5 mostly used software development methodologies in 2022. How to choose?
Why is it important to be well-informed about the methodologies??
Every business has its own structure, management style, aims and goals. All these points form the success of the business.
In order to manage the product and to be satisfied with the result it’s important to understand the workflow and the way of communication with an outsourcing software company during the development process. Otherwise the final product will leave much to be desired.
Every methodology differs by distinct formats, approaches, and techniques. Each of them has got diverse goals as well as strengths and weaknesses. While choosing a methodology it’s important to take into account what kind of project it is, the budget, deadlines etc.
Different methodologies shine in different situations ?.?
Let’s see through the most popular approaches commonly used by the software companies in 2022.
AGILE
What is it?
Agile is the culture of a workstyle which is formed by several methodologies. Apart from the main goal – to enhance the productivity of a software development process, the idea of Agile is flexibility and to be open for changes and adapt to the clients’ needs.
Antonym to Agile is a fixed and non-flexible development process.
How does it work?
The whole software development process is split into smaller parts – iterations. Each iteration has got a 2-4-weeks’ period and is represented to the client. The owner of the project is free either to accept the iteration or import any idea. The next iteration of the development depends on the previous one.
The process is made in close contact between the client and the developing group.
Thanks to Agile, it’s possible to control several projects simultaneously and create software products of a top quality in short terms.
Who can use it?
Yes: Agile has become widely-spread these days. Many big businesses use it: IBM, Apple, Procter & Gamble, and even Microsoft.
The approach is suitable for various fields starting from aerospace, pharmaceutical, engineering, construction till content management.
The flexible philosophy can be implanted in businesses of any size. The only condition is the desire to change the mindset.
No: Agile is not suitable for small-scale projects.
The Pros and Cons
It is always up to the client to decide whether Agile fits the model of business or not. Here are benefits and drawbacks of this kind of methodology.
DevOps?
What is it?
It’s a mindset, a specific culture of software development process the main principles of which are communication and collaboration.
Traditionally, the working teams of the Development, QA and the Operations departments are isolated. This fact makes difficulties in contact during the developing process. It takes long and more effort to reach the proper result.
DevOps is an evolutionary approach that unies all the departments involved, oversimplifies and speeds up the release of the software product by breaking the gap between two working departments.
How does it work???
The developers, QA and operations teams collaborate directly in tandem throughout the lifecycle of the product from design to testing and support. The groups have crossed responsibilities and know the processes of each other.
DevOps gives an advantage to innovate faster and to generate highly-reliable software products. More and more huge businesses have implanted the methodology in a wide range of domains.
Who can use it?
Yes: The methodology is suitable for big enterprises and huge businesses that prefer to pay money and get a quick and a top-quality product.
No: DevOps is rarely used in small companies. If it`s a kind of short project there’s no need for highly-paid DevOps specialists and tools.
The Pros and Cons
Other pluses and minuses are in the table below.
WATERFALL
What is it?
Waterfall is a systematic and straightforward approach. The creation of a product here is conducted in a staged manner. The methodology is one of the basic models in software development and is known as a classic one. Each stage of the product development is organized sequentially.
How does it work??
A software development lifecycle covers phases from the idea and planning till development, integration and maintenance.
According to the Waterfall methodology, all stages are managed one after another. The next phase of the development may be started only after the previous one is completed. The process is followed in a cascade way and forward only. It means there’s no way back to the previous phase of the development process. The lack of flexibility is the major disadvantage of this methodology. Waterfall is used by plan-driven teams in companies with traditional workstyle.
Who can use it?
Yes: Owners of the projects with clear requirements who want to get the final result without interfering into the development process.
The methodology is best for small-sized teams of business with a classic approach to work. Waterfall is also good for short and simple software development projects.
No: The Waterfall methodology does not fit the owners of the projects who expect fast results and businesses with flexible mindset. The approach is also not suitable for large projects.
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The Pros and Cons
Here are the advantages and disadvantages of the Waterfall methodology:
What else?
There are two popular methods of developing a software product that are based on Agile philosophy. They can be both included into any methodology and be used separately.
They are Kanban and Scrum methods.
KANBAN
What is it?
It’s a part of Agile-philosophy which is focused on flexibility, high communication level and concentration on the clients’ results.
The idea of the methodology is in visualization of the product’s development lifecycle either on a digital or on a real board. Kanban can be used as an approach and as an additional tool to a methodology.
How does it work??
Every project has a plan of the lifecycle of the development.
All tasks from the plan are spread among the members of the developing team.
There’s a board (a real or digital one) divided into the columns: “To do”, “In progress”, “In “Done“ etc.
The quantity of the columns depends on the particular project, the team’s size and the structure. Each member of the team puts cards with his / her tasks at the appropriate column. So, everybody knows each other’s workload.
Every task should pass through all the columns (=all the stages) of the lifecycle of the product. The team member will not start the next task until the first is done.
Kanban approach shows where the bottleneck of the project is and helps to observe the whole process in reality.
Who can use it?
Yes: Kanban can be used in projects in which there are no strict time limits.
No: The methodology isn’t suitable for the businesses that are dynamic by nature.
The Pros and Cons
The same as for any other methodology, Kanban has got its benefits and drawbacks.
SCRUM
What is it?
Scrum is an evolutionary framework based on Agile management. Its main idea is flexibility, close cooperation and high-level team work. Scrum represents a set of tools, roles and meetings that work all together to organize an easy software development process.?</>
How does it work??
The work process is organized in the following way:
The whole development process is divided into Sprints (iterations in Agile) – smaller blocks. They range from 2-4 weeks’ work with developing, testing and analysis.
During the Sprint The Scrum team holds short 15-min meetings every day to find out any struggles. At the end of the Sprint The Product owner gives his feedback or implants ideas. After that the next Sprint starts.
Who can use it??
Yes: Scrum is suitable for dynamic projects. The approach can be used not only in software development but also in all other fields of business.
No: Scrum does not work in teams of more than 10 people – there’s a lack of engagement into the development process. Also Scrum does not fit the projects with strict deadlines and non-flexible business management.
The Pros and Cons
In order to make your analysis easier here are the pluses and minuses of Scrum approach.
How can you understand that the methodology suits you?
The choice of the methodology directly depends on the result of the product. While choosing an outsourcing soft development company you need to consider:
All these points influence the quality of the final product. Thus, the development of a software product is not only the responsibility of the software development company but also of the client.
In VironIT, we are an agile-oriented team. The methodologies and the tools we use are mostly Scrum and Kanban.
When we receive a request for the development of a software product we analyze the type of the project, goals, requirements and client’s expectations.
If you feel like balancing on the rope of what to do with your idea feel free to write us and get detailed help on what methodology suits your project.