See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.

net/publication/316510707

Analysis of various Software Process Models

Article · June 2012

CITATIONS READS

10 3,776

3 authors, including:

Pramila M. Chawan
Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute
110 PUBLICATIONS   220 CITATIONS   

SEE PROFILE

Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:

Cloud based Automated Attendance Monitoring System using RFID and IOT View project

Decision Tree View project

All content following this page was uploaded by Pramila M. Chawan on 27 April 2017.

The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.

Ashwini Mujumdar, Gayatri Masiwal, P. M. Chawan / International Journal of Engineering Research and
Applications (IJERA) ISSN: 2248-9622 www.ijera.com
Vol. 2, Issue 3, May-Jun 2012, pp.2015-2021

Analysis of various Software Process Models

Ashwini Mujumdar*, Gayatri Masiwal**, P. M. Chawan***
*(Department of Computer Science, VJTI, Mumbai)
** (Department of Computer Science, VJTI, Mumbai)
*** (Department of Computer Science, VJTI, Mumbai)

ABSTRACT These activities may be very complex for large systems.

This paper conducts an analysis of various software So, each of the activity has to be broken into smaller sub-
development approaches, i.e. sequential, incremental, activities or steps. These steps are then handled effectively
evolutionary, specialized and agile. An example of each to produce a software project or system.
approach is considered – Waterfall model (sequential The basic steps involved in software project
approach), Incremental Model (incremental approach), development are:
Spiral Model (evolutionary approach), Formal Methods i. Requirement analysis
Model (specialized approach), Extreme Programming ii. Design
Model (agile approach) and RUP. This paper elaborates iii. Coding
these models, as well as, it compares and contrasts iv. Testing
between these different models. In addition, there is a fifth step, ―maintenance‖ that
consists of maintaining the system after deployment, i.e.
delivery to the customer. Unlike hardware, software does
Keywords - About five key words in alphabetical order, not wear out. But, it is very likely that some errors of the
separated by comma system, which were not found during the software testing
phase, may be found by the customer. These errors or bugs
1. INTRODUCTION need to be reported and resolved immediately. Also, over
Today, the computer has become a very crucial part of our time, as newer technologies and platforms are developed,
life. It has become indispensible as it is used in various system starts becoming outdated. It is important to provide
fields of life, such as, industry, medicine, education, new features to the system after intervals and make it
commerce and even agriculture. Organizations have become compatible with various latest platforms.
more dependent on computer in their works as a result of
computer technology. Computer is considered a time-
saving device and its progress helps in executing complex, 3. GENERAL APPROACHES
long, repeated processes in a very short time with a high The various approaches to developing a software
speed. In addition to using computer for work, people use it development process model are as follows:
for fun and entertainment. Noticeably, the number of
companies that produce software programs for the purpose 3.1 Sequential Approach
of facilitating works of offices, administrations, banks, etc,
has increased recently which results in the difficulty of Sequential approaches (e.g. waterfall model, V-
enumerating such companies. During the previous four model) refer to the completion of the work within one
decades, software has been developed from a tool used for monolithic cycle. Projects are sequenced into a set of
analyzing information or solving a problem to a product in steps that are completed serially and typically span from
itself. However, the early programming stages have created determination of user needs to validation that the given
a number of problems turning software an obstacle to solution satisfies the user. Progress is carried out in
software development particularly those relying on linear fashion enabling the passing of control and
computers. Software consists of documents and programs information to the next phase when pre-defined
that contain a collection that has been established to be a milestones are reached and accomplished. This
part of software engineering procedures. Moreover, the aim approach is highly structured, provides an idealised
of software engineering is to create a suitable working format for the contract and allows maximum control
product that constructs programs of high quality.[1] over the process. On the other hand, it is also resistant
to change and the need for corrections and re-work.
2. ACTIVITIES OF SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT Note that some variations, as well as Royce’s original
formulation of the model, allow for revision and re-
Problem solving in software development consists of the
tracing and may also incorporate prototyping or other
following activities:
requirements gathering sequences encompassed within
i. Understanding the problem
the overall sequence frame[6].
ii. Deciding a plan for the solution
iii. Coding the planned solution
The Waterfall Model:
iv. Testing the actual program [2]

