Software Development Methodologies
Software development methodologies are the frameworks used to plan, structure, and control the information system development process. These methodologies guide teams through the project lifecycle, ensuring efficient and effective software creation.
They help manage the complexities of software projects, ensuring that each phase, from planning to deployment, is executed smoothly.
But the question is: Why do teams choose different methodologies for their projects? What factors influence the decision to select a specific approach? Answering these questions can help decide the best way to develop software for a project based on practical needs.
So, let’s cover it using this expert guide.
Table of Contents
But before we begin let’s find out why these methodologies are essential.
Why Stick to Software Development Methodology?
Selecting and choosing a software development approach consistently throughout the project is critical. Taking the approach for granted carries various risks. Because without proper supervision, the product development team may suffer from challenges include
- Shifting customer satisfaction
- Facing communication gaps and disappointed expectations.
- Low productivity
- Budgetary concerns
- Inadequate project management.
So, the result?
Wastes time, money, and effort and may generate a mediocre application offering little value.
Therefore, software development approaches are designed to assist both the development team members and the client. Choosing the correct option ensures that communication goes through the proper channels and decisions are made considering all factors.
Note that, at OnyxTec, we offer full-cycle software product development services. We use our experience and skills to help early-stage startups and established firms improve their business capabilities.
15 Different Types of Software Development Methodologies
There are various methodologies that you can opt for while developing your applications. It include
Agile Software Development methodology
It is one of the most effective approaches for designing a rigorous software management process while allowing for rapid development project changes.
This approach provides a conceptual foundation for a variety of software engineering projects. Agile development is designed to reduce risk by developing software in short time frames known as iterations, which typically run one week to one month.
- The timely and continual delivery of relevant software achieves customer satisfaction.
- Human interaction is prioritized over process and development technologies.
- Customers, developers, and testers are constantly interacting with each other.
- Agile methodology employs an adjustable strategy that can respond to clients’ changing needs.
- Direct communication and continuous input from customer representatives eliminate guesswork in the system.
- Agile focuses on creating functional software over documentation, which may result in a need for more documentation.
- The project can quickly deviate if the customer representative still determines the desired result.
- Only senior programmers can make the decisions required during the development phase. As a result, New programmers must work with experienced resources.
Waterfall Development Methodology
The waterfall method is often regarded as the most traditional approach to software development.
It is a rigorous linear model with successive phases (requirements, design, implementation, verification, and maintenance) aimed at specific goals.
- The waterfall development method’s linear structure makes it simple to understand and manage.
- It works best for projects with clear objectives and steady requirements.
- Less experienced project managers and teams, as well as teams with a frequently changing composition, may benefit the most from the technique.
- Costly because of its rigid structure and strict controls.
- Slow processing.
Lean Development Methodology
Toyota’s lean manufacturing concepts are the foundation of lean development. It focuses on reducing waste while improving production.
By adhering to the guiding principles, developers can avoid unproductive tasks and can deliver high-quality work.
Moreover, the Toyota-inspired system also promotes continual learning and deferred decision-making. It enables teams to be open-minded during development and explore all options before deciding.
Using the Lean technique, developers are responsible for identifying bottlenecks that may impede the process. Its objective is to develop a proficient system that operates without errors.
- It minimizes project redundancy, such as unnecessary code, extra documentation, and repetitive activities.
- Implementing lean concepts minimizes total development costs.
- It encourages project efficiency, reducing the time to market for software.
- Boosts enthusiasm within the team by granting them greater autonomy in decision-making.
- Lean development necessitates a team of qualified developers, which can take time to form.
- Less-skilled developers may become overwhelmed by their obligations, losing concentration on the project.
- Despite Lean’s goal of reducing waste, there is still a need for extensive documentation, which significantly strains the business analyst.
Scrum
Scrum is a lightweight framework for agile development. It is a component of the Agile Software Development Process, which is based on iterative and incremental software development technology.
