What is a product backlog in Agile development and how is it used

Have you ever wondered, "What is a product backlog in Agile development and how is it used?"

In answering that question, it helps first to understand the core benefit of the process: the Agile method gives you the ability to make fast and powerfully effective course corrections as you construct your product backlog.

Power and agility have always been a winning combination.

Athletes who combine power with light feet and quick correction capability are usually the ones who out run, outmaneuver, and outscore their opponents.

In aviation, the F-22 Raptor fighter jet has "supermaneuverability" -- the ability to turn on a dime, yet maintain incredible power and control, in ways that outperform normal aerodynamic technology.

These analogies illustrate how product backlog works when you're applying the principles of agile development.

It's all about speed, effectiveness, and maneuverability.

The Crucial Role of Product Backlog

Venture Beat makes this important observation about product backlog:

A backlog is where you define and prioritize the functional and non-functional requirements of the app. Each feature within the app must have requirements associated with it. If the development is left open-ended and lacks requirements, then you are more likely to get something you didn’t expect.

In other words, product backlog ensures that every little component knows what it's supposed to do (and not do).

Going back to the sports analogy, it's very similar to crafting a successful play in football: the 11 players on the field know exactly what their job is -- and what their job isn't. (You really wouldn't want a 350-lb lineman trying to run a passing route to catch a pass.)

How the Agile Scrum Revolutionizes the Backlog Process

As you map out all of the requirements for your app's features, the scope of the work can be intimidating.

That's where the "Scrum" team in Agile development comes in.

This method saves you the inflexible, tedious burden of having to document every requirement in your product backlog at the beginning of the process -- a very imposing, slow-going road over the mountain, especially at the start when you haven't built much momentum yet in your project.

How is this accomplished?

The major stages of developing product backlog -- mapping out the requirements for features and bugs, for example -- are no longer kept separate. You don't do each type of work one at a time in a linear path like an assembly line (also called the Waterfall method). Each type of work in a Scrum is combined, developed, and refined all together into "sprints." This allows incredible flexibility, speed, and quick correction capability.

Mike Cohn of Mountain Goat, one of the top trainers in the Scrum method, wrote this about product backlog in Agile development:

"Typically, a Scrum team and its product owner begin by writing down everything they can think of for agile backlog prioritization. This agile product backlog is almost always more than enough for a first sprint. The Scrum product backlog is then allowed to grow and change as more is learned about the product and its customers."

Other crucial stages, like listing all technical work or additional research that is needed, are also combined with the other stages. The team -- as they review their agile list of features, bugs, needed tech work, and research to-dos -- then decide together which items are the highest priority and which of those can be done in a single "sprint."

Greater Transparency and Collaboration

This sprint-by-sprint, all-stages-combined process allows insightful transparency for the customer. In fact, it gives the customer real-time collaborative opportunities throughout every stage of development. They no longer have to walk away and wait for the team to make their way down the assembly line of the Waterfall Method.

It also helps to have a wonderfully talented team of engineers, analysts and designers -- something that we're very proud (and grateful) to have at Contensive. To discover more about agile development, contact us and learn how our talented, hard-working team can help.

The Apple Watch has grabbed the most headlines so far, but the new Apple gadget represents just a small drop in a very large tech tidal wave heading our way. According to IDC.com, global wearable shipments will likely hit 112 million units by 2018.

What this means for mobile app companies can be summarized in one word: revolution.

And, just like it has been doing for everything else in the last 10 years, Apple is leading the way with the Apple Watch.

iGeeksBlog.com thinks the Apple Watch is a great idea because, among other things, it makes Apple's SIRI service immensely better, it's safer to carry (and harder to lose), and it means less time wasted on the phone. And mobile apps that design themselves around the Apple Watch's Star Trek-like SIRI voice interaction could go in some interesting directions.

But, as fantastic as the Apple Watch might be, it is only the beginning. Here are some other fascinating (and jaw-dropping) wearable gadgets that could transform design potential for mobile apps and, ultimately, change our world.

Feels Good to Look Good: Mobile Apps for "Smart" Clothing?

Companies are developing smart clothes. The most obvious application, physical fitness, is already well underway. Companies make smart shirts that measure your heart rate, breathing rate, steps taken, and other physical actions, and the shirt automatically sends it to a physical fitness app on your phone that compiles your fitness data.

