Agile Iterative Development in a Kotlin Project

Vocabulary

• Agile is a mindset and set of principles that emphasizes iterative development, customer collaboration, and flexibility in the face of change.
• Iteration is a small, time-boxed development cycle that typically lasts 1-2 weeks.
• Definition of Done is a set of criteria that a feature must meet before it is considered complete.
• Iteration: Short, repeated cycles used to incrementally deliver value.
• User Story: Concise, simple descriptions of a feature from an end-user perspective.
• Retrospective: Regular reflection meetings to improve future sprints.
• Incremental Delivery: Regular, smaller releases delivering value continuously.

Sequence Diagram

flowchart TD
    Start --> Sprint_Planning
    Sprint_Planning --> Development
    Development --> Testing
    Testing --> Deployment
    Deployment --> Review
    Review --> Retrospective
    Retrospective --> Sprint_Planning

    Development -- Issue Found --> Blocked
    Blocked --> Analysis
    Analysis --> Development

Overview of Agile Methodology

Agile is a mindset and set of principles that emphasizes iterative development, customer collaboration, and flexibility in the face of change. In an Agile approach, the team delivers work in small increments (often called iterations) and continuously adapts to feedback. For a Kotlin project with four new features, an Agile team would work closely with the customer to prioritize these features and plan iterative cycles. The focus is on maintaining working software at all times and adjusting plans as needed to maximize value.

The four features requested by the customer will be developed iteratively. Each feature will go through a cycle of planning, development, testing, and review, and the plan may change based on what is learned. Below, we follow the lifecycle of each feature (Feature 1 to Feature 4) under an Agile approach, including how the team handles common challenges like scope issues, changing requirements, and external dependencies.

flowchart LR
    Plan --> Develop
    Develop --> Test
    Test --> Review
    Review --> Deploy[Deploy/Release]
    Review --> |Feedback & New Info| Plan
    Develop --> |Blocked or Change?| Adjust[Adjust Plans]
    Adjust --> Plan

In the above diagram, an Agile team cycles through planning, development, testing, and review for each iteration. If new information or changes arise (e.g., a feature is blocked or requirements change), the team adjusts plans and continues the cycle. Over multiple iterations, this results in continuous improvement and adaptation until each feature is completed and released.

Feature 1: Handling Incorrect Scope (Blocked Feature)

Situation: The team starts working on Feature 1, but soon discovers that the feature’s scope or requirements were incorrectly defined. Key details are missing or assumptions were wrong, meaning the team cannot proceed without further analysis – Feature 1 becomes blocked.

Agile Response: In an Agile environment, this is treated as an opportunity to learn and adapt rather than a failure. The team will:

• Pause development on Feature 1 and communicate the blockage in their daily stand-up or sync meeting. Transparency is key: everyone should know Feature 1 is on hold due to unclear scope.
• Collaborate with the customer/stakeholders immediately to clarify requirements. Agile encourages customer involvement, so the team may schedule a quick meeting (or use the iteration review) to discuss what’s missing or misunderstood. The customer’s feedback is sought as soon as the issue is identified.
• Potentially perform a spike (a time-boxed research/prototyping task) to explore the feature’s domain if more technical knowledge is needed. This helps gain insight without committing to full development, answering open questions about Feature 1.
• Reprioritize the work: If Feature 1 cannot be resolved quickly, the team moves it back into the queue (product backlog). They mark it for further refinement later. Meanwhile, the team can pull in other work (maybe start Feature 4 or a different task) to keep momentum during the iteration.
• Refine the scope of Feature 1 before attempting it again. In Agile, backlog refinement is continuous – the team and customer will work to update the user story or acceptance criteria for Feature 1 so it’s “ready” for development in a future iteration. They ensure all unclear aspects are resolved (perhaps writing example test cases for clarity) before committing it back into an iteration.

Lifecycle until Release: After the initial iteration reveals the scope issue, Feature 1 is temporarily delayed. The team adds clarity by working with the customer and possibly doing a spike. In the next iteration (or whenever the issue is resolved), Feature 1 is planned again with the corrected scope. The team then develops, tests, and delivers Feature 1. Throughout this process, Agile best practices like continuous communication and adaptive planning ensure that the end result meets the customer’s real needs. Feature 1 might be released in its own iteration once complete, demonstrating Agile’s ability to accommodate changes in understanding.