It divides the software development process into fixed-length sprints, typically one to four weeks. Each sprint is comprised of four phases:
- Sprint planning: During this stage, the Product Owner establishes a sprint goal and the sprint’s start time.
- Daily Scrum Meeting: The Scrum team meets for around 15 minutes. They specify the progress report and the barriers.
- Sprint Review: At this step, the team proves that the product is ready for customer distribution. The customer, product owner, and Scrum team meet at this point.
- Sprint Retrospective: During this stage, feedback is collected from the team on how they performed in the previous sprint. And what steps need to be taken to improve.
- Provide proper structure for managing complex projects.
- Customer happiness is crucial in Scrum.
- Scrum emphasizes customer value through iterative development and timely feedback.
- Suitable for dynamic projects due to its responsiveness to changing requirements.
- Frequent scrum meetings can be time-consuming and have an impact on productivity.
- The Scrum framework does not enable changes throughout a sprint.
- Not suitable for projects with highly predictable and well-defined criteria.
Rapid application development
Rapid application development (RAD) is a streamlined process that results in a high-quality system with minimal investment cost.
Scott Stiner, the President and CEO of UM Technologies, mentioned in Forbes, “Our developers can swiftly adapt to fluctuating needs in a rapidly evolving and ever-changing market, thanks to this RAD process.” It includes four stages of development:
- Planning for requirements
- Designing for users
- Building
- Transitioning.
- Well-defined business goal and user population.
- RAD is especially beneficial for small—to medium-sized, time-sensitive projects.
- Rapid application development necessitates a consistent team composition of highly qualified developers and users who are deeply versed in the application topic.
- Deep understanding is critical in a restricted development timetable that necessitates approval after each building phase.
DevOps Methodology
DevOps is a popular term in software development that offers many benefits to its users.
The segregated development and operations process differs from the birth of DevOps. These two sections collaborate as a cohesive unit on all procedures throughout life, operating concurrently for all firms.
The models of continuous integration and delivery enable development and operations teams to simultaneously participate in development, quality assurance, security, and other related activities.
Many companies are now using DevOps to improve collaboration and efficiency in all stages of development.
- Faster processes.
- Several ongoing procedures operate simultaneously, enhancing and simplifying the process so organizations can finish on time.
- DevOps enables firms to expand efficiently and achieve specific business outcomes by reacting to market changes.
- Offers Rapid Delivery DevOps elements such as small services, constant delivery provide sustained business operations and prompt changes.
- As the product and infrastructure improve, the goods become stronger and safer, giving them an advantage over competitors.
- Enables firms to develop and enhance products, creating high-quality software.
- It requires a cultural shift.
- DevOps only sometimes results in faster and more secure processes.
- Some firms may need help to ensure both simultaneously for some key software engineering projects.
Prototype Development Methodology
Instead of making a complete software, developers can work on a prototype version of the final product using the prototype approach.
Subsequently, the prototype is made accessible to customers to test, evaluate, and provide comments.
Based on the feedback, the prototype is refined multiple times until the customer is satisfied. The worth of the prototype method comes from its thorough examination, which spots possible defects before the development phase.
Moreover, the effectiveness of this method is determined not just by the development team but also by how well they communicate with clients during the testing process. It’s also worth noting that the developers frequently incur the cost of creating the prototype.
- Effectively addresses possible concerns during early development, lowering the likelihood of product failure.
- Confirm that the prototype meets the customer’s expectations before beginning development work.
- Gather precise information with the prototype, which is used to develop the final version.
- Excessive prototype testing with customers can cause delays in the development timetable.
- Risk of exceeding the budget.
Kanban
Kanban is an excellent project management technique that can improve your workflow. The term “Kanban” comes from the Japanese language and means “visual signal” or “card.” Essentially, you utilize a board with columns depicting the various stages of your strategy and cards to represent jobs or features.
Remember that the board is organized into sections such as “To Do,” “In Progress,” “In Review,” and “Done.” It’s simple to grasp and helps you keep track of everything.
