Agile methods in biomedical software development: a multi-site experience report

Background: Agile is an iterative approach to software development that relies on strong collaboration and automation to keep pace with dynamic environments. We have successfully used agile development approaches to create and maintain biomedical software, including software for bioinformatics. This paper reports on a qualitative study of our experiences using these methods. Results: We have found that agile methods are well suited to the exploratory and iterative nature of scientific inquiry. They provide a robust framework for reproducing scientific results and for developing clinical support systems. The agile development approach also provides a model for collaboration between software engineers and researchers. We present our experience using agile methodologies in projects at six different biomedical software development organizations. The organizations include academic, commercial and government development teams, and included both bioinformatics and clinical support applicatio...

• Type: Journal
• Year: 2006
• Where: BMCBI
• Authors: David W. Kane, Moses M. Hohman, Ethan G. Cerami, Michael W. McCormick, Karl F. Kuhlmman, Jeff A. Byrd
• Keywords: Agile Development, Agile Methods, BMCBI 2006, Software