2015 | P a g e
Ashwini Mujumdar, Gayatri Masiwal, P. M. Chawan / International Journal of Engineering Research and
Applications (IJERA) ISSN: 2248-9622 www.ijera.com
Vol. 2, Issue 3, May-Jun 2012, pp.2015-2021
The waterfall model is the classical model of  Real projects rarely follow the sequential approach
software engineering. This model is one of the oldest  There is uncertainty at the beginning of the project
models and is widely used in government projects and regarding requirements and goals. This model does
in many major companies. As this model emphasizes not accommodate these uncertainties very well.
planning in early stages, it ensures design flaws before  It does not yield a working version of the system
they develop. In addition, its intensive document and until late in the process.[7]
planning make it work well for projects in which
quality control is a major concern.
The pure waterfall lifecycle consists of several non- 3.1 Incremental Approaches:
overlapping stages, as shown in the following figure. Incremental approaches emphasize phased
The model begins with establishing system development by offering a series of linked mini-projects
requirements and software requirements and continues (referred to as increments, releases or versions) working
with architectural design, detailed design, coding, from a pre-defined requirements specification up front.
testing, and maintenance. The waterfall model serves as Work on different parts and phases, is allowed to
a baseline for many other lifecycle models. overlap throughout the use of multiple mini-cycles
The steps followed in the waterfall model are: running in parallel. Each mini-cycle adds additional
functionality and capability. The approach is
i. Communication: establishes the expectations of underpinned by the assumption that it is possible to
the stakeholders and hence useful in requirements isolate meaningful subsets that can be developed, tested
gathering. and implemented independently. Delivery of increments
ii. Planning: develops a well-defined plan of is staggered as calendar time progresses. The first
execution of the project. increment often acts as the core product providing the
iii. Modeling: develops a model of the project before functionality to address the basic requirements. The
developing the actual project. staggered release philosophy allows for learning and
iv. Construction: builds the actual project following feedback which can modify some of the customer
the plan of execution defined in the planning stage requirements in subsequent versions. Incremental
and testing. approaches are particularly useful when the full
v. Deployment: the delivery of end-product to the complement of personnel required to complete the
customer and its maintenance. project is not available and when there is an inability to
fully specify the required product or to fully formulate
the set of expectations[6].

The Incremental Model:

There are many situations in which initial software
requirements are reasonably well-defined, but the
overall scope of the development effort precludes a
purely linear process. In addition, there may be a
compelling need to provide a limited set of software
functionalities to a user quickly and then refine and
expand on that functionality in later software releases.
In such cases, a process model that is designed to
produce the software in increments is chosen.[7]

The incremental model combines elements of the

waterfall model in an iterative fashion. Each linear
sequence produces deliverable ―increments‖ of the
software. The first increment is the core product. That
is, basic requirements are addressed, but many
Fig. 1 Waterfall Model supplementary features (some known, others unknown)
remain undelivered.[7]
The advantages of waterfall model are:

 Easy to understand and implement

 Reinforces good habits: define-before-design and
design-before-code.
 Identifies deliverables and milestones
 Works well on mature products and weak teams[1]

The disadvantages of the waterfall model are:

2016 | P a g e
Ashwini Mujumdar, Gayatri Masiwal, P. M. Chawan / International Journal of Engineering Research and
Applications (IJERA) ISSN: 2248-9622 www.ijera.com
Vol. 2, Issue 3, May-Jun 2012, pp.2015-2021
The spiral development model is a risk driven
process model generator that is used to guide multi-
stakeholder concurrent engineering of software
intensive systems. It has two main distinctive features.
One is cyclic approach for incrementally growing a
system’s degree of definition and implementation while
decreasing its degree of risk. The other is a set of
anchor-point milestones for ensuring the stakeholder
commitment to feasible and mutually satisfactory
system solutions.[7]

The spiral model is similar to the incremental

model, with more emphases placed on risk analysis.
Fig. 2 Incremental Model The spiral model has four phases: Planning, Risk
Analysis, Engineering and Evaluation. A software
The advantages of the incremental model are:
project repeatedly passes through these phases in
 Divides project into smaller parts iterations (called Spirals in this model). In the baseline
spiral, starting in the planning phase, requirements are
 Creates working model early and provides valuable
gathered and risk is assessed. Each subsequent spiral
feedback
builds on the baseline spiral. Requirements are gathered
 Feedback from one phase provides design
during the planning phase. In the risk analysis phase, a
information for the next phase
process is undertaken to identify risk and alternate
 Very useful when more staffing is unavailable solutions. A prototype is produced at the end of the risk
analysis phase. Software is produced in the engineering
The disadvantages of the incremental model are:
phase, along with testing at the end of the phase. The
 User community needs to be actively involved in evaluation phase allows the customer to evaluate the
the project. This demands on time of the staff and output of the project to date before the project continues
add project delay to the next spiral.[1]
In the spiral model, the angular component
 Communication and coordination skills take a
represents progress, and the radius of the spiral
center stage
represents cost.[1]
 Informal requests for improvement for each phase
may lead to confusion
 It may lead to ―scope creep‖

