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The Importance of Delivering Working Software Every Iteration

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6 minute read

In the ever-evolving world of Agile, the ability to deliver working software to real users every iteration, including the very first one, is crucial. If your team isn’t doing that, you may not be as Agile as you think. The heart of Agile lies in closing feedback loops and fostering tight interactions with customers. In this blog post, we’ll dive into why delivering working software early and often is essential for true agility, how it impacts your product’s success, and practical advice to help your team excel in this area.

Why Delivering Working Software Matters

Closing Feedback Loops

One of the core principles of Agile is to close feedback loops as quickly as possible. Every piece of work your team does before getting the product in front of the customer is based on assumptions. These assumptions need to be validated, and the best way to do that is by delivering working software to real users early and often.

Validating Assumptions

Until your product is in the hands of actual users, everything you’ve built is just a hypothesis. The sooner you can validate these hypotheses, the better.

Maximizing Value for Stakeholders

Agile isn’t just about delivering software quickly; it’s about delivering value. By focusing on delivering working software every iteration, you’re ensuring that:

Practical Steps to Deliver Working Software Every Iteration

Now that we’ve established the importance of delivering working software, let’s explore some practical steps you can take to make this a reality for your team.

1. Start with a Minimal Viable Product (MVP)

One of the best ways to ensure you’re delivering working software early is to start with a Minimal Viable Product (MVP). An MVP is a version of your product with just enough features to satisfy early users and provide feedback for future development.

2. Prioritize User Stories Effectively

To deliver working software every iteration, you need to be ruthless in prioritizing your user stories.

3. Involve Stakeholders Early and Often

Stakeholder involvement is key to ensuring that the software you’re delivering meets their expectations and adds value.

4. Automate Testing and Deployment

Automation is your best friend when it comes to delivering working software every iteration. By automating testing and deployment, you can:

5. Embrace a Culture of Continuous Improvement

Agile is all about continuous improvement. Encourage your team to reflect on each iteration and identify areas for improvement.

Personal Experience: The Power of Early Feedback

Let me share a personal example that underscores the importance of delivering working software early. In one of my previous projects, we were working on a new feature that we thought would be a game-changer for our users. We spent several sprints perfecting the feature, making assumptions about what our users wanted.

When we finally released it, the feedback was not what we expected. Users found the feature confusing and didn’t see the value we had envisioned. Had we released a minimal version of this feature earlier, we could have gathered this feedback sooner, saving ourselves several sprints of unnecessary work.

This experience reinforced the importance of delivering working software to real users as quickly as possible. The sooner you get feedback, the sooner you can course-correct and ensure you’re building something that truly adds value.

Conclusion: Delivering Value, One Iteration at a Time

In Agile, delivering working software every iteration is not just a goal—it’s a necessity. It ensures that you’re validating your assumptions, gathering feedback, and continuously delivering value to your stakeholders. By focusing on this principle, you can steer your product in the right direction, avoid costly mistakes, and ultimately build something that your users love.

Remember, Agile is about maximizing value, not just delivering software. By getting your product in front of real users early and often, you’re ensuring that every iteration brings you closer to that goal. 🚀 Start delivering working software every iteration, gather feedback, and watch your product thrive!

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