Agile vs Waterfall: What's Best for Your Projects? | Techsaga Corporations

 

This article will help you to explore the benefits and drawbacks of two prominent software development methodologies i.e Waterfall and Agile.

We will be emphasizing on suitable use of one technology over another, or you may combine practices of both-for your product initiative.

You need to navigate the best development methodolgy before undertaking any project, and which approach can be used in the project as a team. 

Techsaga, Agile Transformations Company in Noida, helps you accelerate your agile evolution in rapid digitization with the latest digital technologies, as Techsaga has well adapted to the new digital realities of the business world. This involves assessing your current maturity levels, identifying key short- and long-term opportunities in Agile, optimizing Agile adoption, planning the integration of Agile with other software delivery initiatives, and recommending the right tools and solutions to accelerate your Agile efforts. 

Making decisions about development methodology is important and you need to ensure that major project development approaches are right for your initiative.

In simple terms, Agile or Waterfall methodologies help you to manage actual tasks of a project that must be organized and acted on.The world leaders in the industry have argued that Waterfall is dead, however, most of the organizations are still using traditional methodology in their process and still being widely used today.

Each software development project poses its own unique challenges and according to requirements, organizations need to decide which development methodology is the best and can be best suited for your product’s development. Appropriate tools, technologies and processes that can result in successful product delivery.

The Waterfall Development Methodology

Waterfall development methodology is a traditional software development approach and follows a prescribed set of parameters and dependencies. 

Generally more suited to less complex projects or projects with pre-defined requirements, processes and roles for team members. The key characteristic is that each step in the software development process must be approved by the project stakeholders before the team is allowed to move to the next step, hence the term ‘waterfall’ is used.

The Waterfall development process follows these key elements:

• Gather all requirements up front

• Design

• Development

• Testing

• Deployment/Delivery

End result or final outcome is a large product.

The Agile Development Methodology

The Agile development methodology is an iterative approach, where project requirements evolve with the time, and requirements and solutions fall in place with the time. Agile approach relies on cross-functional teams which finds best solutions using an iterative process, contrary to traditional Waterfall method. Here in Agile development, being a collaborative approach it defines the roles and responsibilities and plans the entire project before any development work begins.

The Agile development process involves following steps:

• Establish a few initial requirements

• Design

• Develop

• Test

• Deploy

• Evaluate the outcome or results 

• Feedback

• Establish new requirements based on feedback & modify the plan until you achieve the final desired product

Choosing Waterfall or Agile for Your Project:

We should list the factors involved while considering the methodology and help you decide which is more suitable for your project.

Requirements and Regulations: 

Agile: Initial product requirements need to be discussed and strict regulatory requirements.

Waterfall: If your project has strict regulatory requirements, then choose a Waterfall software development methodology.

Few Initial Product & Regulatory Requirements: 

Agile: If your project development has few initial requirements and doesn't need to meet strict regulations, an Agile development methodology is better and will result in project creativity and decreased time to market.

Existing Organizational Processes

Strict Processes in Place

Waterfall: Strict organizational processes that they have to adhere to, trying to introduce Agile processes cross-functionally could be challenging, and so the Waterfall methodology will be more suitable.

Lenient Processes in Place: 

Agile :If your organization doesn’t have strict rules for employees to follow operational processes and have freedom to work flexibly, then Agile offers enough benefits to introduce the methodology.

Waterfall: If the product owner doesn’t want a hands-on approach, then a Waterfall approach provides an environment to get involved only during milestone project check-ins, because requirements and project expectations are defined in detail from the early stage.

High Product Owner Involvement: 

Agile: Agile development methodology allows for the product owner to be deeply involved with the hands-on approach. Clearly specifying the product requirements, and the product owner ultimately makes all decisions on the scope and the functionality of the product.

Using Agile in Regulated Environments

One important aspect of Agile development methodology is that product owners can reap the benefits even if the project is handled with strict regulations or guidelines.

Agile can still be used for projects which are highly regulated, and this software development methodology can be deployed with some modifications that will need to be made and documentation can be re-aligned in accordance with the new changes made to the product. 

As a company that specializes in Agile software development, our teams at Techsaga are constantly executing projects to meet an array of regulatory requirements and security standards. Techsaga deploys an Agile development methodology to meet the unique prepositions and specific requirements of the projects. 

