What is Software Development Methodology?

Several software is planned, designed, developed, and rolled out every day, and each of these processes requires immense focus and team collaboration.

software development methodologies
For this purpose, software companies consider software development methodologies to evaluate client requirements and fabricate a robust business solution within schedule.

Whether you are a client of some development company or working as an internal team member of a development team, it is necessary to know the methodologies for better collaboration and quality final product.

So, let’s get ahead together and understand the concepts, involved steps, pros, cons, and get all the information about software development methods.

A rundown of the Software Development Methods

Before reaching the types of software development methodologies, it is vital to learn about a development method.

It’s nothing complicated as you think; the development method is a straightforward process, consisting of some steps, phases, and guidelines, which are followed by the development team until your software is not delivered.

A reliable methodology is an essential component of any software project, as it guides the team to cover edge-to-edge clients’ business requirements and promises a feature-packed application. In addition, it also aids both parties to communicate and complete the software creation economically and timely effectively.

There is not a single structure or a process, followed by every IT firm. However, some steps are involved in every development methodology.

Collecting requirements from the stakeholders, developing a plan, crafting designs, innovating and testing the product, and finally delivering it to the client. These are some of the major components or the fundamental pillars of every software creation approach.

With many authentic procedures available today, you can be confused about picking out a relevant one for your project. But, for making your decision quick and definitive, you must ask yourself below listed questions:

1. What type of project is going to be developed? Whether it is a web app, single page application, desktop software, or a mobile app?
2. What features do you want to integrate into the business solution?
3. Which technology are you going to utilize?
4. What is your team size, budget, and timeline?
5. Evaluate whether the client needs a prototype or just the final product?
6. Analyze the complexity and risks involved in the project?

You can add as many aspects for assessing and selecting the right software development approach for your project. Further, we have outlined the most considered methodologies for software creation, which you can quickly adapt for maximizing efficiency.

Let’s look upon the different Software Development Methodologies

Knowing the most considerable and preferred development methodologies is a must for every team member in the development team. So, let’s get through them and optimize the procedure of your software creation.

Also, as per the statistics evaluated in 2021, DevOps Development Methodology is utilized by 35.9% of the companies. The rest of the 64.1% of firms prefer Agile, Kanban, Waterfall, Scrum, and Lean methodologies.

Waterfall Model Methodology

If you are working in software development, you must have heard about the Waterfall approach.

It is the traditional and most essential procedure for furnishing a business application. Its linear structure divides the overall process into different phases, performed one after another. The output of the first phase is used as the input of the next phase.

The information gathered and analyzed in the first phase is utilized for designing the software, and designs are further taken as input for writing code. This procedure continues until the last phase is not reached.

If your project is simple, such as a static website, and you want to develop it at minimum cost, this can be the appropriate approach.

Pros:

• Clear and easy to follow the structure
• Tasks can be effortlessly assigned to each team member
• Final product goals are accurately set
• Information is robustly transferred from one to another phase
• The schedule is fixed, leading to having a higher chance of completing it before the deadline

Cons:

• Projects with dynamic changes cannot be handled
• Not possible to measure output before final production
• The development team is not capable of identifying all the risks

Agile Software Development Methodology

Agile is one of the most popular development methodologies utilized by small tech startups to large MNCs. In this approach, small-term cycles, known as iterations, are executed multiple times for including all the modifications and changes defined by the client.

By analyzing the below-provided illustration of Agile methodology, you can get a better insight into its procedure. Design, Development, and testing phases are performed constantly whenever a new business demand is received from the client.

Iterations make this development procedure flexible, and the client is assured with feature-rich quality software.

The primary purpose of iterations is to add new functionalities, integrate APIs, configure protocols, and align the solution with industry standards. Moreover, it aids the development team in removing backlogs and providing a better version after each iteration.

If your ally is ever unclear about its software need and the project is being crafted using different technologies, you must use this software development method.

