The Best Software Development Methodologies

8 Apr, 2024

11 min read

Takeaways

Software development is not an easy process to wrap your head around, as it involves different roles, methodologies, and tools.
The right methodology means the right path to success. Each methodology has its own advantages and disadvantages.
Software development doesn’t come easily, and common challenges include scope creep, gaps in communication, limitations in finding resources, and more.
Some of the latest trends in software development include artificial intelligence, machine learning, and cloud computing.

Among the several dynamic fields out there, the Software Development Life Cycle (SDLC) is one that is constantly adapting to the changing needs of the industry. Trends like data science, or big data, are reshaping the process of how software is built. Today, over 87% of organizations globally are already invested in big data initiatives. These trends emphasize the data-driven decision-making process of startups and businesses that make them successful. Apart from that, technologies like Blockchain are revolutionizing security and transparency, especially in sectors like finance and telecommunication.

Choosing the Right Software Development Methodology: Agile vs. Waterfall

Software development methodologies are also undergoing what can only be described as a significant evolution. Methods like the Waterfall model offer a set structure but struggle with adaptability in a fast-paced environment. The agile model, on the other hand, addresses this, emphasizing “iterative development.” These methodologies are traditional but are unique in how they work and are used in the industry; some examples can be Scrum or Kanban.

Because of how they benefit the needs of businesses, software development companies prefer these methodologies. However, making the choice of methodology depends on the specifics of a project. For example, since Agile promises a faster time-to-market and is flexible in nature, some companies still would prefer to work under a more structured framework, like Waterfall. Understanding both of these is crucial for startups and businesses to get the most effective approach for their software development journey.

How A Software Development Team Works

Similar to how everyone has different roles in a restaurant kitchen, the software development methodology also equips developers with individual roles. These individual skills all come together to create the perfect meal. A software development team consists of diverse people with different roles, such as:

Project Managers

The ones behind the stick, guiding the orchestra, guiding the project from its start to end. Project managers plan, coordinate, manage resources, and mitigate risks, ensuring the project stays on track and meets its goals while also looking at the financial side of the project.

Software Developers

The ones who get their hands dirty are the chefs writing the code that brings the software to life. They translate designs into functioning applications, ensuring code is clean, efficient, and secure. Software developers aren’t your amateur coders; they’re professionals, whether it be at 3D game development, android app development, or even AI app development.

UX/UI Designers

The Van Goghs, the Picassos, the visual architects that are UX/UI designers, crafting user interfaces that are intuitive, engaging, and aesthetically pleasing. They prioritize user experience, ensuring the interface is easy to navigate and understand and in accordance with the brand ID(see the linked blog to learn more about that).

Quality Assurance Testers

Last but not least, completing the essentials of a software development team is who else but the critics. Meticulously scrutinizing the software to identify and report bugs before release, quality assurance testers play a crucial role in ensuring the app is bug-free so the user experience can be seamless and there aren’t any major flaws to be discovered after the release.

These are just the core roles that fill up a development dream team. Depending on the project size or complexity, many other roles can also be added. DevOps engineers, data scientists, and even security specialists safeguard the software.

Why Are Communication & Collaboration Important?

Similar to how every culinary masterpiece has its own set of secret sauces, the workings of a software development methodology rely on clear instructions and precise calculations. Cool and concise software development is all about how the team’s communication and collaboration is done, except their secret sauce isn’t so secret. Behind a solid software development methodology lie tools and techniques that get everyone on the same page. Such tools are:

Project Management Software: Platforms like Jira, Trello, and Asana facilitate task management, communication, and real-time updates.
Communication Channels: Instant messaging tools like Slack and video conferencing platforms like Zoom foster quick discussions and information sharing.
Version Control Systems: Tools like Git track changes in code, enabling collaboration and preventing accidental overwrites.

What Software Development Methodology Do Professionals Use? Agile, Waterfall Or Scrum?