At the end of the day, you need to evaluate the workflow, organizational processes, structure of your collaborating teams, and also need to ensure that given project timelines can be met with Waterfall, Agile, or a hybrid model in an assigned budget.

Make Decision Before you Start:

Best way to get forward is considering your key project goals and determine the variables, dependencies and activities related to your project.

Analyze the success factors and identify the metrics that are critically reviewed by each approach which can work best for you.

Techsaga, a leading IT company in Noida, believes that partners take leverage of our expertise with the technology, training, and development resources. Unmatched customer experiences, unparalleled satisfaction and a broad portfolio of capabilities will undoubtedly take your business to the next level.

Source URL:- https://techsaga.medium.com/agile-vs-waterfall-whats-best-for-your-projects-techsaga-corporations-e410b7ffc3b7 

Why a Business Plan Consultant is important for any Business | Techsaga Corproations

 When starting a new venture,  a proper business plan needs to be laid out to follow. A business plan is a step-by-step process, beginning from scrape to company formation until it’s working and the changes that are needed to be inculcated for the betterment of the company, and the one behind all this who keeps it all updated accurately is a business plan consultant. 

What is a Business Plan Consultant?

Business plan consultant has a very crucial role, as they help you to reach out to the angel investors, organize fundraising events, and pave your path to a bigger and prominent platform. Hiring a business consultant is not only an addition to the company cost, but the truth is far from this. A business consultant proves to be an important pillar of strength to the company and turns out to be an imperative core of the company.

Techsaga Corporations, a Digital marketing company in Noida been in this market for years, it understands the needs and requirements of business plans and diligent company employees. And accordingly, provides the best business consultants among all.

What are the actions performed by a Business Plan Consultant?

• Making of an Executive summary

• Preparation of a Business model

• Drawing subsequent Marketing Strategies

• Competitive analysis of business strategies in comparison to other competitors of the market

• Setting up technology and business plans as per the requirement 

• Highlighting the operations and management plan

• Making the framework model of the Revenue plan

• Developing financial projections 

Roles and Duties Performed by a Business Plan Consultant for your Company 

• A business plan consultant needs to present the details regarding the organization’s budget and profits at the beginning and end of the financial year. 

• A business plan consultant needs to sketch the business plan periodically and mention the goal that needs to be worked upon in the future for any growing industry. 

• A business plan consultant locates and brings new opportunities for funding for the growth of the business and you must have a business plan ready beforehand whenever you come across any fundraiser. 

Nowadays, change is the only constant thing to stay afloat in the market.  To bring and incorporate new technology, business consultant plays a crucial role in exploring the particular area. 

In today’s competitive and global market, you must have a concrete plan to launch the product, before you launch a product, so as not to be lost in the maze of the market. 

If there is an allowance for change or a new entry in the management system, it would be easier to make them understand the company workings and future implements if there will be a business plan already prepared. 

Techsaga Corporations, an Agile transformation Company beholds the aim to achieve client satisfaction, substantial business opportunities, and effective planning and strategy execution to attain the ultimate objective of accomplishment. 

Why does your Company Require a Business Plan?

• A company must focus on its objectives and goals to be achieved in the future. It is not a choice to define its mission and vision. A business consultant not only helps the company to start but also walks hand in hand to find the areas of improvement at every level and touch upon all the pressing issues.

• Market projections can only help you to minimize the risks with the high-fluctuating market. One cannot completely rely on their guesses and assumptions, where the stakes are high. This will improve the risk management of the firm as well.  

• Business plan consultant also keeps close track of, whether the company is meeting the demands or not. Your business plan will be showcasing the new ideas that need to be pitched to boost the growth of the company. If not in demand. 

• Investors are always looking for innovative business ideas and methods for investment purposes. If you have an out-of-the-box notion, something which is exclusive and different from the conventional ideas. You need a compelling business plan sketched out even in that case to attract investors. 

Techsaga Corporations, the Digital marketing experts company in Noida, provides the holistic benefits of content strategy and helps you to strategize your business plan specifically.  

