When it comes to software development methodology, there’s no one-size-fits-all methodology for every development team. Therefore, selecting a suitable methodology is one of the most challenging aspects of software development.
In fact, discussing the best development methodology that suits your demands, organization’s size, culture, and flexibility are some of the very first basics that need to be discussed with your software development partner.
The past decade has witnessed the growth of numerous software development methodologies with an intent to simplify operations.
For example, the Waterfall restricted to-and-fro motion across the development stages, pushing the growth of Agile, which offered incremental and iterative development.
Selecting from the ‘most widely used software development model’ is only a matter of execution. Depending on the scenario, you might either want to continue with your existing option or consider a new transformation.
Therefore, to call off the conclusion and make informed decisions, let’s look at some of the widely used software development models used these days!
But first, let’s understand what software development methodology is.
What Is Software Development Methodology?
To break it down, software development methodology refers to the structured processes of developing a project. The process is a blend of design philosophies and pragmatic realism. The end goal of a software development methodology is to provide a systematic software development approach.
Software development methodology provides developers with a platform to form seamless communication and operate efficiently as a team. It simplifies communication and determines how the information is shared within the team.
Getting the best out of a given methodology depends upon the true understanding of the different work processes. Therefore, to help simplify the process for your next venture, let’s have a look into the most widely used development models.
Top Software Development Methodologies for 2021 & Beyond
When it comes to the leading development methodology, customers are spoilt with choices. Unfortunately, selecting one ideal pathway for your development can be a confusing factor. Therefore, to help you understand better, we’ve listed some of the top development methodologies for 2021 & beyond.
DevOps Development Methodology
One of the latest addition to the list of most widely practiced methodologies, DevOps enjoys a popularity of 35.9%, making it one of the most widely used methodologies in 2021.
Interestingly, DevOps is not just a methodology but a set of different practices which support organizational culture. A short form of security, development, and operations, this software methodology automates the security integration at every phase of the development stages.
DevOps deployment caters to form a platform for organizational change, allowing the different project departments to collaborate, simplifying operations.
Pros:
- Focused primarily on improving time to market the ready product.
- Lower the rate of failure for new releases.
- Reduce the time between fixes and minimize disruption while maximizing reliability.
- Improve employee productivity and efficiency.
Cons:
- The continuous updates to their systems are unwanted.
- Not very compatible with different development environments.
- Some attributes require manual interaction, hindering the delivery pipeline of the process.
Suitable For:
The DevOps methodology is suitable for startups that need to operate at a faster pace without compromising on the bandwidth.
Agile Development Methodology
Second on our list, Agile is arguably one of the most popular software development methodologies over the years. Agile is enjoying its popularity as a platform with 31.8% global users; Agile takes a different turn from the traditional linear method. The platform is centered on users satisfaction instead of focusing on documentation.
With communication as its priority, Agile breaks down the tasks into short sprints, which can be completed in 1 to 4 weeks of time. With this methodology, the developers are in close contact with the customer and operate over feedbacks to make the necessary changes.
Pros:
- The final product comes up with minimal defects due to real-time testing and fine-tuning.
- Better transparency between team members during development.
- Modifications in the project can be easily managed and rectified without impacting the development timeline.
- Better success rate and overall improvement on deliverable quality.
Cons:
- An overwhelming amount of changes might result in the derailed focus of the project.
- Since Agile prioritizes customer satisfaction, documentation can result in a problem in later stages.
- Discussions and feedback nature of Agile development can be too time-consuming for developers and the entire team.
Suitable For:
The Agile methodology can be an ideal selection of projects that require fast-changing requirements. If you’re venturing into a new niche, you might want to use Agile for development.
Waterfall Development Methodology
One of the oldest methodologies is the list, Waterfall has been around the development industry for decades, and it still continues to be a significant tool with 10% of global users. It operates over simple, linear methods where the stages of development are categorized into cascading, sequential processes.
The simplified language used in this development program makes it more relevant for teams with significant or lesser design experience. However, a challenge with the platform is that developers cannot move into the other stage until the previous one is complete. So, for example, developers need to establish before design can commence.
Pros
- The linearity of this model makes it easy to apprehend, making the development process easy for new developers.
- All the deliverables and specifications need to be well-planned before the development commences.
- Thanks to the well-defined approach practice, there’s no room for miscommunication at any stage.
Cons
- The methodology doesn’t consider the customer feedback during the early stages of development, increasing the risks of veering off target.
- Testing can only be executed once the project is concluded. This makes it hard for developers to fix issues at the later stages.
- The methodology is unsuitable for complex projects as the structural flow of the waterfall leaves no room for changes.
Suitable For:
The waterfall development methodology is a suitable cause only when the project comes with a well-defined scope of development. However, if you’re venturing into a new project, waterfall might be an unsuitable option.
Listed above are the top three methodologies used by leading software development firms around the world. With our list of well-defined objectives around the different platforms, we hope that you now have a detailed idea of the different platforms in action.
Now You Know!
Software development methodologies help you with a guided approach in developing your new software. Now that you have a clear idea of the methodologies initiating operations with your software development partnerwill now be an easier approach.
Remember, while new methodologies come every now and then! Selecting the ideal solution for your team is more about the team structure, goals, experience, and project requirements, among other underlying factors. All the best!