Picking out the perfect driver for your hole-in-one or the best engine for your car is exactly what choosing the right development methodology means in the world of software development. The wrong choice can result in wasted time, an average outcome, frustration, and substantial financial loss. Although Agile and Waterfall are two of the most prominent approaches, Scrum is a popular opinion in the Agile framework, and KanBan is a commonly used methodology in the Waterfall framework.

Let’s dive into the pros and cons of each, exploring how they work with different project types and what they’re suitable for.

Agile

As the name suggests, the Agile methodology is a flexible and iterative approach that shines through adaptability and a constant hunger for improvement. The Agile essence is similar to building a house, one brick at a time, having a previously unknown freedom to adjust the design based on feedback after every layer.

Pros

Fast feedback loop: Regular delivery of features allows for quick iteration based on user feedback and changing market demands.
Adaptability to change: Challenges that can’t be seen coming or shifting priorities can be incorporated seamlessly throughout the project.
Increased team engagement: A collaborative nature fosters ownership and motivation within the team.

Cons

Requires discipline and strong communication: The team needs to be self-organized and adaptable, with clear communication to avoid confusion.
Initial planning and estimation can be challenging: Defining the project scope and estimating effort can be more difficult compared to Waterfall.
It may not be ideal for highly regulated projects: Strict compliance requirements might not mesh well with the iterative nature of Agile.

Waterfall

With attention to detail, the Waterfall methodology stands apart from the Agile methodology in how it works. Instead of building a house brick by brick, think of building it with a detailed blueprint in your hand. The sequential approach of the Waterfall model follows a structured and linear path, with each stage, whether it be planning, design, development, or testing, completed before working on the next.

Pros

Clear structure and predictability: Ideal for projects with well-defined requirements and limited room for change.
Easier to track progress and manage resources: Defined milestones and deliverables provide clear benchmarks.
Suitable for highly regulated projects: Complying with strict regulations is easier with a documented, structured approach.

Cons

Inflexible to change: Adapting to new requirements or shifting priorities can take time and effort.
Limited feedback loop: User feedback might not be incorporated until later stages, leading to potential rework.
Potential for late-stage surprises: Issues identified late in the project can be expensive and time-consuming to fix.

Scrum

A commonly used framework of the Agile model, Scrum, employs fixed-length sprints to deliver working software increments. The house you’re planning on building is now being done in short bursts, with each section being tested as you’re moving on to the next.

Pros

Focus on delivering value quickly: Regular deliveries ensure stakeholders see progress and can provide feedback early.
Increased transparency and accountability: Daily meetings and sprint reviews keep everyone informed and invested.
Promotes self-organizing teams: Empowering team members fosters ownership and problem-solving skills.

Cons

Requires a lot of planning: Making sure your sprint goals are set and no backlog items are left undefined is crucial for a successful implementation.
Not ideal for long-term projects: Oftentimes, projects are open-ended, meaning they are expected to develop in different ways as time passes by. Fixed-length sprints disallow this, making long-term projects a red light.
Dedicated Scrum Master: A scrum master is a role that is crucial for the process. They facilitate the process and ensure smooth sprint execution.

How To Choose A Software Development Methodology?

If you’re still wondering which methodology to go for, stop thinking about which one is better than the other. There’s no one that reigns supreme. Instead, these methodologies provide a framework that you need to set your project on, not the other way around. Here’s a quick guide:

Choose Agile for: Projects with evolving requirements, rapid feedback cycles, and a need for flexibility. Think mobile apps, web applications, and projects with a high degree of uncertainty when it comes to their infrastructure.
Choose Waterfall for: Projects with well-defined requirements, limited scope for change, and strict compliance needs. Think infrastructure projects, medical software, and projects with significant legal or regulatory constraints.
Choose Scrum for: Projects that benefit from Agile’s flexibility but require more structure and predictability within each iteration. Think product development, marketing campaigns, and projects with defined milestones within an overall Agile framework.

By understanding the qualities and shortcomings of every approach, you can choose the methodology that best prepares your project to assemble excellent programming, explore the intricacies of undertaking advancement, and at last, convey outcomes in the steadily developing programming scene.

