What Is the Agile SDLC? Benefits, Stages And Implementation

The goal of any software development lifecycle (SDLC) is to create a great product. And that requires flexibility, customer-centricity, and a philosophy of constant improvement—all attributes of the Agile SDLC. 

The Agile software development model offers an innovative approach to iterative development. It’s an ideal methodology for product owners and developers who balance collaboration with adaptability and want as many opportunities for improvement as possible. 

Here’s everything you need to know about Agile development, how it differs from the Traditional SDLC, and the steps your team will implement. 

What Is the Agile SDLC?

The Agile SDLC is a software development methodology that emphasizes collaborative thinking, feedback-driven decision-making, and cyclical change. Under Agile, teams complete work in sprints—work cycles lasting 1–4 weeks—that allow frequent discussions about what’s working and what’s not. 

Here’s how it works: 

• Divide a more extensive project, like creating an app, into smaller, more digestible steps, like product features. 
• Team members collaborate on every sprint almost like a mini project, going through planning, implementation, and review each time. 
• The more frequent the sprints, the more teams and stakeholders can discuss progress and implement improvements.
• Each step contributes to the wider goal of finishing the extensive project with the best features possible.

Benefits of Agile SDLC

Here’s why the Agile SDLC methodology is a great choice: 

• Frequent improvement: Thanks to sprints, teams can collect and implement feedback more often—unlike a traditional SDLC, which only allows for feedback later in the process. This flexibility and adaptiveness is Agile’s main draw. Teams can quickly spot and fix mistakes and adjust specs according to stakeholder needs, making this methodology perfect for projects with evolving requirements. 
• Collaboration: Sprint retrospectives help DevOps teams learn from each other. The knowledge exchange promotes transparency and offers more opportunities for collaboration, avoiding silos and maximizing everyone’s skills. 
• Speed: Agile facilitates fast development and improvement. Managers and stakeholders rarely have to wait to hear how things are going, and teams can even deliver partially functioning solutions early to gather feedback and create a stronger end product faster. 

Traditional Versus Agile SDLC

Traditional SDLC, also known as the Waterfall model, is Agile’s opposite—but that doesn’t mean it lacks its own strengths. Let’s compare the two.

Traditional Versus Agile SDLC Similarities

Traditional and Agile methodologies guide software project development with the same goal: to help teams deliver a functioning and secure product in adequate time. They both take a structured approach—though those structures themselves differ—and offer opportunities for feedback, improvement, and collaboration. 

Traditional Versus Agile SDLC Differences

Here’s a quick guide to the differences between these two methodologies: 

• Rigidity: With Traditional SDLC, once the plan is in place, it ideally doesn’t change. Research and planning only occur in the initial phase, and testing happens at the end. But with Agile, flexibility is encouraged, and procedures shift regularly according to fluctuating needs. Investigation, planning, and testing phases occur throughout the entire lifecycle.
• Hierarchy: Agile centers collaboration and places all team members at the same level of importance, giving them the freedom to operate within their roles. The Traditional lifecycle typically follows a top-down hierarchy to delegate responsibility.
• Use cases: Agile is especially well-suited for large projects with distributed teams working together. The frequent check-ins keep everyone on the same page—something Traditional teams don’t necessarily need. The Traditional SDLC is best suited for small to medium-sized projects with stable teams that thrive with less collaboration.

6 Phases in the Agile SDLC

There are six Agile software development steps, each serving a distinct purpose. Because Agile is so flexible and iteration-based, teams typically go through steps three and four a few times before the product is complete. 

1. Concept

During the Concept phase of the Agile model of SDLC, stakeholders and project managers collaboratively identify top priorities and project scope. Discussions should include all the details, including budget, anticipated delivery date, and necessary features. This process determines feasibility and defines main requirements. 

2. Inception

Next is Inception, which is when most planning takes place. Managers assign roles, detail core methods and templates, and provide tools so the group can begin making progress. 

The Inception phase has two main components:

• Product architecture: During this part of planning, the team decides which tools to use, such as programming languages, frameworks, and containers. Then it can outline technical product specifications and needs.
• User experience design: Designers mock up the user interface to get a better feel for what the product will look like. With a visual framework, the rest of the team can determine what actions to take to meet the designers’ specifications. 

These components help teams develop the product backlog—a list of must-have features informed by customer feedback and product goals. 