3.2 Evolutionary Approaches:

Evolutionary approaches recognize the great degree
of uncertainty embedded in certain projects and allow
developers and managers to execute partial versions of
the project while learning and acquiring additional
information and gradually evolving the conceptual
design. Evolutionary projects are defined in a limited
sense allowing a limited amount of work to take place Fig. 3 Spiral Model
before making subsequent major decisions. Projects can
start with a macro estimate and general directions A spiral model is divided into various activities
allowing for the fine details to be filled-in in which include Analysis, Design, Implementation, Testing
evolutionary fashion. The initial implementation and Deployment. The spiral is implemented in a clockwise
benefits from exposure to user comments leading to a fashion, beginning at the center and working its way
series of iterations. Finite goals are thus allowed to outwards, during which it passes through each of the above
evolve based on the discovery of user needs and regions.
changes in expectations along the development route. A spiral model is divided into a number of framework
Projects in this category are likely to be characterized activities, also called task regions. Typically, there are
by a high degree of technological risk and lack of between three and six task regions. Figure 2.8 depicts a
understanding of full implications by both stakeholders spiral model that contains six task regions:
and developers. Evolutionary approaches are • Customer communication—tasks required to establish
particularly effective in change-intensive environments effective communication between developer and customer.
or where resistance to change is likely to be strong. • Planning—tasks required to define resources, timelines,
and other project related information.
The Spiral Model:
2017 | P a g e
Ashwini Mujumdar, Gayatri Masiwal, P. M. Chawan / International Journal of Engineering Research and
Applications (IJERA) ISSN: 2248-9622 www.ijera.com
Vol. 2, Issue 3, May-Jun 2012, pp.2015-2021
• Risk analysis—tasks required to assess both technical and room software engineering, is currently applied by
management risks. some software development organizations.
• Engineering—tasks required to build one or more When formal methods are used during
representations of the application. development, they provide a mechanism for eliminating
• Construction and release—tasks required to construct, many of the problems that are difficult to overcome
test, install, and provide user support (e.g., documentation using other software engineering paradigms.
and training).[7] Ambiguity, incompleteness and inconsistency can be
Unlike other process models that end when discovered and corrected more easily – not through ad-
software is delivered, the software model and be adapted to hoc review, but through the application of mathematical
apply throughout the life of the computer software. The first analysis. When formal methods are used during design,
circuit around the spiral might represent a ―concept they serve as a basis for program verification and
development project‖ which starts at the core of the spiral therefore enable the software engineer to discover and
and may continue for several iterations till the concept correct errors that might otherwise go undetected.
development is complete. If the concept is to be developed Although not a mainstream approach, the formal
into an actual project, the process proceeds outwards on the methods model offers the promise of defect-free
spiral and a ―new product development phase‖ commences. software. Yet, concern about its application in business
The new product will evolve through a number of iterations environment has been voiced:
around the spiral, following the path that bounds the region  The development of formal models is currently
that has somewhat lighter shading than the core. In essence, quite time-consuming and expensive.
the spiral, when characterized in this way, remains operative  Because few software developers have the
until the software is retired. There are times when the necessary background to apply formal
process is dormant, but whenever a change is initiated, the methods, extensive training is required.
process starts at the appropriate entry point (e.g., product  It is difficult to use the models as a
enhancement).[7] communication mechanism for technically
The advantages of spiral model are: unsophisticated customers.
 Was designed to include the best features form
Waterfall and Prototyping Model
 Good for large and mission-critical projects
 Introduces a new component – risk assessment
 Similar to prototyping model, an initial version of
system is developed and modified based on input
from customer

The disadvantages of the spiral model are:

 Can be a costly model to use
 Risk analysis requires highly specific expertise
 Project’s success id highly dependent on risk
analysis phase
 Doesn’t work well for smaller projects Fig. 4 Formal Methods Model Analysis

