In the realm of software development, the concept of "The Big Bang" refers to a scenario where an IT group embarks on an extensive period, spanning months or even years, to develop a software product. Subsequently, they reemerge with the fully-fledged product and unleash it in its entirety, deploying the entire system to production all at once.
At GSC, we steer clear of that approach. Instead, we embrace a more agile strategy where we release code to production every two weeks, concentrating on the highest priority features. This approach not only ensures that our clients receive early value from our software, but it also allows our clients to gather valuable feedback from end-users at an early stage.
I strongly believe that all Agile development groups should steer clear of The Big Bang approach, as it directly contradicts the fundamental principle of the Agile Manifesto. The first principle clearly states, “Our highest priority is to satisfy the customer through early and continuous delivery of valuable software.” 1 It's evident that The Big Bang approach goes against this paramount priority of Agile, and therefore should be avoided.
GSC’s approach is is to constantly deliver value:
- Break down the project into small features and sub-features
- Priorities the features and sub-features
- Implement the highest-priority features in a two-week sprint
- Release all features to production at the end of each two-week sprint
- Have real-world users gain value from the immediate use of the features
1 Principles behind the Agile Manifesto