Feature 2: Handling Mid-Development Requirement Change

Situation: During development of Feature 2, the customer decides to change the requirements. This might happen due to new market information or because the customer reviewed an early build and realized something different is needed. The change request arrives in the middle of an iteration while work is ongoing.

Agile Response: Agile principles famously state, “Welcome changing requirements, even late in development.” The team remains flexible:

• Assess the impact of the change immediately. The team discusses: Can the new requirements be accommodated easily? Will it require major rework or new user stories? This conversation happens with the customer or product owner as soon as the change is known.
• If the change is small or the feature is still in early development, the team might incorporate the change on the fly. Since Agile teams aim to deliver incremental value, they can adjust their current work. For example, developers might refactor the part of the codebase for Feature 2 to meet the new requirement, and then continue development with the new direction.
• If the change is large or too disruptive to the current iteration goals, the team may defer it to the next iteration. They could complete the current defined scope of Feature 2 (if it still has some value) and plan the changed requirements as a new item for the next cycle. Alternatively, if the current work on Feature 2 has become irrelevant due to the change, they might stop working on it now to avoid waste and instead focus on other ongoing tasks or a different feature.
• Communicate and replan: Agile teams hold regular iteration planning and review meetings. After acknowledging the requirement change, they will update the product backlog (adding or modifying user stories for Feature 2). In the next iteration planning, the new requirements will be prioritized appropriately. The team might swap out some other planned work to make room for the changed Feature 2 if it’s higher priority. This replanning is seen as a natural part of Agile development, not a failure.
• Testing and feedback: Because Agile emphasizes working software, the team might quickly create a demo or prototype of the changed requirement to ensure everyone understands it correctly. Frequent testing and continuous integration help manage the risk of mid-course changes, as the code is kept robust and adaptable via refactoring. The team’s testers update test cases to match the new requirements and ensure that any implemented parts of Feature 2 still work with the changes.

Lifecycle until Release: Initially, Feature 2’s development is interrupted by the new requirements. Suppose the team had partially completed the old version – they either adjust that work or set it aside. In the next iteration, they continue with the updated Feature 2 definition (or start fresh if needed). Thanks to Agile’s adaptability, the feature’s final implementation aligns with the customer’s updated vision. Feature 2 is then tested (with updated test cases reflecting the new requirements) and released. The result is that the customer gets what they need, and any work-in-progress that was discarded is considered a necessary trade-off for achieving the right product. Agile processes make this trade-off easier by valuing responding to change over following a fixed plan.

Feature 3: Handling External Dependency Delay

Situation: Feature 3 depends on an external team or component. For instance, another team might be developing an API or library that Feature 3 needs to use. Partway through development, the other team announces a delay or a change that impacts our team’s schedule. This means Feature 3 cannot progress until the dependency is resolved, causing a potential delay in its completion.

Agile Response: Agile methodologies encourage proactive risk management and cross-team collaboration:

• Identify dependencies early: Ideally, the team knew about this dependency during planning and kept in touch with the other team. They might have planned a contingency or a deadline for that dependency. Once a delay or breaking change is announced, the team immediately treats it as an impediment to be addressed.
• Communicate and coordinate: The team’s lead or a responsible team member will reach out to the external team to understand the new timeline or changes. Regular cross-team syncs or Scrum-of-Scrums (if using Scrum) can help monitor such issues. In Agile, individuals and interactions are key – so a direct conversation to negotiate a solution or get updates is the first step.
• Adjust the plan: In the current iteration, if Feature 3 is now blocked, the team will stop active development on the parts that require the external component. They might switch to other tasks or features. For example, if following Scrum, perhaps they pick a lower priority item from the backlog to fill the gap (with the Product Owner’s approval); in Kanban or a generic Agile approach, they would simply pull the next item from the queue since nothing is forcing them to stick with Feature 3 at that moment. The idea is to keep the team productive on other value-added work while waiting.
• Use workarounds: If possible, the team can create a stub or mock implementation of the external component to continue some development or testing of Feature 3. For example, they might simulate API responses or use a temporary library that mimics the expected behavior. This is a common Agile technique to mitigate waiting – keep working on what you can control. The team will integrate the real component later once it’s available, but meanwhile, they can develop the rest of Feature 3 and even write integration tests that can be run when the dependency arrives.
• Visualize the blockage: Many Agile teams use task boards or digital trackers. The card or task for Feature 3 would be marked as “Blocked” or moved to a waiting column, making the status obvious. This visual cue triggers the team and management to focus on unblocking it. A Scrum Master or project lead often helps by escalating the issue or coordinating with the external team’s management to resolve the dependency faster.
• Reprioritize if needed: If the dependency delay is significant, the team may postpone Feature 3 to a later iteration entirely and focus on other high-priority features in the meantime. The product roadmap is adjusted accordingly. Agile planning is lightweight, so changes can be made between iterations without too much overhead or ceremony. The team updates their plans as soon as new information is available, rather than waiting for a long planning cycle.

