How to choose Software Development Methodologies
Choosing a way to organize and manage the project isn’t an easy task – there are too many individual variables that depend on the type of team and the project. In this post, we won’t aim to single out the best methodology in software development. This approach simply doesn’t work – it’s up to you and your team to decide. So, we’ll do something better – we’ll go over the most common software development strategies and take a look at benefits and drawbacks.'
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What is a software development methodology?
Software development is a sophisticated and demanding
process. It implies dividing the workload into specific segments for its faster
management. A project manager knows how to divide the tasks into modules,
distribute them among different roles, and monitor the progress of their
implementation. Software development methodology implies dividing the majority
of effort to smaller increments of tasks that can be managed on a daily basis.
The success rate of any project depends on many different factors, including
team dynamics, constant cooperation between stakeholders, quality control and
other important variables.
What is a software development process?
The software development process is an iterative, recursive
and exciting process of making things. It is also time-consuming and expensive,
but that doesn’t mean it has to be boring or frustrating. By applying a
specific methodology, you will be able to bring rigor to your process while
allowing enough leeway to allow for your ideas and creativity to flourish.
The most common software development methodologies
There are a minimum of 20–30 different software development
approaches available. Like Agile and Waterfall, some have big distinctions
while others merely have minor ones. Here is our final assessment.
Waterfall
The waterfall paradigm is one that promotes a planned,
predictable process in which one stage must be finished before moving on to the
next.
Waterfall development stages
The most important thing to keep in mind is that depending
on the needs of the project and the team's goals, the precise number and titles
of the Waterfall development stages change. The typical stages of Waterfall
development are listed below.
·
The team develops the functionality, interface,
performance, and examines how the product relates to business objectives
throughout the stage of gathering requirements.
·
Design: Teams of programmers choose tech stacks,
choose the databases they want to use, and set up the technology. The interface
is made by UX and UI designers, who also construct user personas.
·
Build: Programmers create code for software
features (user-end and server-end).
·
Deployment involves testing the code before
uploading it to the server.
·
Upkeep: The group supports the application's
finished version.
Agile
In software development, agile involves many iterations of
the development and testing phases. Because they collaborate and may do work
simultaneously, developers, designers, and testers give the project
flexibility.
The following core manifesto, which is built on four values,
serves as the foundation for agile:
·
Individual connections are prioritised over
tools and processes; individuals come first;
·
Collaboration takes precedence over negotiation:
Instead of negotiating the best one-sided contract, the team tries to reach a compromise
with the product owner;
·
Long-term aspirations are honoured but may need
to be set aside when circumstances change.
·
Developers should prioritise producing code over
thorough documentation and devote more time to this task.
Prototype methodology
The name of the methodology adequately conveys its main
idea. The minimal functionality and interface in this test version is
sufficient to demonstrate the functionality of the product and the business
concept.
Characteristics of the prototype methodology
·
The project starts with defining requirements
for the final product and the ultimate business model. Then, they are stripped
down to the minimal version, leaving only characteristics that are necessary
for the execution of essential features.
·
The minimal viable product is conceptualized and
designed. UX designers analyze the target audience for the project, whereas UI
designers select actual graphic elements.
·
The build stage. Developers create code for the
basic backend and frontend functionality.
·
Beta-testing. The MPV is released to a small
group of users who evaluate the functionality and detect bugs.
·
After the prototype was evaluated by users, the
team analyzes the feedback and creates the next iteration of the product.
Rapid application development (RAD)
The Agile and prototype models are comparable to RAD. It
focuses the speed of delivery over other metrics while stressing the value of
creating a minimal viable product, similar to these software engineering
techniques. New product interactions should be swiftly released by developers
without focusing too much on perfection. These limitations are not present in
the standard prototype model.
Dynamic system development (DSDM)
The DSDM technique views the product as a complicated system
rather than merely a set of features or code files. Each piece of software is
rated according to the real value it offers companies. Understanding how
businesses operate, defining precise strategies and objectives, and reflecting
these goals in the business logic of the application are the development team's
top priorities.
It should be noted that systems development techniques don't
have to be independent. Agile, prototype development, and rapid development can
all be integrated with DSDM. The emphasis is now more on conducting in-depth
market research, understanding strategy, and business analysis.
The DSDM process is divided into five main phases: system
design, functional model ideation, feasibility study, business research, and
implementation. The majority of these stages, as you can see, take place in the
first half of the product development process. DSDM places a strong emphasis on
ensuring that the product will have the desired effects on the business and the
market.
Spiral methodology
The spiral model isn’t a standalone methodology – it can be
used with Agile, Waterfall, Prototyping, RAD, and even DSDM. The model’s
purpose is to provide the visualization and detailed descriptions of all risks
associated with the software products.
·
Spiral software development methods follow the
standard product development process – only for each stage, involved parties
need to present partners and product owners with the rundown of likely risks
with a probability evaluation.
·
Each project is completed in loops. Similar to
sprints and test points, loops of spiral methodology define the task or a
cluster of tasks that a team will work on during a given period. The more
complex the project is, the more loops it needs.
·
The riskier the project is, the higher will be
the number of loops. Putting too many risks in a single loop is not recommended.
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