Tools That Make Software Development Easier

With the rapid advancement of technology in the late 90s, software development teams had a tough time meeting their deadlines. This usually led to most projects getting delayed, or even worse, canceled. Then came the Agile software development process. 

Born in the early 2000s, the Agile methodology made communication the most essential part of a project, no matter how big or small the project is. In the past two decades, Agile has made it easier to quickly exchange, implement, and test software solutions. But implementing Agile is impossible without the right tools. Here are our favorite tools for boosting your Agile software development process's efficiency. 

IDEs and Editors

Software development does not necessarily have a generalized process. So for the efficiency of your project, you have to choose the right environments and editors that fit your needs. 

Sublime Text 

We highly recommend Sublime Text Editor to edit any form of code. While limited to rudimentary code editing, the tool can be tailored to your preferences. Developers have access to all menus, snippets, bindings, and key bindings. Moreover, Sublime has a vibrant community that is continually creating new plugins and supporting additional tools that make using and sharing files easier. 

Netbeans 

Netbeans is a popular free and open-source IDE. It supports C++, Java, and PHP, JavaScript, CSS, HTML5, and several other languages, but is generally used for object-oriented programming. Netbeans' features include easy tracking and management of projects, as well as an active and expanding community that provides extra tools to make development more efficient. 

Eclipse 

Open Source Eclipse, originally designed for Java programming, is one of the most popular IDEs for software development. Like Netbeans, it also offers multi-language programming. One reason for its popularity is the inclusion of cloud-based IDEs like Orion and Dirigible in the Eclipse ecosystem. 

PHP Storm 

While most of the IDEs mentioned above support PHP, you won't go wrong with PHP Storm if your projects are predominantly web-based. PHP Storm is an IDE that offers quick code editing, refactoring, and debugging. 

IntelliJ 

IntelliJ is an IDE from the JetBeans family of products. It is quickly becoming one of the best IDEs for agile software development available. 

Source Code Control

Source code control is required for an efficient agile software development process. While editors and IDEs allow for individual code editing, source code control allows for easy implementation and sharing. 

GitHub 

GitHub is the world's most popular source code collaboration tool. It is a popular version control system among developers due to its ease of use and low cost. Its features include AWS, Azure, and GCP hosting options for Business Enterprise subscribers. 

Bitbucket 

While most developers frequently use GitHub, some largely rely on Bitbucket for larger projects. The tool's interaction with Jira is a great feature. Because Bitbucket is designed for professional software development, you can simply manage projects and pipelines while keeping your data private with IP whitelisting, two-step authentication, and other features. 

Continuous Integration 

Continuous integration is a critical phase in the agile software development process. It enables easy tracking and review of the full development process. This approach is critical for an efficient agile process, bug detection, and project transition. In most cases, software solutions allow for continuous integration of code within a repository. An automated build verifies the code checked in. 

Jenkins 

Jenkins is a free, open-source software development CI automation tool. It is a Java-based application, particularly powerful due to the numerous plugins available for project deployment. Jenkins also integrates with many software developments, communication, and organization applications, simplifying the CI process. 

Bamboo 

Like Jenkins, Bamboo is a CI technology that provides a dedicated server for CI and CD. While Jenkins has superior plug-in support, Bamboo's native Jira capabilities make it a popular alternative. 

Team City 

Team City is a CI server tool from JetBrains. It is frequently used for web application development and CI for teams using tools like IntelliJ and PHP Storm. 

Project Management and Team Communication

Agile cannot work without competent project management. While post-it notes can be used to track progress internally, having specialized tools to check progress from anywhere is always preferable. To top it off, working with larger teams or offshore/nearshore software development teams means adopting the correct online tools to communicate. 

Jira 

For agile teams and software professionals, Jira is the best project management software. Jira is also noted for its bug tracking capabilities, in addition to project management. Jira is a powerful agile platform with no competitors. A software team can use Jira to track bugs, tasks, sprints, versions, epics, and much more. 

Trello 

Trello is a sophisticated project management application that integrates with other apps. It can keep your team organized on a single project. Its simplicity is a significant plus for progress tracking. 

Slack 

Slack is a popular team communication software. It allows you to simply archive your conversations and integrate the project and team management process. You may also make video and voice calls with up to 15 people. Slack recently bought Screen Hero, another popular team communication platform.