Top 5 Methodologies to Adopt for Software Development Project
Every business needs a model to be followed for the construction of any product. These models define a complete set of work processes to be performed in the most efficient way containing all the prioritized tasks. Software development companies rely greatly on the methodologies, organizes their development process and manages the team based on that approach. There are certain software development methodologies that define a workflow for the teams and improve their performance for better quality software projects. Each methodology involves different phases, strategies and techniques to manage the software development life cycle. As every software methodology contains a large number of benefits, there are certain disadvantages as well; companies should adopt the one that completely adjusts in their development environment.
Software development methodologies aren’t changed every now and then but are transformed according to the needs of every software organization. In this article you are going to learn about the top methodologies you can adopt for your next software development project.
- Waterfall Model
The waterfall model is the oldest and traditional approach adopted for the software development process. This sequential approach flows steadily downwards and typically passes through the phases of analysis, software requirement specifications, design, development, testing, deployment, and maintenance. The linear approach this methodology follows makes it easy for the project managers to understand the whole process and manage it in an efficient way.
It accomplishes distinct goals set by the managers, the team can only move towards the next phase when the previous phase has been completely finished. Once the requirements are specified stakeholders and owners can’t change it, thus benefiting projects with clear objectives. Waterfall methodology has no returning back even when certain changes are to be performed.
- Agile Model
Agile model is the most common type of development methodology that is widely used by various companies. It efficiently responds to changes, provides improved quality by quickly identifying errors and allows direct communication between stakeholders and managers. The main goal of this popular methodology is to incorporate changes within the project by deploying time to time modules.
It works on iterations that include all the tasks needed to be accomplished within that specific time frame. These iterations are mini software projects and are delivered soon after the completion and involve the review process which helps in adding certain functionality into the project. Agile doesn’t focus on documenting requirement specifications instead practically implement projects to meet the changing needs of clients.
- Spiral Method
The spiral method is an extended version of the waterfall methodology which adds certain advantages for an effective development. It adds a rapid prototyping and successfully combines the bottom up and to top-down approach functionalities.
Spiral model benefits large companies who deal in complex systems helping them to develop faster and complicated projects.
It emphasizes the phase of iterative risk analysis by early identification and reduction of all the risks that arise within the development process. This approach is generally chosen over the waterfall one due to the large set of facilities it provides. The whole software project is divided into smaller manageable segments in order to assess the risk and minimize its occurrence at an early stage.
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- Scrum Framework
Scrum is a framework of Agile software development methodology and extends its functionalities following iterative and incremental approach. It helps in developing a comparatively flexible project with a powerful development strategy bringing the end goal closer.
This method focuses on close collaboration and uses online management tools monitoring the team’s performance and performing time-to-time communication to maintain discipline. It maximizes the team’s ability to ensure quick delivery according to the requirements and increase their capability to adopt the evolving technologies and work according to the changing conditions and requirements. Scrum gives a backlog of prioritized work in the series of short time sprints, planning sessions are performed for each sprint discussing all the important aspects, objectives, goals.
- Rapid Application Development
Rapid Application Development reduces the amount of effort required to create a product by focusing on four main phases namely requirements planning, user design, construction, and cutover. As the name implies, RAD provides quick results and is faster than the rest of the methodologies by adjusting quickly according to the needs.
The first two phases have the ability to repeat until stakeholders approve all the requirements and specifications removing the risk of clarity. Software development services involve low-investment costs but works on producing high-quality software systems. It is effective for projects containing well-defined objectives and useful for small to medium size projects. RAD builds prototypes along with the workshops for the requirements phase.
Conclusion
Every business involves a specific methodology that provides a workflow for all the upcoming processes. Each software company should choose the model that complements their business activities and shouldn’t limit themselves to only one. This post would clear all your misconceptions regarding the methodologies making it easy for you to adopt the perfect model for your next software development project.
