What is the life cycle of an agile software development project? Agile software development follows a structured set of stages to create working software. The phases include concept, iteration, release, maintenance, and retirement. The life cycle of a specific project depends on the specific methodology used for managing the project. For example, Scrum teams work in short iterations during which time they must define their roles and deliver working software. Kanban teams work in continuous flow, whereas Extreme Programming teams tend to focus on engineering practices.
Release planning is a vital phase in the Agile life cycle. This phase begins by meeting with the sponsor and the product owner, and building a backlog at the story level. Each story should include the type of user it is targeting, what they expect from it, and why. Next, the team must develop an initial release plan, estimate risks, and develop milestones. The backlog must also contain dependencies that need to be addressed.
The concept phase involves gathering information about the requirements and key features of the product. The team also discusses the sequence for introducing different functions, determining necessary tools, and prototyping the desired user interface. The team then develops the product. During this phase, stakeholders and users can provide feedback on the product. This process repeats until the software product is finished and reaches maintenance or ends of life.
