Iterative development offers a flexible solution for clients who need to stretch their budgets while still achieving their web development goals. By prioritizing essential features first and gradually adding more complex functionalities, you can ensure that your website evolves alongside your business needs without compromising quality or breaking the bank. Let’s take a look behind the curtain at several of the day-to-day approaches that allow WebDevStudios to help our clients reimagine their websites iteratively.

What is iterative web development?

You may have heard the terms ‘iterative’ or ‘iterate’ used quite frequently. To some degree, they’ve become buzzwords in our modern vernacular. I think that’s in part because the term can apply to so many aspects of our lives.

Part of my inspiration for writing this article is to take a moment and appreciate the types of technology and processes we humans have developed over many generations. We should also slow down to appreciate all of the great technology we have today, which enables even more productive iteration.

I’d argue that iteration is nothing new. You can find evidence of iteration all over if you look hard enough. From Leonardo Di Vinci refining his ideas through sketchbooks to ancient cave paintings repeated on walls as humans improved their ability to express their ideas.

An excellent definition of the “iterative process” can be found in Julia Martins’ article “Understanding the iterative process, with examples” for Asana.

The iterative process is the practice of building, refining, and improving a project, product, or initiative. Teams that use the iterative development process create, test, and revise until they’re satisfied with the end result.

Who is iterative development for?

Iterative development is great for teams or individuals who want a flexible,  budget-friendly web development process that allows for adaptability as time goes on. The beauty of this is that assessments can be made in real-time as to the effectiveness of the work being done, and adjustments can be made if and when needed. Things are not set in stone, which would be antithetical to a proper iterative process.

Who isn’t iterative development for?

While iterative development offers many benefits, it may not suit every project or team. Projects with strict deadlines or fixed budgets that require a definitive scope may not thrive under an iterative approach.

If a client or project manager expects a fully completed product on a tight timeline without room for adjustments, then a traditional development process might be more appropriate. Additionally, projects with very clear and unchanging requirements might not benefit as much from the flexibility that iterative development offers.

Speed of Iterative Design

Consider the process of sharpening a pencil. You don’t aim to get it perfect in one go; instead, you refine the point gradually, making adjustments as needed until it’s just right.

The same applies to iterative development. Each phase of the project sharpens the final product a bit more, allowing for flexibility and ongoing improvements without starting from scratch.

Versatility of Iterative Development

Imagine drawing up a blueprint. The initial sketch provides a rough outline, but as the design progresses, details are filled in, and modifications are made. Iterative development allows for that same kind of versatility. It’s not about creating a rigid plan but about refining and enhancing the design over time, ensuring the final product meets the evolving needs of the client.

Technology Enables Iteration

Modern technology has made iterative development more accessible and efficient. Tools like Git for version control, Figma for design collaboration, and Jira for project management allow teams to work in tandem, making continuous improvements throughout the project’s lifecycle. The ability to iterate quickly and effectively is a direct result of these technologies.

At each stage of a project—planning, design, development, QA, and even post-launch—iteration plays a crucial role. Whether it’s refining ideas during initial meetings or tweaking the design based on client feedback, the iterative process ensures that the project evolves to meet its objectives.

Planning, Strategy, Discovery

At the beginning of a project, many people may be involved in the initial planning work. Usually, over the course of multiple meetings, stakeholders begin to shape the requirements for a project.

This can be thought of as a form of iteration. Ideas are refined as time goes on, and eventually, a project plan is arrived at. Ideally, input has been gathered from many people, including company owners and CEOs, various directors, team leads, and project managers.

Technologies that aid in this part of the process are team workspaces such as Confluence by Atlassian, Slack, and Google Docs. All of these products offer the ability to refine and improve ideas over time.

Design

Designers have many iterative tools at their disposal. Even knowledge from past projects and experiences can influence decisions for the current project.

If a designer creates a starting template for websites or components, that could be thought of as iterative since the templates themselves were generalized and planned to provide a well-informed starting point.

In some ways, iteration is all around us. Tools such as Figma and Adobe Illustrator allow for back-and-forth communication, as well as incremental adjustments to the various elements of a project, from layouts to logos.

Development

Most developers work in teams of specializations. A frontend engineer may begin working on HTML, JavaScript, and CSS, while a backend engineer may begin working on data migration and structuring the data for the site.

Version control systems such as Git allow for a relatively seamless development process. Engineers with different intentions can collaborate with each other, moving the project forward.

Git: The Ultimate Iterative Process

Git is the epitome of an iterative process in development. By enabling multiple branches and version control, developers can work on various parts of a project simultaneously, making adjustments and refinements without affecting the entire codebase. As each iteration is tested and improved, it gets merged back into the main project, ensuring that every improvement is carefully integrated into the final product.

QA Testing

It’s important to confirm that the work being done is correct. Quality assessment (QA) is an opportunity to spot potential issues and fix them. Fortunately, because this is an iterative process, these changes can be applied to the project, further improving the final outcome.

Tasks can be created in a project and issue tracking tool like Jira. Those individual tasks can be further investigated.

Client QA and Feedback

Now, it’s the client’s turn to review the website. Does the development work as expected based on the designs and the acceptance criteria? Is all functionality in place? Is anything missing?

It’s an important gut-check moment when the client reviews a site for the first time. If a client creates a QA ticket, the same process will be used that was done during internal QA testing.

Development Based on Client Feedback

Developers will fix issues mentioned through client feedback and prepare for launch. Everything should be buttoned up by this point. Any iteration that is done should focus on the small details.

Launch

It’s all come down to this moment. But of course, this is an iterative process, so we won’t stop here.

The launch is an opportunity to celebrate Version 1 of the website. Along the way, conversations may have occurred about additional functionality that was not scoped out in the original project. It won’t be long before we can start developing these ‘nice-to-have’ features.

Post-Launch Support

Typically, there’s a window of time where any issues related to the project can be resolved. This is considered the post-launch support window. Clients have an opportunity to log problems with the project managers, who can then assign tasks to the appropriate engineers. Engineers will then use their version control system to create a new ‘branch’ based on the need.

Maintenance

This is an opportunity for the client to develop features that may not have made sense during initial development or were considered too late in the project. The development cycle will continue again.

Depending on the size of the feature, it may start with planning, discovery, strategy, or design. If it’s a smaller feature, project managers can consult with engineers and develop a plan for it.

Using a Retainer to Achieve the Budget-Friendly Benefits of Iterative Web Development

WordPress development lends itself very well to iterative design, allowing for ongoing improvements, flexibility, and adaptability. Whether you’re refining an idea, adjusting a design, or responding to client feedback, iterative development ensures that your project evolves in line with your goals, delivering a polished product without breaking the bank.

At WebDevStudios, we achieve this through our retainer services for ongoing WordPress support. Whether it’s a full website build accomplished over time or feature improvements, we can use an iterative approach for budget-friendly web development that meets your requirements. Contact WebDevStudios when you’re interested in using this approach on your next WordPress project.

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