Lifecycle until Release: Feature 3’s development might stretch over multiple iterations due to the dependency. In the first attempt, the team does what they can (maybe setting up the basic structure of Feature 3) and then halts. In subsequent iteration planning sessions, they keep an eye on when the external team’s work will be ready. Once the external dependency is delivered (say, by iteration 3), our team integrates it and completes Feature 3. They thoroughly test the integration to ensure everything works end-to-end. Finally, Feature 3 is delivered in a release. Throughout this journey, the team continuously communicated status to the customer, so the customer understood the delay was due to an external factor. Agile teams also add this scenario to their retrospective discussions to find ways to better handle or mitigate external dependencies in the future (for example, by engaging the other team earlier, splitting stories to deliver partial value without the dependency, or having contingency plans).

Feature 4: Smooth Development and Release

Situation: Feature 4 is the scenario where everything goes as planned. The requirements are clear, development proceeds without major hiccups, and there are no external blockers. The team is able to implement and release Feature 4 within the expected time frame (e.g., in one iteration) with no unusual issues.

Agile Process: Even when things go smoothly, the Agile approach has practices to ensure quality and alignment:

• Planning: Feature 4 is picked up in an iteration planning session (or pulled from the backlog in a flow-based Agile process) with a clear understanding of the scope and acceptance criteria. The team discusses the feature with the customer or Product Owner to ensure they all agree on what to build. The team sizes the work (estimation) and is confident it fits in the iteration (or if using Kanban, that it’s a manageable chunk of work).
• Execution: Developers and testers collaborate on implementing Feature 4. They follow Agile best practices like writing unit tests (in a Kotlin project, possibly using JUnit or Kotlin-specific test frameworks) and continuously integrating their code. If pair programming or mob programming is part of the team’s practices, they might use those techniques to maintain code quality and shared understanding.
• Continuous feedback: The customer or Product Owner is kept in the loop with interim builds or daily progress updates. If using a task board, Feature 4’s task moves from “In Progress” to “Testing” to “Done” smoothly. The team might do a mid-iteration demo of Feature 4 to the stakeholder, especially if there’s something visual or business-critical, just to confirm everything is on track.
• Testing and validation: Feature 4 is tested thoroughly (both by developers via automated tests and by any dedicated QA roles if present). Agile teams often automate regression tests, so adding Feature 4 doesn’t break existing functionality. The team ensures Feature 4 meets the Definition of Done (all acceptance criteria satisfied, code reviewed, tests passing, documentation updated if needed). In a Kotlin codebase, static analysis or lint checks are run to maintain code quality.
• Demo and accept: At the end of the iteration, Feature 4 is demonstrated to the customer or stakeholders (e.g., in an iteration review meeting for a Scrum team, or a casual demo for a Kanban team). Because the team kept the customer involved throughout, there are no surprises and the feature is accepted as done. The customer confirms it meets their needs. Any minor feedback or enhancement ideas can be added to the backlog for future consideration, but they don’t impede the release.
• Release: The working Feature 4 is deployed to production or delivered to the end-user. Agile teams strive to release as early and often as possible, so if Feature 4 provides standalone value, it could be released immediately upon completion (or included in a scheduled release, such as the end-of-iteration release in Scrum). The team verifies the release was successful (monitoring logs, user feedback, etc.) and then closes out the feature.
• Celebrate and reflect: Having a feature go as planned is a success. The team might take note of what went well in their retrospective (for example, “Our understanding of Feature 4 was solid due to good upfront communication, and our continuous testing prevented any regressions.”). This helps reinforce good practices. They then continue to the next highest priority item (which could be any remaining features or new requests), applying any lessons learned from Feature 4’s development.