It also allows teams to monitor and regulate at each level and implement adjustments to improve efficiency.
- Kanban is simple to implement and understand.
- Use transparency to motivate process improvement.
- Enables quick reordering of priorities to respond to market demand.
- Limiting work in progress and establishing policies will lead to a greater emphasis on quality and, as a result, higher customer satisfaction.
- Prioritize aids in streamlining processes and workflow to boost the quality of work.
- Managing complicated projects with different teams is tough using Kanban boards.
- It may not guarantee the timely release or completion of tasks or features.
- Kanban does not specify a time frame for tasks or features.
Feature Driven Development
Feature-driven Development (FDD) is an iterative software development technique for big teams working on object-oriented projects. It is suitable for businesses migrating from a phase-based to an iterative approach.
- The Feature Driven Development paradigm tracks project progress using a focused strategy.
- It enables numerous teams to work simultaneously. Which, in turn, saves time.
- FDD assists in moving larger projects and achieving recurring success.
- The five simple steps assist in completing tasks in the shortest amount of time and with the least effort.
- This type of architecture is based on established software development industry standards, making it easier to design and implement industry-recognized best practices.
- It is not an ideal methodology for smaller projects; hence, it is unsuitable for a single software engineer.
- High reliance on the leading developer necessitates that the individual be completely capable of serving as coordinator, lead designer, and mentor.
- Clients are not given written documentation in this process, so they cannot obtain proof of their product.
Dynamic System Methodology
The Rapid Application Development framework provides the foundation for many of the principles of the Dynamic System Model.
This enhanced software development technique focuses on timely delivery and integrating project goals with business needs. There are four recurring stages: study of possibility and business, functional modeling, design and construction, and deployment.
Throughout the process, end users actively participate in offering feedback, decreasing the danger of deviating from the project’s objectives and requirements. The Dynamic Systems Model also includes thorough documentation, uncommon in most Agile frameworks.
- The iterative technique assures timely delivery of essential software functionalities.
- Developers have more control over the development timetable and money.
- The required paperwork is created during the development process.
- It aids in the communication between the final users and the developers, ensuring the team stays on course.
- Execution can be costly due to user and developer participation, including significant training costs.
- Smaller teams may need help to adopt this practice successfully.
- The model’s concept and implementation are highly sophisticated and challenging to accept and execute.
Spiral Approach
The Spiral Approach is an advanced model that emphasizes the early identification and reduction of project risks.
In this software creation procedure, developers start on a small scale, examine the project’s associated risks, formulate a strategy for risk management, and decide whether to advance the project to the next spiral iteration.
- Because of the extensive risk analysis performed, the likelihood of avoiding potential risks is significantly lowered by this approach.
- This approach is suitable for large-scale and crucial projects.
- This model develops quickly and systematically adds features.
- It is more appropriate for high-stakes initiatives where business needs frequently fluctuate.
- It is undoubtedly an expensive model to utilize in terms of development.
- The risk analysis phase is crucial for the success of the entire project. If this stage is unsuccessful, the whole project could be at risk.
- This is not appropriate for tasks with minimal risk. The major disadvantage of this system is that it may continue forever.
- Documentation is more comprehensive as it encompasses intermediary stages.
Extreme programming methodology
Extreme Programming (XP) is an agile software development methodology. This methodology, often known as XP, is primarily used to develop software in a volatile environment.
It provides additional flexibility during the modeling process. The primary purpose of the XP paradigm is to reduce the cost of software requirements.
- It enables software development firms to conserve resources and time during project execution.
- Time savings are attainable since XP focuses on the timely delivery of finished products.
- Extreme Programming teams save a lot of money since they utilize minimal documentation. They frequently handle difficulties by having team conversations.
- It also aids in developing sensible plans and schedules, as well as the personal commitment of developers to their schedules, which is undoubtedly a significant advantage of the XP model.
- Some experts argue that Extreme Programming focuses on code rather than design. This could be a worry because the appropriate design is crucial for software applications.
