Software project development is a long and drawn-out process that requires careful attention and planning. When building technology solutions, software development agencies adopt different software delivery models or processes called software development life cycle models or methodologies.
A software development life cycle model is a defined set of steps that a developer or development team adopts to build a tech product. There are up to fifty types of Software development models, and each of them has its advantages and disadvantages.
In this article, we’ll look at seven types of SDLC methodologies for developing software, including DevOps and hybrid development. Ultimately, you should be able to tell which of them is the best fit for your project and development teams.
- What Is A Software Development Life Cycle?
- 7 Top Software Development Methodologies
- 1. DevOps (Development and Operations) Methodology
- Pros and Cons of DevOps Methodology
- 2. Lean Methodology
- Pros and cons of Lean Methodology
- Scrum development methodology
- Pros and cons of Scrum Methodology
- 4. Kanban methodology
- Pros and cons of Kanban Methodology
- 5. Agile Methodology
- Pros and cons of Agile methodology
- 6. Waterfall Methodology
- Pros and Cons of The Waterfall Methodology
- 7. Hybrid Development Methodology
- Pros and cons of Hybrid development
- Conclusion
What Is A Software Development Life Cycle?
A software development life cycle refers to the process required to develop a fully functional software product of high quality. Developers can plan their process from analysis to design and deployment in a way that can minimize costs for clients and reduce the time spent on the development process.
The specific phases in the software development life cycle are dependent on the type of product and the process the team wishes to follow. But there are basic steps that are present in all software development processes. They are:
- Requirement analysis
- Planning
- Product design
- Coding
- Product testing
- Deployment
- Data analytics and maintenance
To choose the best software development model for your tech product, you must consider some factors. They are:
- The level of complexity associated with the product
- The nature of the product
- And the size of your team
7 Top Software Development Methodologies
Let’s consider seven of the top software development models available.
1. DevOps (Development and Operations) Methodology
The central selling point for DevOps is that it can complete your projects quickly with collaboration entwined in the process. DevOps aims to deliver your project efficiently and quickly with as few problems as possible.
Pros and Cons of DevOps Methodology
Some of the advantages of DevOps include the following:
- Information sharing and faster delivery through collaboration
- High performance and efficiency
- Detecting and correcting errors without disrupting other processes
- Prompt feature implementation
While DevOps has its advantages, it also has some cons. They are:
- High-demand DevOps experts, which are costly to hire
- May not work in specific work environments
- Requires the agency to rethink their current culture
- DevOps implementation isn’t straightforward
2. Lean Methodology
The lean methodology involves focusing on the most valuable and essential elements of the product, thereby creating enough time to give each task the attention required to bring it up to standard. It aims to complete the project improvement far quicker than ordinary; hence, it’s the go-to methodology for projects with a limited workflow and budget.
In contrast with other software development methodologies, the lean model works best for existing projects requiring significant improvement or a total overhaul. This methodology comes in handy when a team or business wants to change its product in significant ways in response to modern technology trends and standards.
Although it was invented by Toyota employees in Japan in the middle of the 20th century, people use the lean methodology in various industries, including software development
Pros and cons of Lean Methodology
The significant advantages of adopting the lean software development model include the following:
- Great for projects on a low budget
- Executes improvements quicker
- Works best for existing products that need technological updates
On the side of disadvantages, it has:
- Requires detailed documentation for the developer’s understanding
- It needs expert experience and knowledge; hence, only the best and most skilled developers can implement
Scrum development methodology
The Scrum Methodology is a development model under the agile methodology. With Scrum, testing and making an adjustment is made easier by making the product fully functional through every step of the building process. This singular move makes Scrum extraordinarily adaptable and flexible.
Each testing round is in-depth, and the team can implement changes rather quickly. Therefore, smaller project teams that require recurrent implementation and testing will benefit more from using Scrum.
The Scrum Methodology views the project through the MVP (minimum viable product) glasses that allow the team to test and improve the project as they go. Through each process, development heads must maintain collaborative contact with their team.
Pros and cons of Scrum Methodology
Along with its own pros, the Scrum project development process possesses some of the advantages of the agile methodology, including:
- Flexibility and adaptability
- Executes adjustments and fixes quickly
- Suited for projects with smaller time frames
However, there are also disadvantages of Scrum. They include:
- Lack of adequate documentation, especially when quick changes have been made
- Needs senior developers to oversee project progress
- Requires precision planning before starting the development process
4. Kanban methodology
The kanban methodology supports software projects that need continuous improvement and maintenance. Its primary focus is on the most essential features of the product and sets out to maintain improved functionalities.