Lifecycle until Release: Feature 4 essentially goes through a single iteration (or continuous flow cycle) smoothly: from planning to development, testing, and release, all within the expected schedule. This demonstrates the ideal Agile cycle, where close collaboration, proper planning, and technical excellence (like good testing and design) result in timely delivery of value. Feature 4 is released to users, possibly alongside other completed features, and provides feedback or value that informs future work.

Best Practices and Unique Aspects of Agile

• Customer Collaboration: Agile heavily involves the customer or their representative (Product Owner) throughout development. This is evident in how quickly the team seeks clarification for Feature 1 and how they handle the change in Feature 2 with the customer’s input. Constant feedback reduces the chances of building the wrong thing. By the time features are released, the customer has effectively seen and shaped them, resulting in higher satisfaction.
• Embracing Change: Rather than seeing changes or blockers as setbacks, Agile treats them as normal aspects of development. The processes are lightweight, so adapting the plan (reprioritizing backlog, updating requirements) is done with minimal bureaucracy. The principle of embracing change ensures that Feature 2’s new requirements are welcomed, not resisted. The team remains open to pivoting as needed, which is crucial in fast-moving projects or when the problem is not perfectly understood upfront.
• Iterative Delivery: Agile delivers in small increments. Each feature (or a slice of a feature) is developed in an iteration (often 1–2 weeks, or whatever cadence fits). This iterative nature means Feature 4 can be delivered independently when ready, and Feature 1, 2, 3 can each be worked on as soon as conditions are right, without waiting for a “big bang” release of all features together. Iterative development lowers risk because partial progress is reviewed frequently.
• Transparency and Visualization: Using tools like task boards or digital trackers, Agile teams visualize the status of work. We saw this with marking Feature 3 as blocked on the board and discussing it openly. Daily stand-ups or check-ins also ensure everyone knows what’s going on. This transparency helps in early detection of issues and promotes collective problem-solving. Stakeholders also get visibility (through demos or progress reports) into how the project is progressing, building trust.
• Continuous Improvement: Agile teams hold retrospectives (even if not following Scrum formally, most Agile teams do periodic reflection). After these four features, the team would reflect on what happened. For example: Could they improve requirement gathering to avoid another “Feature 1” scenario? How can they better accommodate sudden changes like in Feature 2? How to better coordinate dependencies to avoid delays like Feature 3’s case? They then adapt their processes accordingly. This mindset of learning and improving each cycle is a unique strength of Agile methodology – the process itself evolves along with the product.
• Technical Excellence: Agile principles also stress good engineering practices. In a Kotlin project, that might mean writing clean, idiomatic Kotlin code, using modern language features effectively, refactoring when needed, and having a solid suite of automated tests. Many Agile teams adopt practices from Extreme Programming (XP) – such as Test-Driven Development (TDD), continuous integration, and pair programming – to ensure that when changes occur (like Feature 2’s case), the codebase can handle it. For example, having comprehensive unit tests makes it safer to change code mid-stream because you can quickly detect if something broke. Technical excellence enables speed and quality.

Conclusion: In an Agile approach, the development of the four features is managed through close teamwork, short feedback loops, and a willingness to adapt plans. The iterative development process, as visualized in the Mermaid diagram above, allows the team to navigate blocked work, changing requirements, and external delays effectively. Agile doesn’t prescribe one exact way to handle each scenario, but the underlying principles guide the team to do whatever maximizes value delivery and minimizes wasted effort. This could mean moving a blocked feature out of the way (Feature 1), embracing a mid-course correction (Feature 2), or collaborating across teams to resolve dependencies (Feature 3). In the end, Agile’s flexibility and focus on continuous delivery ensure that all four features can be delivered in a way that meets the customer’s true needs and timeline, while maintaining high quality and adaptability.

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