- The lack of defect documentation may result in the emergence of similar defects in the future.
- This software development methodology necessitates numerous meetings at a significant cost to clients.
- It necessitates several development changes, requiring more work for software developers regularly.
The Rational Unified Process (RUP) Methodology
The Rational Unified Process (RUP) is a software development technique that adapts to any project’s complexities and diverse needs.
Unlike the more flexible Agile approaches, RUP is highly structured, splitting the development process into four different stages such as:
- Inception
- Elaboration
- Construction
- Transition
The RUP approach name speaks for itself. It is a highly structured strategy that ensures detailed documentation and rigorous development processes.
- Iterative strategy with defined phases enables early risk identification and mitigation.
- Emphasizes architectural solid design, which leads to improved software quality and maintainability.
- Definite benchmarks and phases render the procedure more foreseeable. Predictability, in turn, helps with budgeting and time management.
- Demands substantial resources and could be costly, particularly for small groups or startups with restricted finances.
- RUP’s thorough and systematic nature can be burdensome for smaller projects or teams unfamiliar with rigorous procedures.
- RUP has limited flexibility which can cause delay in development.
Adaptive Software Development Methodology
The Adaptive Software Development (ASD) software development process emphasizes flexibility and learning through an iterative cycle of speculation, cooperation, and learning.
These three are the pillars of this system, allowing it to thrive in unpredictable and rapidly changing contexts. That is why the ASD technique is an appropriate alternative for businesses looking to develop quickly.
Unlike traditional methods, which rely primarily on rigid planning and control, ASD is about responding to real-time changing requirements.
- Rapid iterations and continual adaptation enable startups to respond quickly to market demands.
- It promotes experimentation and learning, making it excellent for entrepreneurs exploring and testing new concepts.
- Continuous feedback loops with stakeholders guarantee that the product evolves in response to user demands and preferences.
- Scaling up with ASD initiatives might be problematic due to their unstructured practices.
- Requires a highly skilled and collaborative team capable of handling autonomy and making quick judgments without continual monitoring.
- The emphasis on adaptation and change may result in minimal documentation, affecting future scalability or maintenance.
Joint Application Development
It is an approach for defining requirements and developing user interfaces in which end users, clients, and developers collaborate in intensive off-site sessions to design and finalize software systems.
This method seeks to engage the client in the formation and progression of an application. JAD sessions achieve specific aims through a series of collaborative workshops.
Apart from it, this model’s primary goal is to tackle the business problem rather than technical specifics. Hence, it is ideally suited for the development of business systems.
- It facilitates the concurrent gathering and amalgamation of vast quantities of data.
- The engagement between the organization and the clients reduces all hazards.
- This software development style efficiently generates high-quality data quickly, lowering the cost and time required for project development.
- Rapidly resolves conflicts with the organizer’s aid.
- It gives a platform for discussing multiple points of view on a topic.
- The JAD approach takes a long time because it requires extensive planning and scheduling from the project development team.
- Significant time and effort commitment is required from investors.
- This strategy looks for skilled and experienced staff to ensure the project’s successful execution.
- Different perspectives within the team make it challenging to align goals and stay focused.
Conclusion
The above software development approaches are highly significant and are commonly utilized for various software development projects.
Moreover, based on the type of the project, all these notable software development methodologies are efficient. It is common for one methodology to be appropriate for one project but inappropriate for another.
But note that, none of these software development approaches is failsafe; each has its own pros and cons. Therefore, software developers must be familiar with all of these methodologies before deciding which one to use for their projects.
It is important to consult a competent software development business like Onyxtec to get the best results.
FAQ
What are the six primary SDLC methodologies?
- Agile technique.
- DevOps methodology.
- Iterative technique.
- Waterfall approach.
- Lean approach.
- Spiral technique.
What is the difference between SDLC and Agile?
Agile is a methodology; Whereas SDLC is a process. SDLC includes various methods, including Agile. Several SDLC techniques include Agile, Waterfall, Unified Model, V Model, and Spiral Model.