What The Journey of a Software Project Looks Like

In our exploration of the software development process, we’ll now embark on a fascinating journey through the various stages of a software project, from the initial spark of an idea to the final launch and beyond. Buckle up as we drive into the intricate phases that bring your favorite apps to life:

Laying the Foundation

Imagine you’re an architect, and you’ve been given a huge project but are missing a blueprint. In order to have a better understanding of what you’re building, you will need to create a blueprint first right that aligns with your needs, desires, and budget. Similarly, a software project, whether it be game development or even NFT development, all starts with requirements gathering. This crucial stage involves:

Understanding the client’s vision: What problem are they trying to solve? What features are essential? What are their success metrics?
Defining the scope and functionality: What will the software do? What are its boundaries and limitations?
Creating user stories and mockups: Transforming user needs into actionable narratives and visual representations of the interface.

Tools like user interviews, surveys, and workshops facilitate this collaborative process, ensuring everyone is on the same page, and the final product aligns with user expectations.

Design and Architecture: Building the Blueprint

The second step of the software development process with the requirements gathered consists of designing the inner workings of the software. This phase focuses on:

Designing the system architecture: Defining the overall structure, components, and communication protocols between them.
Choosing the right technology stack: Selecting programming languages, frameworks, and databases based on project needs and performance requirements.
Creating detailed design documents: Specifying technical details like algorithms, data structures, and user interface elements.

This stage resembles sketching out the blueprint layout, the building’s plumbing, and electrical systems – a crucial step before construction begins.

Development and Testing: Bringing the Code to Life

The third step, arguably the most important, is where the real magic happens. Developers are now tasked with translating the design documents that have been passed down to them into an orchestra of code, line by line. This stage involves:

Agile sprints: In Agile systems, work is partitioned into short runs where elements are created, tried, and conveyed steadily. This allows for continuous feedback and adjustments. Whereas in the Waterfall methodology, each part is worked on at once and only moved on once testing is done.
Testing all through the improvement cycle: Different testing approaches are utilized, including unit testing (individual parts), combination testing (consolidated parts), and client acknowledgment testing (genuine clients collaborating with the product).
Continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD): Rehearses that robotize code building, testing, and sending, smoothing out the advancement interaction and guaranteeing quicker input circles.

Envision the development period of your engineering project, with various groups chipping away at walls, plumbing, and electrical systems while guaranteeing everything coordinates consistently.

Deployment and Maintenance: Release and Beyond

In the final step, once everything has been developed, compiled, and tested, the project moves on to the deployment and maintenance phase. Being ready to meet its users, this stage involves:

Releasing the software: Choosing the appropriate deployment strategy (cloud-based, on-premise, etc.) and making the software available to users.
Monitoring performance and fixing bugs: Tracking user feedback, identifying and addressing issues that arise after launch.
Ongoing maintenance and updates: Providing regular updates with bug fixes, new features, and security enhancements to keep the software functioning optimally.

Your building is now ready to be entered. Whether you have people setting up their offices, or anything your project demands, you need to ensure that everything remains functional, comfortable, and, most importantly, updated. You don’t want your building collapsing as soon as more and more people enter it, right? This is why maintenance is extremely important after the deployment.

Do you understand these key stages by now? Here’s hoping the journey of software development or outsourcing game development doesn’t seem too tough anymore. Like any other big project, it is a collaborative effort. Through blends of creativity, tech expertise, and quality testing, delivering top-notch software that exceeds expectations is all part of software development.

What Tools and Technologies Do Software Developers Use?

Software that needs to be built isn’t as simple as picking out a mini puzzle, scrambling it, and solving it. It is more like constructing a machine with several different parts, which all fit in to create magic. And just like any skilled marksman needs the right rifle, software developers also need their mystical box of tools and technologies to bring their projects to life. Let’s explore some of the essential components:

Programming Languages

These are the building blocks, like bricks and mortar. Popular choices include:

Python: Flexibility and readability make it a #1 for different tasks, from data science to web development.
Java: Generally used for big applications in the business sector, Java is powerful mainly for back-end development.
JavaScript: Powers website and web app interactivity, essential for front-end development.
C++: High performance and efficiency favored for system programming and game development.

