is important to make sure that the cloud service providers adhere to security standards, studies show that security concerns outweigh what end-users perceive as risks associated with cloud services.
Many companies are also concerned about the lack of local control when it comes to data storage. Cloud service providers are responsible for providing high availability services, but end users do not have access to the underlying infrastructure that supports cloud services. Instead, they depend on the cloud service providers’ ability to ensure that data is secure and available.
Even with these concerns, research shows that cloud services allow companies to benefit from new technology trends and create innovative products more quickly without requiring major infrastructure investments.
Conclusion
By providing the necessary technology to implement agile processes, cloud services provide many benefits for organizations. Cloud services can help companies enhance collaboration, improve transparency, and automate business processes. They remove barriers between teams and provide access to new technology trends. In addition, cloud services have been shown to reduce development time and costs while still producing high-quality products that meet changing customer needs.
However, some organizations may be hesitant to move data or applications outside their network and do not have complete control over the infrastructure that supports cloud services. Despite these concerns, many companies realize that cloud services allow them to benefit from new technology trends and create innovative products in a more cost-effective way than traditional methods.
Read also: Adoption of Cloud Technology: What is the Best Way?