Robotics and Smart Automation: Poised to Bring More Sustainable Manufacturing Production | Techsaga Corporations

 

Due to the drastic pandemic outbreak, many industries have rapidly adopted emerging technologies like Intelligent Automation in order to perform hassle-free front and back-office tasks. 

The cement and mining industry is not exceptional and despite ‘mining automation’ having gained momentum over the last few years, the core processes still require manual extraction or handling of materials in the industry. So, deploying automated systems will be better for re-engineering processes and sustainable productivity.

In the cement and mining industry, digital transformation always refers to initiatives brought through a technological revolution that reduces time spent, lowers production costs, and enhances efficiency at the production stage. 

Meeting regulatory requirements and maximizing yield is what digital transformation is. In fact, top management along with the digital intelligent dashboards can look into insights into the state of the business.

The digital revolution can bring transformation in the supply chain to give every player a sharp eye on logistics networks. Financial managers can leverage digital automation such as artificial intelligence, machine learning, and robotic process automation to divide resources more efficiently. Whatever the application, the role of automation is expanding and is becoming commonly accepted in the industry. 

Role Playing: Robotics and Automation

The cement production industry is one of the most fundamental industries from an economical point of view and has the greatest contribution without a doubt.

The cement industry is a great power consumer and one of the essential products used in everyday life, and mankind in general. But it poses physical risks to workers involved in the manual extraction and thus automation plays a vital role here to reduce physical risks.

In this digital age, the digital transformation process involves sensing and computing technology, to create a safer and risk free environment in the company.

Mining automation covers a broad spectrum of activities that help create a risk-free work environment and operations. Automation is proving to be a game-changer for the cement and mining industry through equipment software or communication technology. With a diligent focus on sustainable productivity, risk-free solutions delivered by automation can actively enable industry players to strengthen their market share in an ever-changing world economy.

.

Impact of Automation:

Digital transformation journey followed by implementing Intelligent Automation Anywhere to any simpler or complex tasks and eliminating repetitive tasks that ultimately save time. 

Techsaga,IT Company for Manufacturing Industry, based in Noida has leveraged its partnership with automation anywhere to automate more complex processes in this industry such as cash applications, payrolls, automatic payment processing, and invoice processing. Software Bots perform work equivalent to but more precisely and faster has made this journey more progressive.

The Digital Mining Revolution

There are plenty of core processes within the mining industry which need to be automated, making digital software an attractive prospect.

Digital transformation initiatives reduce the time and cost spent on production and operations while simultaneously increasing production efficiency, maximizing yield, and meeting regulatory requirements.

Such a transformation may require renovating and modernizing existing mining plants structure and re-engineering of equipment as installations needed to create a cohesive and profitable operation.

Understanding: Intelligent Automation

Intelligent automation involves the integration of complex algorithms of robotics with components from different emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence, blockchain, and the Internet of Things (IoT).

These software tools function as virtual employees to carry out manual redundant tasks. By combining technology like robotics, intelligence, and autonomous systems, the mining industry is able to broaden the scope of processes that can be automated, transforming the whole spectrum of emerging technologies.

Intelligent Automation Improves Efficiency

There are many opportunities where automation works seamlessly such as automated equipment, software, or communications, for example, to create a safer, more efficient, and streamlined workplace.

Robotics technology implements natural language processing capabilities, data analytics, cognitive capabilities, and process automation, allowing data to be processed at multiple applications, for example, by receiving emails containing an invoice, extracting that data, and maintaining a bookkeeping system.

In such instances, Intelligent automation helps to reduce costs and streamline the process, thus improving accuracy, consistency, and maximizing productivity. Automation always contributes to enhancing security where sensitive data and financial services need to be secured and need to be kept confidential.

Data Analytics in Mining Operations

Mining operations are less productive due to declining ore grades and labor shortage, and data analytics meets the industry's needs to increase productivity and efficiency to remain profitable in the long run.

Implementing a digital transformation program plays an important role in extracting, uploading, validating, or formatting data, and performing calculations at faster speed and meticulously accurate as compared to human operators.

RPA tools can do estimation and can validate the size of ore reserves underground, aid production reporting and reconciliation, and maintenance planning on-site.

Intelligent dashboards bring deeper insight into operational performance, and where improvements might need to be made to optimize the end output of the process. 

