Successful projects are managed well. To manage a project efficiently, the manager or development team must choose the software development methodology that will work best for the project at hand. All methodologies have different strengths and weaknesses and exist for different reasons.
You can read about the software development methodologies on your own or contact a software development company in Toronto, Canada. In this blog, the most widely utilized and recognized software development methodologies help you decide which is right for your team.
Agile Development Methodology
Teams use the agile development methodology to minimize risks (such as bugs, cost overruns, and changing requirements) when adding new functionality. In all agile methods, teams develop the software in iterations that contain mini-increments of the new functionality. There are many different forms of the agile development method, including scrum, crystal, extreme programming (XP), and feature-driven development (FDD).
Agile development methods are similar to rapid application development and can be inefficient in large organizations. Programmers, managers, and organizations accustomed to the waterfall method may have difficulty adjusting to an agile SDLC. So a hybrid approach often works well for them.
DevOps Deployment Methodology
DevOps is a compound term that involves Dev - software development and Ops - IT operations. The main idea of the method is to combine the two sides of the application building - the software development and the improvement of the development processes into one.
In DevOps, the development teams build applications in iterations and at the same time focus on process automation, data transparency, and quick feedback. This allows them to accelerate product delivery while also preserving its high quality, reliability, and consistency.
Waterfall Development Method
When it comes to software development, Waterfall is the most traditional and sequential choice. Although it’s usually viewed as an ”old school” or outdated method, it’s helpful to understand the history and structure of Waterfall to better appreciate the flexibility of more modern methodologies. First created in 1970, Waterfall was one of the most prominent methodologies for several decades because of its plan-driven approach.
Waterfall requires plenty of structure and documentation up front. It is divided into self-contained stages or steps. The first stage is vital, requiring a full understanding by both developers and customers of the project’s demands and scope before anything begins. The stages are relatively rigid and often follow this sequence: determine the project’s requirements and scope, analyze those requirements, design, implement, test, deploy, and finally, maintain.
Rapid Application Development
Rapid Application Development (RAD) is an effective methodology that provides much quicker development and higher-quality results than those achieved with other software development methodologies. It is designed in such a way that it easily takes maximum advantage of the software development. The main objective of rapid application development methodology is to accelerate the entire software development process. While you can explicitly hire a developer to perform the rapid application, you can hire a software development company in Toronto to complete the development process.
The goal is easily achievable because it allows active user participation in the development process. The method allows for the minimization of risks related to product development, release, and promotion as well as ensures high compliance with user demands. RAD suits best small and medium-sized projects for which time is crucial.
Dynamic Systems Development Model Methodology
The dynamic Systems Development Model is a software development methodology originally based on the Rapid Application Development methodology. This is an iterative and incremental approach that emphasizes continuous user involvement. Its main aim is to deliver software systems on time and within budget. This model simply works on the philosophy that nothing is developed perfectly in the first attempt and considers it an ever-changing process.
Conclusion
The above software development methodologies are very important which are mostly used for various software development projects. Moreover, all these popular software development methodologies work well in certain projects depending upon the nature of the project. It often happens that one methodology that is suited for a particular project may not be suited for another project.
Moreover, none of these software development methodologies are foolproof as each has its pros and cons. So, software developers must have information about all these methodologies before selecting any of these development methods for their software development projects.