How Agile Enhances Customer Satisfaction and Enhancement?

Software development teams looking for a structured, focused Agile methodology that can be scaled across the product organization and produce clear results may find FDD to be a good choice.

Feature-Driven Development (FDD)

Customer-centric, iterative, and incremental, Feature-Driven Development (FDD) is an Agile software development method that aims to deliver tangible software results frequently and effectively. Status reporting is encouraged at all levels of FDD in Agile, which aids in monitoring progress and outcomes.

FDD lets teams update the project frequently and quickly find errors. Additionally, clients can receive substantial results and information at any time. Because it helps reduce two known morale-killers in the development industry, FDD is a preferred method among development teams: confusion and workarounds

Feature-Driven Development Stages

As with all Agile methodologies, gathering data is the first step in FDD. This includes getting a clear understanding of the project's content and context, as well as a shared understanding of the target audience's requirements. Teams should try to learn as much as they can about the why, what, and who of the project they are about to start during this time (the next few steps will help clarify the how). This data collection can be considered stage zero, but it cannot be skipped. This is the research and thesis development step, so it can be compared to writing a research paper.

The first named stage of FDD can begin once teams have a clear understanding of their goals, target audience, and current (and possibly future) needs: Creating a Comprehensive Model.

Develop an Overall Model

Create a comprehensive model in keeping with the research paper analogy, the outline is drafted at this stage. The team will develop detailed domain models using the "thesis," also known as the primary goal, as a guide. These models will be combined into a single overall model that serves as a rough outline of the system. Details will be added as it develops and the team learns.

Create a List of Features

Using the information gathered in the first step, create feature’s list that are needed. Keep in mind that a client-valued output is a feature. Create a list of features that can be done within 14 days. Keep in mind that these features shouldn't be tasks but rather purposes or smaller goals.

Enter a Feature-based Plan

Plan tasks that team members can complete that are related to the complexity of each feature. All team members ought to participate in the evaluation of features during the planning phase, considering the perspective of each development stage. The order in which each feature will be implemented and the team members who will be assigned to each feature set can then be determined using the assessment of complexity.

Additionally, class owners—individual developers assigned to classes—should be identified at this stage. Since a specific developer is in charge of each class of the developing feature, that developer is also in charge of the class's conceptual principles. If changes are needed to multiple classes, the owners of those classes must work together to put them into action.

Additionally, feature teams and class owners are both essential to FDD. Different points of view are encouraged and roles are clearly defined in feature teams. This guarantees that diverse ideas and perspectives are taken into account when designing.

Design by Feature

The feature that will be designed and built will be chosen by a chief programmer. In addition, while defining the feature priorities, he or she will select the involved class owners and feature teams. Technical design might be the focus of some of the group, while framework might be the focus of others. Before proceeding, the entire team has completed a design review by the end of the design stage.

Build by Feature

This step puts all the things that need to be done to help the design into action. A feature prototype and user interfaces, as well as components described in the technical design, are constructed here. After the unit has been tested, looked at, and approved, the finished feature can be added to the main build. Each feature that exceeds two weeks to design and construct is further subdivided into features until it satisfies the two-week rule.

Advantages of FDD

• Use of documentation for communication by avoiding multiple meetings.

• Gives better understanding about project’s scope and context.

• It follows modularization approach by delivering work module wise in iterative releases.

• It is a scalable approach which works well with long-term large-scale projects.

• It uses user centric approach where the client is considered as the end user.

Disadvantages of FDD

• Lacks in providing written documentation to the client even if the project development team makes use of a lot documentation.

• It is not ideal for smaller projects.

• Lacks in shared team ownership of features as it emphasizes individual code ownership.

Conclusion

In conclusion, feature-driven development is a practical Agile strategy that works well for projects that last a long time and are complex. It's a good option for development teams looking for a scalable, structured, and simple Agile method that produces predictable results.