3. Iteration

Because the actual development happens during this phase, Iteration is often the lengthiest and most collaborative. Team members reference the backlog to build the product’s bare functionality and make tweaks as sprints go on. Then, quality assurance ensures the product is up to par. The Iteration phase ends with a first draft of the product. 

4. Testing 

The Testing step guarantees the software is faultless and ready for the masses. Agile typically incorporates a few types of testing: 

• Unit testing: The quality assurance (QA) team separately evaluates every front and back-end component’s functionality. 
• Integration testing: Merge different product parts to ensure compatibility. 
• Acceptance testing: The QA team assesses how well the project meets the end-user’s needs. 
• System testing: The entire system goes through a valuation to guarantee seamless performance. If the test succeeds, the QA team approves the next deployment phase.

5. Release 

After you complete QA testing and are confident that the product is ready for the public, the team is ready to move to the Release phase—also known as software deployment. 

6. Review 

Just because the project has been released doesn’t mean your job is over. At the review stage, the team’s motive shifts to making sure it’s a long-term success. This includes regularly reviewing customer feedback, resolving potential bugs, and ensuring the user experience is seamless. 

How To Implement an Agile SDLC

Experience the Agile SDLC firsthand with these steps. 

1. Pick the Right Framework for Your Needs

Within Agile, choose a framework, which is the approach that sets the foundation for organizing and managing the project’s processes. There are several Agile frameworks to choose from: 

• Scrum: This Agile framework heavily centers the sprint system, highlighting collaboration and continuous improvement. It also has specific roles: the Product Owner, Scrum Master, and Developers. This structure helps teams prioritize the product backlog and take stakeholder feedback into account throughout the entire process. 
• Kanban: The Kanban approach gives teams more independence with a Kanban board—a workflow management method for tracking tasks across the development lifecycle. It’s an excellent fit for teams that enjoy working visually. 
• ScrumBan: This framework combines Kanban and Scrum, which is why it’s a popular pick. It offers a visual workflow like Kanban but with Scrum’s structured approach. 
• SAFe: SAFe stands for Scaled Agile Framework, and it helps large teams bring Agile practices up to size. Teams can also use this framework to manage the lifecycles of multiple products at once. 

2. Define Goals

When transitioning a team to an Agile model, team members want to know why. Having a clear goal is the best way to answer any questions and encourage everyone to work together. Common goals for companies implementing Agile include: 

• To prioritize customer satisfaction and user experience
• To increase collaboration 
• To speed up project delivery 

3. Create an Implementation Plan 

You can’t transition to an Agile workflow overnight. It’s best practice to plan ahead and prepare teams for the transition. Create an implementation plan to outline the meetings, process changes, and team training you’ll put in place to bring everyone up to speed. This bridges any gaps and builds a cohesive source of truth as the Agile SDLC begins. 

4. Consider Security

With Agile’s emphasis on moving quickly, teams need to consider how to bake security into the process without creating bottlenecks. Make sure developers are properly trained in secure coding, and that they treat security requirements as they do functional requirements. In addition, use automated security testing that is embedded throughout the development process, ideally giving teams real-time feedback. Finally, consider an ASPM platform like Legit that helps both development and security teams understand the full software factory, where security controls are in place, and which vulnerabilities warrant immediate attention.

5. Hold Regular Meetings 

Since Agile prioritizes collaboration, constant communication is key. Hold daily meetings to make space for questions and keep team members in the loop about responsibilities and expectations. Touch base with team members about what they accomplished yesterday, plans for the day, and any challenges. 

6. Invite Feedback 

Feedback fuels collaborative learning. Regularly assess the team’s progress, ask for feedback from key stakeholders, and implement suggestions to modify processes. That’s the joy of Agile SDLC—you can modify what’s not working as you go. 

7. Link KPIs to Your Agile Transformation

There’s no better way to gauge the SDLC’s success than by connecting key performance indicators (KPIs). KPIs are measurable goals, like a certain cycle time or customer satisfaction rating. Tracking these numbers offers insight into how successful the Agile transition really is. 

Secure Your SDLC With Legit Security

Legit Security works across the software factory to seamlessly integrate security into Agile processes without disrupting workflows. Enjoy continuous security monitoring and automated compliance checks to keep security a priority throughout all Agile sprints. Get a demo today to secure your Agile SDLC.