MakoInvent observed the next step in smart clothes:

Apart from smartwatches, there are also wearables in the form of fashion...clothes such as Ralph Lauren’s Smart Polo Shirt. These devices are being tested for the possibility to assist field-based or remote working employees, through ‘bring your own wearable’ (BYOW).

Employee uniforms with smart technology embedded could produce a limitless array of possibilities, from on-the-job safety to job training and performance monitoring, for mobile apps -- especially, as MakoInvent noted, for employees who spend most of their time in the field or in remote locations.

Myo Armband (For Everyone Who Has Always Wanted to Be a Jedi)

If you're a Star Wars fan, how many times have you pretended -- either as a joke as an adult or in serious play as a kid -- to use the Force on something? Every person who has seen Star Wars has secretly wished they could move a giant vehicle with their little hand -- Yoda-style.

Thalmic Labs has brought that wish a step closer to fulfillment. Although no one will be moving giant spaceships into the air with a hand gesture -- at least not yet -- their new wearable gadget, the Myo Armband, can move just about everything else that is important in our digital worlds.

How?

They've designed an armband that tracks your muscle movement on your arm, hand, and fingers with incredible precision. The armband then translates your gestures into commands that can operate any Bluetooth-equipped computer or smart device. You can then control any device you already own just like Tony Starks controlled his Jarvis computer interface in the Iron Man movies.

So what's it like to use it?

Mashable.com writer Lance Ulanoff tried the Myo Armband and explained his experience:

In one instance...I controlled a Keynote presentation. I would wake Myo, wave my arm to the right or left to change slides and then, because Myo was set to sleep after two seconds, wake it up again to gesture to the next slide.

The more I did all this, the more adept I became at all kinds of gestures. One of my favorites was the demonstration where I turned on Myo, clenched my fist and then slowly turned my hand one way or the other to control the temperature of an on-screen thermostat.

Just like the arena of smart clothing, creating apps for mobile devices or computers that interact with Myo Armbands creates new frontiers -- and new challenges -- for mobile app companies.

And that's where we come in. Our highly dedicated, talented team of engineers loves challenges. If you have some wild ideas for mobile app creation -- whether or not it involves wearables -- contact us and see how we can help you make those dreams reality.

As mobile continues to outpace desktop in both online and offline usage, apps continue to become more essential for digital marketing. On its app, a company can go beyond displaying its products, as it can on its website; it can create interactive features, even games, to deepen the user experience.

Of course, developing an app is a major undertaking. Choosing the right system (iOS or Android) is only one of the many considerations essential to making the app a success. But there's an alternative that is only beginning to gather steam, but offers considerable advantages for businesses looking to enter the app market: the web app.

What is a Web App?

PC Mag defines a web app as

An application in which all or some parts of the software are downloaded from the Web each time it is run. It may refer to browser-based apps that run within the user's Web browser, or to "rich client" desktop apps that do not use a browser or to mobile apps that access the Web for additional information.

In other words, it's an application that doesn't require a download from an app store like Google Play or the Apple alternative. In most cases, the term refers to an app entirely based on a browser like Chrome or Firefox. Stored in its entirety online, this type of web app brings with it several significant advantages:

1) System Flexibility

If your company already uses a "traditional" mobile app in its marketing, you'll be familiar with the distinctions between Android and iOS app, not to mention the Windows alternative. Essentially, you'll have to create variants of your app for each system, which increases both the effort and cost of its development. On the other hand, a browser-based web app can run on every mobile and desktop operating system - making it much more flexible than its Android and iOS counterparts.

2) Saving Space

Of course, Android and iOS apps can also take up significant space on a user's device. In 2012, the average size of an app was over 20 megabytes, with games skewing larger, and that number has only grown since. Mobile users looking to make space on their limited hard drive increasingly delete apps they aren't frequently using, or thinking twice before installing new ones.

Web apps, on the other hand, take up much less space. Everything is stored online, meaning that as long as you have an internet connection, you can use the same features and access the same information while needing only a fraction of the space. As a result, your app is much less likely to be deleted from a user's device.

3) Cost Effectiveness

Of course, developing a web app is also more cost-effective than its space-eating counterparts. We already touched on the significant savings of not needing to develop it for multiple devices. But listing it on the app store itself costs money as well: listing an app on Apple's App Store currently costs $99.