Version Control Systems

Version control, like blueprints for different construction phases, tracks changes and allows collaboration. Popular tools include:

Git: Widely used distributed system offering flexibility and offline capabilities.
Subversion (SVN): A centralized system that is good for beginners and projects with simple branching needs.

Development Frameworks

These pre-built components, like prefabricated parts, accelerate development and ensure best practices. Examples include:

Spring (Java): Simplifies enterprise Java development with modularity and dependency injection.
Django (Python): A high-level framework known for its rapid development and clean syntax.
React (JavaScript): Popular library for building user interfaces with reusable components and virtual DOM.

Project Management Tools

These are essential for planning, tracking progress, and communication. Popular options are:

Jira: Powerful tool for Agile projects with features like sprints, Kanban boards, and reporting.
Trello: Simple and visual, great for smaller projects and collaboration with non-technical stakeholders.
Asana: Flexible tool for tasks, team organization, and communication across projects.

Testing Tools

Quality assurance, like ensuring the house meets safety standards, is crucial. Popular testing tools include:

Selenium: Automates web application testing across different browsers and platforms.
Jest: The JavaScript testing framework is known for its speed and ease of use.

Cloud Platforms

Like pre-built infrastructure, cloud platforms offer scalable and flexible on-demand computing resources. Major players include:

Amazon Web Services (AWS): An extensive suite of cloud services that is popular for scalability and enterprise adoption.
Microsoft Azure: Cloud platform with strong integration with other Microsoft products.
Google Cloud Platform (GCP): Machine learning and AI focus, a strong contender for data-driven applications.

Remember, this is just a glimpse into the vast toolset available. Choosing the right combination depends on project requirements, team preferences, and budget.

What are the Major Challenges that Surface During Software Development?

While the tools and technologies pave the way, navigating the software development journey is challenging. Some common challenges include:

Scope creep: Project requirements expand beyond the initial scope, leading to delays and budget overruns.
Technical difficulties: Unforeseen issues with chosen technologies, libraries, or integrations.
Gaps in communication: Mistaken assumptions between colleagues, partners, and end-clients.
Asset requirements: Restricted group size, spending plan, or time affecting task results.

By utilizing the right instruments and innovations to beat these difficulties, software development groups can fabricate a strong starting point for progress.

Getting Started with Software Methodologies & Development

Having looked into the perplexing universe of software development, it’s safe to say your understanding of whether it’s the roles a team plays in creating software or the tools and techniques they use through software development methodologies is much clearer. These methodologies are based on two models, Agile and Waterfall. Common examples of these models are Scrum, Kanban, and more.

Picking the right methodology can ensure your software-building process is seamless. Look for a reputable software development company, like Cubix, who can guide you through the process of making your dream a reality. With the right team behind your back, there’s no sky that you won’t be able to touch.

Frequently Asked Questions

What should I look for when choosing a software development company?

What makes a good software development company whole is their experience, how they fit different methodologies into a project, their communication skills, their expertise, and their portfolio. A top-notch software development company will be transparent with their communication, their approach will be collaborative, and their focus will always be on quality assurance.

How much does it cost to develop software?

To develop software, whether it’s a web application or a game, no matter what device, it depends on the size of the software and the complexity that goes into the making. Whether it’s through chosen technologies or the implementation of different protocols, you can get detailed quotations from a full-cycle software development company based on what you require.

What are the different types of software development methodologies?

Software development methodologies are the main core of developing an application. It’s frameworks like Agile, Waterfall, Scrum, and Kanban are some popular options that make a software development methodology whole. Each of them has its own set of pros and cons, as discussed above. Know the needs of your project and outsource your project to a team that knows which software development methodology fits best.

What are the latest trends in software development?

Some of the latest trends in the tech industry and in software development are, as we all know, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and cloud computing. These tools are shaping the future of software development one day at a time. Stay informed about these trends to stay ahead of the curve.