Agile development has become the tech buzzword today as most software companies are adopting this methodology to provide quality solutions within the fastest turnaround time. The main reason for its popularity is that developers realize the importance of improving adaptability as well as reducing the time-to-market for delivering successful projects.
The methodology is becoming a part and parcel of Drupal Development too. However, agile development has a rule of thumb that should always be adhered too. While agility is one part of the picture, it is no substitute for quality. Speaking otherwise, developers should never compromise with the quality to deliver the project faster. Here are some tips that can help them to achieve the balance between quality and agility:
Seek Clarity on Business Metrics and Goals:- Clarity on business metrics and goals is essential to agile Drupal Website Development because proper planning ensures high quality along with timely completion. The QA efforts should be driven by these metrics and goals because the ultimate aim is to give solutions that match the client’s requirements to perfection.
Document The Application Architecture and Content Model Before Development:- Though the team need not create the code from day one, they should draft and document the application architecture as well as the content model before beginning with the development process. The models can be tweaked with the progression of the project to adjust with the changes in requirements and current project scenarios, but it is vital to have a road map right from the beginning.
Follow a Sprint-Based Approach Empowered By Well-Planned User Stories:- As you follow a sprint-based approach as a part of the agile methodology, make sure that you have a well-planned user story for the sprint. It should have acceptance criteria which the product owner has approved and this itself serves the purpose of testing the user story. It is also used by the Drupal 8 Development team for drafting and estimating the implementation.
Enforce Stringent Coding Standards in The Local Environment:- Another tip to ensure quality as a part of the agile methodology is to enforce stringent coding standards in the local environments. With such a practice, it is possible to detect the smallest of errors as well as to create consistency in the code. This translates into efficient debugging, faster code reviews and easy re-usability.
Code Review and Manual Testing are Essential Before Integration:- Code review and testing are absolutely required before integrating it with the main code base. The reviewer has to consider several parameters while reviewing isolated code branches; these include the established quality standard, scope and purpose, performance and security, documentation, and configuration management.
Automation Drives Successful Quality Control:- While manual testing and code reviews are important, it is automation that plays a vital role for maintaining the quality of Drupal solutions that are developed using agile methodology. Therefore, automation of code testing, integration, and deployment are an important aspect of the process.
Give Demo To Product Owner:- Sprint review formulates the core of the agile scrum methodology. This encompasses a demo for the product owner, which is to be given in the hosting environment which is same as the actual testing environment to be used by the owner. This is done to handle any environmental conflicts that are likely to influence the quality of the final product.
Let The Product Owners Inspect Individual User Stories:- Another quality practice for making agile Drupal Development project a success is to ask the product owner to inspect individual user stories instead of just approve one on the basis of a brief demo. They should be given adequate time to test the product increment delivered. The team should proceed with the next sprint only once they get a positive response for the previous user stories.
Ensure Performance and Security With Independent Audits:- The quality of a Drupal-based solution encompasses its performance and security. The developers should verify both of them by having them audited by independent experts. An independent audit ensures conformity with quality standards for the entire project.
Adhere To The Prescribed List That Defines Pre-launch and Launch Activities:- A well-defined checklist should be drafted in advance to cover all the pre-launch and launch activities of the project. The team should adhere to this list to ensure that none of the essential steps is overlooked and to minimize the scope of human error as well.
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