Agile Model is also one of the many types of Incremental Models, where software is developed in incremental rapid cycles. In this way, each small incremental release adds on to the previous functionality until complete software is developed. 

In this model, each functional release is thoroughly tested to make sure the quality of the software is maintained. This model is commonly applied for the time bound projects where the application needs to be developed in a very short amount of time. Extreme Programming is one of the most popular examples of Agile Software Development Lifecycle model. 

Advantages of Agile Model 

There are many advantages of using Agile Model of software development. Some of the main advantages are given below 

  • Customer satisfaction is achieved by continuous deliver of useful software 
  • Customers, developers and testers work together in an interactive environment, which means that more importance is given to people and interactions rather than on processes and tools 
  • Working software is delivered frequently within weeks rather than taking months 
  • In this model, face to face conversation is encouraged and is considered as the best form of communication 
  • Business people and developers cooperate together to ensure the success of the project
  • Great attention to detail is given for technical excellence and good design of the software 
  • Possible to regularly adapt to the changing requirements 
  • Even late changes in requirements is possible and does not affect the overall functionality of the application 

Disadvantages of Agile Model 

Even though there are many great advantages of using the Agile Model, there are a few disadvantages too. The common disadvantages of using Agile Model for software development are 

  • While delivering some software functions, especially the large ones, it is not easy to assess the amount of effort required to develop the function at the early stages of the software development lifecycle 
  • Less emphasis is given on necessary designing and documentation process
  • There is a great risk of the project going off track if the customer is not entirely clear about the requirements of the software or about what would the final product be
  • In this model, only senior programmers are actually capable of taking the kind of decisions required for the success of the project, hence it has no major roles for rookie programmers unless and until they are provided with experienced and skilled resources

When to use the Agile Model 

The Agile Model of software development is usually preferred in the following situations 

  • It is an ideal model for projects where new changes are constantly implemented; in this model, new changes can be easily implemented at a very little cost due to the frequency of the new increments that are produced 
  • In order to implement new changes or features, the developers have to roll back only a few days or even hours of their already done work, this encourages developers to easily add new features as required
  • In Agile Model of software development, a very limited planning is enough to get started with the development process; Agile Model assumes that the end customer’s needs are ever changing and are hence in a dynamic business; new changes can be discussed and features can be newly added or removed based on the feedback generated by the users, this in turn provides the customers with a system that they truly want or need 
  • Both software developers and stakeholders experience more freedom of time and options to improve and change the requirements in this model than in case if the software was being developed in any other rigid model, which in turn gives them the ability to take important decisions only when much accurate data is available, i.e. the project can always move forward without having a fear of reaching a sudden stop