That may not seem like a lot to some businesses, but duplicate that cost for all major app stores and it makes up a significant chunk of a small business's marketing budget. Web apps don't need to be listed on an app store; instead, they are freely available for anyone with a browser and freely available via a URL.

4) Need-Tailored

Finally, web apps can be tailored directly to the unique needs of your company and audience. Instead of being hampered by OS or cost restraints, a custom web app can focus fully on your desired audience, ensuring a perfect fit for their needs. Because that audience doesn't have to download the app, they can simply access it as soon as they think of or have a need for your company's services. That, in addition to their flexibility and cost-effectiveness, makes web apps so attractive in today's market place.

Intrigued? Then don't hesitate! Contact us to find out how you can get a custom web app to enhance your company's marketing efforts.

There are many benefits to a custom web app, but a publisher must give it careful thought in order to realize the intended gains. The first thing to think about is the purpose of the app. One that's made to increase a company's visibility will necessarily be different from one that is meant to have paid access or support ads. Thought also needs to be given to the intended audience and what is likely to appeal to the people in that group.

Apps to Increase Visibility

These are almost always offered for free, but that doesn't mean that you should go too cheap with them. After all, if your free app is always crashing or only works on one browser, it will make your entire company look slipshod. A free app that is used to increase your branding needs to be highly polished and free of glitches. It will also need ongoing support and updates, though with free offerings, this aspect almost never goes on as long as it would with a paid version.

It's important to tailor the function of this sort of app to meet the needs and tastes of the desired audience. There's no point in releasing a viral game that will appeal to teenagers if your main business is supplying concrete to home builders! Instead, offer tools that will help your usual customers in their normal tasks. For that concrete company, a good app would be a calculator that helps builders find out how much concrete will be needed for whatever size of foundation they intend to put under their latest house. Other companies should offer tools that fit their own clientele in a similar way.

Of course, the function of the app is just one part of it. Its overall look and feel is also important. Go for a style that fits the personality and age group of your current customers in order to help draw more of the same to your business. Avoid the temptation to try to look "super cool" unless it actually fits your business - what one group of people thinks is awesome may strike another group as too immature.

Apps for Sale or Ads

The other main category of apps is meant to be sold or supported with advertising. With web apps, "sale" takes the form of selling access rather than literally selling instances of the programs. This means that support and updates must keep going on as long as enough people have a subscription. Popular apps of this sort can keep going for years.

Ad-supported web apps aren't nearly as common as they once were, but they still exist. Like paid-access ones, they also require ongoing support and debugging in order to keep people logging in. Ignoring an app once it has been fully debugged won't work because eventually, its capabilities and overall design will become dated.

There is a lot of latitude when it comes to the function and design of paid and ad-supported apps. Unlike ones meant to promote a business, they don't have to look "businesslike" in the corporate sense. Many online games take this form. That said, they do have to look polished, be free of glitches, and appeal to their intended audiences. Therefore, it's still important to make sure that they are professionally designed. You will also need to be sure that your intended audience will really be interested and that the market isn't already saturated with 10,000 variations of the exact same thing.

Contact us for specific ideas for an app that will meet your needs, whether those needs are related to corporate branding or the simple desire to have thousands of subscribers to your web app. We'll be glad to help you decide on all of the details and then build the app you desire!

Becoming a more agile business is important in keeping your employees happy, and better enabling your brand for success. Chances are, you have business processes inside of your organization that can benefit from refinement, and automation. A custom web app may be the perfect solution in cleaning up some issues you've run into with your internal processes, in the past.

Many businesses in operation today have outdated internal systems that are used for very specific processing tasks. While it is good to have custom programs that help you achieve goals, and improve productivity, it is better to enable your employees to accomplish tasks, anywhere, at anytime. This type of liberation requires implementing web-based applications.

Web apps are secure, highly advanced, super fast, and can enable your business to become more cutting-edge in a highly competitive landscape. In the past, issues like bandwidth, processing speeds, and memory allocation, held businesses back from adopting web-based applications. Now, the technology available to everyone, is perfectly suited for meeting the needs of businesses, employees, and consumers alike.

Budget issues are mostly a concern of the past as well. Custom application development may be much more reasonably priced than you anticipate, and it is certainly more affordable than it was in days gone by.

Whatever your specific needs, a custom web app can add value to your business, and better serve everyone within your ecosystem. Contact us anytime to discuss how we can help your business achieve its goals. We're looking forward to exceeding your expectations.