Intelligent Automation: Enhancing Safety in the Mining Sector

The mining industry poses many physical and health related risks to personnels involved in extraction; automation can overcome and eliminate these risks through sensing and computer technology, for example, to create a safer environment.

Automated systems equipped with advanced processes strongly reduce the chances of workers being exposed to dangerous tasks and materials in cement and mining industry environments. Sensors can perform real-time processing in a remote guidance system for longwall mining and help position the equipment in three dimensions.

Such automated technology revolutionizes the industry to dig deeper into mines and reach more remote locations to access the depleting resources and prevent hazardous situations.

Furthermore, automated robotic systems allow operators to run the equipment off-site from anywhere in the world with the advent of the internet while additionally boosting the overall efficiency of the operation.

Automated equipment like electrified and autonomous drill rigs, scoops, and trucks contribute significantly to improving conditions for ground-based workers. Automated machines also transport ore from the mine to the surface, while haulage trucks can continue the journey towards smashing, milling, and refining without requiring human intervention.

Techsaga, an Automation software development organization, offers the opportunity to optimize tasks and helps to improve efficiency by overcoming shortcomings and barriers while providing solutions and implementation according to the requirements of individual companies and their mines.

How Artificial Intelligence will Transform Software Development | Techsaga Corporations

 

Artificial Intelligence is modifying the developer’s work by improving their quality, productivity & speed. From project planning to user experience everything is getting benefits from AI algorithms.

AI will be going to improve software development in the future because it is already serving human developers at each step of development.

Expanding knowledge: There is an estimation that in near future Artificial Intelligence market will see a growth rate of 18%. This means the demand for skilled software developers who are more strategic and creative will rise because later they’ll be considered as an asset to the company.

This could change the way how different varieties of software are bought and sold. The developer doesn’t need to spend a whopping amount of money on its newly released software. Companies are looking forward to opting for AI-based assistants that deliver better products quickly with high customization. 

Broader View: As a software developer, shift your focus from perfection on a single platform to multiple platforms that are not so easy to automate. This way will allow you to adjust to this new paradigm. The way AI is evolving day by day we can expect to see an enormous modification in software development.

Techsaga Corporations, an agile transformation company includes automation and development for enormous modification in the working strategy of each business. 

As automation is transforming, organizations are persuading towards AI technologies. But before implementing AI strategies companies must examine its functions.

Reshaping the role of software developers:

Technology can’t replace software developers but their roles & responsibilities started evolving & after a decade if we compare it to them from today we will surely see several changes. That means the developers who will upgrade themselves as per new technology will work effectively with AI in the future because the demand for high-skilled developers will be steep to execute different activities.

 Code quality optimization:

Through AI, developers gain new knowledge that encourages them to develop new code. AI-enabled coding apps are installed in software development to maintain the speed & accuracy of coding. So the value which the developer wants to give it to their company will maximize because they’ll spend most of their vital time in designing, problem- solving & other creative works.

DevOps Automation:

AI acts as a savior if the developer gets failed to finish the process perfectly during the upgrade. Plus it also allows the algorithm of machine learning to inspect the process of deployment.

The algorithm of ML allows the software to know how the user can act which helps to modify and adjust their on-page elements to persuade their user to take any action. A combination of improved functionality & user feedback helps in increasing conversion rate and bringing down cart abandonment.

Code Security:

Throughout the development, software security is one of the vital features that must get considered. AI helps companies to study data and they can detect anomalous behavior by machine learning. Moreover, to avoid delayed warnings companies incorporated AI into their development process. 

So, without wasting their time in reviewing files filled with mistakes, developers use AI tools to detect them & fix them in a minuscule amount of time.

 Automated Software Testing:

Software testing is a time-consuming process to measure the quality assessment. 

Prior, companies hired a QA team that prepared the checklist of features to include in their software project. So, whenever there was any new update in software, the QA would manually go through and execute these checklists but through AI not only does it get accurate testing but also addressed bugs quickly.

Software Design:

Designers have to face various constraints in finalizing the best plan for each step because it requires requisite knowledge & experience.

But AI also solves this problem by operating difficult tasks by itself. Through AI designer assistants they can design their projects after knowing their client’s preferences.