Pros:

• Errors and Bugs are reduced in the final version
• Developers can embed cutting-edge features in software
• The budget is planned before initiating any iteration
• Only the essential modifications are performed, as analysis is performed before implanting it.
• Large and complex projects can be flawlessly handled

Cons:

• Project Management professionals are required to guide Agile project
• Constant communication between the development team and client is mandatory
• Time-to-market can be increased due to excessive modifications

Prototype Development Methodology

When it comes to saving cost, rather than performing multiple development iterations, the Prototype method tops the list of any project manager.

You must have heard about prototypes and maybe even generated or reviewed one at some point.

The prototype can be a blueprint, image, or video, representing the look and defining the basic functionalities of the final software. The main objective of selecting this mechanism is to clarify the client requisites to the development team and reduce risks during the development phase.

As shown below, the only process executed multiple times in this methodology is designing a prototype, getting it reviewed by the customer, collecting and analyzing feedback, and creating a prototype as per new details.

This procedure is performed continuously until the client does not approve the prototype. Once the prototype is finalized, only the Development and testing phase is initiated.

Pros:

• Risks are identified and resolved in the initial stage
• The development procedure is streamlined
• The team is clear about all the technologies to be integrated into the solution.
• Client and team have ample time to discuss and finalize changes

Cons:

• More changes can expand the schedule
• The total cost can be evaluated only after finalizing the prototype
• Not suitable for a project with several changing requirements

Lean Development Methodology

As the name suggests, the Lean development approach consists of minimum phases to optimize productivity and reduce cost.

This method is selected to create an application quickly, adding only crucial features and functionalities. First, the team and client discuss the project and based on collected information, concepts are created, which are taken as a reference for the development process.

Further, the feedback is collected from stakeholders, and only relevant modifications are performed to patch loopholes and handle exceptions.

Additionally, the project team is focused on identifying maximum risks before Development to ensure a smooth workflow.

Pros:

• There are no repetitive tasks, which cuts the cost and makes the project economical.
• Software is rolled out in minimum time.
• A fixed cost can be calculated for the entire procedure

Cons:

• Finding skilled human resources for fast Development is not easy
• Developing software without proper design can create bottlenecks

Scrum Methodology

Scrum is a type of Agile methodology, but the only difference is it uses sprints instead of iterations.

In simple terms, a sprint is a fixed amount of time in which a development team has to complete their work—the primary goal of executing sprints is to remove backlogs from the project.

Planning, Standup meetings, Demo, and Retrospectives are the primary components of a sprint. At first, a meeting is arranged with the client to plan and assign work to team members for the next 2 to 4 weeks.

Further, daily meetings are conducted, in which each team member has to share their current progress. Then, after completing all the defined tasks, the manager checks the product, and a report is sent to the customer for feedback. And, at last, the team performs a weekly meeting to discuss the barriers during sprint how they can be eliminated further.

After completing the planned tasks and assessing retrospectives, newsprint is started, and this procedure is continued up to software delivery.

Pros:

• Better Collaboration between client and team
• Quality products are furnished
• Bugs, errors, and glitches are easily removed due to regular sprints
• Enhanced flexibility
• Team Management is easy
• Changes are integrated impeccably

Cons:

• An expert team is required due to fast pace work culture
• Not suitable for large-scale project
• Wavering cost

DevOps Methodology

The adoption of DevOps methodology is rapidly growing due to its efficient collaboration structure leading to shortening the development time.

Deploying and maintaining software is the responsibility of the IT team, which works independently from the development team. However, by following this approach, you can enable both these teams to join forces and foster the innovation of robust software.

As a result, you can ensure a single ultimate team with no communication barriers, providing a well-architect ground to build, test, and roll out the application.

Pros:

• Rapid product delivery to the client
• Modifications are deployed effortlessly
• Simultaneously working of both teams guarantees better results
• Disruption is minimized

Cons:

• Traditional working culture needs to be changed
• Extensive testing and interaction between teammates
• The requirement of advanced tools can increase the project budget

Conclusion

Several applications are coming into the market day-by-day, and each development firm follows a methodology for creating every software. Several methods are available, which can help you to pave your way to craft appealing and cutting-edge software. However, for selecting the most relevant approach, one must know about the basics and most reliable methodologies.