Much like the waterfall model, smaller development teams will benefit from adopting this model. By focusing on quality rather than project management and planning, Kanban is adaptable and reduces the need for meetings, providing developers more time to do their jobs.
Pros and cons of Kanban Methodology
The main advantages of the kanban methodology include the following:
- Intuitive user interface using sticky notes and whiteboard to show project progression through each stage and task
- Faster development process due to focusing on essential features first
- The software doesn’t require any upfront payment
- No additional training is required by the development team to use this model
- Adaptable for low-budget projects
Development teams considering the kanban model should also be aware of the following cons:
- Unpredictable timescales make it harder to implement kanban for more extended product development
- Using sticky notes makes it unsuitable for project planning
5. Agile Methodology
Agile is a development methodology that involves breaking down the project into iterative, quick tasks known as sprints. In each task, every team member involved collaborates simultaneously to work on different parts of the project.
Compared to its waterfall counterpart, Agile is the more flexible option among the bunch. It’s not wholly a development model; instead, it’s the guiding principles that developers engage in for project management.
Several other approaches fit under the agile umbrella. They include Scrum, Kanban, and Extreme Programming (XP).
Pros and cons of Agile methodology
Development teams prefer the agile model for software development due to the following reasons:
- Agile aids in timely improvements thanks to its flexible nature
- The team can work on the project by breaking it into manageable sprints that require periodic testing and adjustments.
- The chances of failure are low
Despite these great benefits built around flexibility, the agile methodology also has its pitfalls. They include the following:
- Short-term sprints make it easier for team members to forget the project’s bigger picture
- Less time is spent planning while the team focuses on faster production and may overlook certain quality markers
- The constantly changing process makes it difficult to estimate costs and determine if the final result will match the costs incurred
6. Waterfall Methodology
The waterfall is the oldest and most reliable software development model. It’s a strict step-by-step process that your team would adhere to when building the product.
When you and your team are working on a one-time, minor, or long-term project, the waterfall methodology is known to be your best bet for building your product in time.
Waterfall also works well for projects where you’re dealing with sensitive data that must not proceed beyond your team. Through the strict process, the waterfall helps to prevent the dire consequences of human error.
The stages of a waterfall are in a top to the bottom position, just like the name, waterfall. They are requirement analysis, design, implementation, testing, deployment, and maintenance
Since the team must follow the process from the top down, there’s no room for testing along the way or implementing adjustments outside the timeframe. Hence, this can cause serious consequences for the product. Let’s examine some pros and cons of using the waterfall SLDC methodology.
Pros and Cons of The Waterfall Methodology
Some advantages of using the waterfall software development model are:
- Straightforward.
- Great for building long-term or one-off projects.
- Its predictability makes it easy for the team to create realistic timelines, meet deadlines, and estimate project development costs.
- Every team member is clear about the stage-by-stage expectations and deliverables.
Waterfall also has disadvantages that include the following:
- Waterfall’s cascading model, which the team strictly adheres to, renders the process inflexible. Therefore, it doesn’t make room for change easily.
- Because the product festers cannot test the product outside the testing time frame, it’s become difficult to pinpoint product features that don’t fit in.
- Waterfall’s straightjacket procedure makes the testing processes harder and more time-consuming. If any issues are found, it becomes harder and too late to make changes, major or minor.
- Waterfall sets testing close to the deadline and launch, meaning that the testing and implementing changes would be rushed. At the same time, the team overlooks certain issues, resulting in a lower standard of quality.
7. Hybrid Development Methodology
Hybrid development combines the flexibility and speed of the agile approach with the foundation and organization of the waterfall approach. For each project, hybrid creates a mix of both models that’s best suited to that specific project.
The hybrid process can start with using the analyze, design, execute and test format of the waterfall model. Then proceed to use the flexibility of the agile methodology to break each step into smaller chunks, foster collaborative teamwork and customer relation, and place importance on results rather than documentation.
Pros and cons of Hybrid development
The main advantage of using the hybrid methodology to build your project is that it mixes and matches the best parts of the agile and waterfall approaches to software development. On the other hand, it’s possible to mix and match the wrong way, causing quality drops where they could’ve been avoided.
Conclusion
These are just seven of the numerous software development methodologies. Some are best for long-term projects that require flexibility, while others are better for short-term projects. To choose the one that suits your project, consider your team’s current workflow methods and values.