Different Benefits of AI in software Development

All the transformation and advancement that has been seen in the business nowadays, is due to software development. Prominent companies from manufacturing to retail are affected by Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning.

Artificial Intelligence bounded the traditional software development into the modern transformation that contains various benefits for the future. So, let’s delve into details to know the advantages or benefits of AI in software development.

 Strategic Decision Making:

Sometimes it becomes hectic for developers to go through different features of products and decide which part to include and which one to eliminate. Such artificial intelligence platforms can be trained by companies after considering experiences from past project errors.

Fast Prototype:

To convert business needs into a technical solution requires a lot of time. But Machine learning shortens this process, which helps companies to deliver their products in a minuscule amount of time & earn revenue within a short period.

 Code Refactoring:

A simple code is vital for team cooperation. As companies transform themselves to the latest technology, large-scale restructuring will become inevitable.

Intelligent Assisstant:

To review documentation & troubleshoot code, developers spend a huge time & effort on it. But Intelligent Assistant saves time by providing valuable guidance & recommendation.

Accurate Estimate:

Intensive context awareness and high-level expertise are required for reliable estimation. But even after deciding an amount for any software development, there are chances that in the end, it’ll land you costly. Machine learning makes data training easier from previous projects that include feature descriptions, user stories, etc. 

 Spam Detection:

It means detecting the spam and filtering it out. Earlier this is one of the major problems but after the implementation of AI, this problem was also solved. To find spam emails, spam filters are using neural networks. Across the huge network of systems, neural networks can easily detect junk mails.

All the functions & benefits of Artificial Intelligence that are mentioned above will provide a top value to every business.

And this technology will not be going to eradicate the demand of developers instead it will encourage developers to broaden their knowledge and creativity that will help them to face future hurdles.

Earlier, If there was an error in software, the developer need to go through it thoroughly which is time-consuming but AI and ML help the developer to solve this problem in a short span.

By using Machine Learning, Artificial intelligence gather and analyze the content. Plus it leads to better decision-making by providing the right insight.

Coding apps like Tara and kite are AI-enabled that help to improve accuracy and speed during the process of coding.

By doing accurate testing, Artificial Intelligence can fix errors & bugs even before a product is released.

Test bot, visual testing is the variety of ways to do testing by AI to enhance software development.

So, every organization that can afford AI needs to understand its benefits and how they can use it effectively to cope with future obstacles.

How to Improve Operational Efficiency: A Start-to-Finish Guide for 2021 | Techsaga Corporations

 

In a professional services game, real indicators in an operational efficiency are intelligent resource allocation, utilization rates and other myriad of factors.

At the same time, giant and small businesses want to reduce their costs. in response to the global economic crisis, but only 50% of executives are able to help their companies in achieving it. 

Even after trimming costs, research demonstrates that approaching operational efficiency in order to cost-cut the programs and aim to achieve their goals, less than a fifth are able to achieve consistency rewards over the following three years. So what is operational efficiency and how an optimal operational strategy can be achieved within an organization?

Improving operations is a result of combined efforts by staff to optimize business processes, financial, staff management and technology. 

No universal remedy is present and one needs a scalable business model to turn the financial viability of projects to embrace change at all levels. 

What is Operational Efficiency? 

Operational efficiency broadly refers to delivering quality services with fewer resources by organization to achieve optimum results. It is also defined as an organization that can produce from a given amount of input in order to achieve efficiency in operations. 

Two variables are considered as quality of an entity’s operations and its operating expenses.

High levels of operating efficiency for an organization means, generating greater profit per project with the same resources. This way, operationally efficient businesses can operate in new markets while still being profitable utilizing the same resources.

Operational efficiency also involves cost management, and both internally and externally involves the organization's process for how they work. By understanding this strategy, areas can be rectified and discrepancies or inefficiencies existing can be improved or eliminated. A win-win scenario is created i.e optimal output and an exemplary product for the customer as a final result.

Increasing operational efficiency requires consistent effort and compels organizations to strive to improve operational performance and understand the correlation between productivity, sales, and customer satisfaction.

Operational efficiency can be accomplished through an increase in operational productivity and by following industry best practices. 

To remain competitive, small and medium size businesses must quickly identify redundant or underperforming workflow and avoid bottlenecks in the processes to accomplish objectives without affecting profit margins.

Managers can take a course of action and can adopt few straightforward strategies to identify organizational inefficiencies and address them before harming the bottom line.

1. Recognize Fundamental Purpose of Operations

It is critical to understand all aspects of services to achieve optimal operational efficiency. Review those aspects and identify business processes that can be labor-intensive, costly and time-consuming, and gain insight into the minor details that occur daily. Identify the improving areas or points to increase efficiency. 

You can seek professional help from experts like Techsaga to learn from Lean methodology consultants who can help assess current operations and suggest ways to improve them. 

In order to maintain organizational efficiency, it is necessary to equip employees with the necessary tools and train them with the best practices in the industry. To ensure success, employees should undergo regular training in order to educate themselves for various processes and technologies they need to utilize,whether they work in an entry-level position or the corporate sector. 

Organizing mentoring programs or training for old and new employees is an excellent way to improve operational efficiency. Also, documents related to these training should be accessible to everyone in the company as another way to ensure that everyone in the company is on the same page.

2. Establish Objectives

Organizations need to establish a productivity goal, and staff can work tangibly, following and analyzing current efficiency metrics, such as cost per piece, parts accepted per cycle, failure rates, average downtime performance. Rather than setting a productivity goal, organizations can set benchmarks to achieve desired goals and employees can also adjust and work with a realistic timeline.

3. Actively Facilitate Collaboration and Cooperation

Smart and secure collaboration is required to access information  between departments within an organization. It helps to remove bottlenecks that result in inefficiency and increased costs. Cultivating a communicative culture to increase collaboration  between teams, your entire organization will operate more effectively, will certainly increase productivity.

CRM is one of the efficient technological tools that can help in networking and enhanced cooperation in the workplace. Employees can utilize a customer relationship management system (CRM) to communicate with customers and address promptly to consumer needs. 

4. Automate As Many Procedures As Possible

One of the effective means to enhance operational performance. Adopting automation in your workplace and identifying opportunities to improve operational efficiency can be assisted with automated customer service chatbots, email responders, and data integration.

Automating routine tasks within an organization is a very effective way to deal with a majority of administrative tasks, such as invoice generation for a client, quote generation, and project management. Identifying the most time-consuming processes of employee's to make that process automated. So, employees will have more time to devote to other aspects of the business. 

5. Enhance Company Culture

Each workplace has its own uniqueness and depends on core values. For example, a collaborative work environment fosters employee trust that can increase employee productivity in turn.

In the positive workplace or work culture, professionals perform well in their profession to succeed with a sense of teamwork and belonging to the company. So, foster a reward system for such employees,who have reached or maintained a good level of efficiency and productivity for a certain period.

6. Outsource Information Management Activities

Hiring an in-house IT professional requires substantial investment

in terms of hardware, software, and administrative time. Finally, any failure in results leads to inefficiency, reducing your business’s productivity and success. All of these issues can be resolved by cost-effective outsourcing IT services through a managed service provider, if you’re looking for reliable IT support. 

Hiring a third-party for IT services also helps employees to focus on more sustainable objectives.Network disruptions and system failures are not there.

7. Prioritize Customer Retention

Customer acquisition is more tedious than customer retention and also observed to be five times costly. Customer retention can be accomplished by soliciting feedback, offering rewards, engaging existing customers, and onboarding and attracting new customers. This automatically improves operational efficiency since the objective of employees is only to focus on retaining existing customers rather than chasing new ones, which consumes their time and growth.

8. Retain Employees For The Long Term

Starting from the process of hiring, training to on-boarding an employee, a company spends a significant investment of time, money, and effort . Frequently replacing employees always results in disrupted workflows, further projects may be hampered if key personnel quit in the middle of the process. 

In this scenario, remaining employees get burned out if the majority of the workload is passed on to them, leading to dissatisfaction and failure in project deliveries on time.

To boost employee satisfaction and retention, make sure every employee’s hard work is recognized and rewarded in the organization. 

Techsaga Corporations, a Operational efficiency management company in Noida and Operational automation strategy makers, is a leading business services provider, leveraging our extensive domain knowledge and future-ready digital platforms to drive client productivity through outsourced solutions.