Specialized process models can take the These concerns notwithstanding, the formal
characteristics of any or many of the conventional methods approach has gained adherents among software
models presented in the above sections. However developers who must build safety-critical software,
specialized models tend to be applied when a narrowly such as aircraft avionics and medical devices, and
defined software engineering approach is chosen[7]. among developers who would suffer serious economic
In some cases, these specialized models might hardship, should software errors occur.
better be characterized as a collection of techniques or a
methodology for accomplishing a specific software 3.3 Agile Approaches:
development goal.[7] However, they do imply a process Agile development is claimed to be a creative and
model which is highly project specific. responsive effort to address users’ needs focused on the
requirement to deliver relevant working business
The Formal Methods Model: applications quicker and cheaper. The application is
The formal methods model encompasses a set of typically delivered in incremental (or evolutionary or
activities that leads to formal mathematical iterative) fashion. The agile development approaches
specification of the project or the computer software to are typically concerned with maintaining user
be developed. Formal methods enable a software involvement through the application of design teams
engineer to specify, develop and verify a computer- and special workshops. The delivered increments tend
based system by applying a rigorous mathematical to be small and limited to short delivery periods to
notation. A variation on this approach, called clean- ensure rapid completion. The management strategy
utilized relies on the imposition of timeboxing, the strict
2018 | P a g e
Ashwini Mujumdar, Gayatri Masiwal, P. M. Chawan / International Journal of Engineering Research and
Applications (IJERA) ISSN: 2248-9622 www.ijera.com
Vol. 2, Issue 3, May-Jun 2012, pp.2015-2021
delivery to target which dictates the scoping, the Continuous Integration: As soon as work on a task is
selection of functionality to be delivered and the complete, it is integrated into the whole system. After any
adjustments to meet the deadlines. Agile development is such integration, all the unit tests in the system must pass.
particularly useful in environments that change steadily Sustainable pace: Large amounts of over-time are not
and impose demands of early (partial) solutions. Agile considered acceptable as the net effect is often to reduce
approaches support the notion of concurrent code quality and medium term productivity.
development and delivery within an overall planned On-site Customer: A representative of the end-user of the
context. system (the Customer) should be available full time for the
use of the XP team. In an extreme programming process, the
Extreme Programming: customer is a member of the development team and is
It is an approach to development, based on the responsible for bringing system requirements to the team for
development and delivery of very small increments of implementation.
functionality. It relies on constant code improvement,  XP and agile principles
user involvement in the development team and pair 1. Incremental development is supported through
wise programming. It can be difficult to keep the small, frequent system releases.
interest of customers who are involved in the process. 2. Customer involvement means full-time customer
Team members may be unsuited to the intense engagement with the team.
involvement that characterizes agile methods. 3. People not process through pair programming,
Prioritizing changes can be difficult where there are collective ownership and a process that avoids long
multiple stakeholders. Maintaining simplicity requires working hours.
extra work. Contracts may be a problem as with other 4. Change supported through regular system releases.
approaches to iterative development.[1] 5. Maintaining simplicity through constant refactoring
of code [1].
 Advantages
1. Lightweight methods suit small-medium size
projects.
2. Produces good team cohesion.
3. Emphasizes final product.
4. Iterative.
5. Test based approach to requirements and quality
assurance.
 Disadvantages
Fig. 5 Extreme Programming 1. Difficult to scale up to large projects where
documentation is essential.
Extreme Programming Practices 2. Needs experience and skill if not to degenerate into
Incremental planning: Requirements are recorded on Story code-and-fix.
Cards and the Stories to be included in a release are 3. Programming pairs is costly.
determined by the time available and their relative priority. 4. Test case construction is a difficult and specialized
The developers break these stories into development skill.[1]
"Tasks".
Small Releases: The minimal useful set of functionality that Each of the approaches described above appears to have
provides business value is developed first. Releases of the clear benefits, at least from a theoretical perspective.
system are frequent and incrementally add functionality to However the variety of different approaches leads to a
the first release. dilemma when it comes to selecting the most suitable one
Simple Design: Enough design is carried out to meet the for a project. At the beginning of every project the manager
current requirements and no more. is expected to commit to a development approach. This is
Test first development: An automated unit test framework often driven by past experience or other projects that are, or
is used to write tests for a new piece of functionality before have been, undertaken by the organization. Project managers
functionality itself is implemented. are expected to select the most suitable approach that will
Refactoring: All developers are expected to re-factor the maximize the chances of successfully delivering a product
code continuously as soon as possible code improvements that will address the client’s needs and prove to be both
are found. This keeps the code simple and maintainable. useful and usable.
Pair Programming: Developers work in pairs, checking The choice should clearly relate to the relative merits of
each other’s work and providing support to do a good job. each approach.
Collective Ownership: The pairs of developers work on all
areas of the system, so that no islands of expertise develop 3.4 Rational Unified Process
and all the developers own all the code. Anyone can change The Rational Unified Process (RUP) is an iterative
anything. software development process framework created by the
Rational Software Corporation. RUP is not a single concrete
prescriptive model, but rather an adaptable process

2019 | P a g e
Ashwini Mujumdar, Gayatri Masiwal, P. M. Chawan / International Journal of Engineering Research and
Applications (IJERA) ISSN: 2248-9622 www.ijera.com
Vol. 2, Issue 3, May-Jun 2012, pp.2015-2021
framework, intended to be tailored by the development 1) Four Project Life cycle Phases:
organizations and software project teams that will select the The RUP has determined a project life cycle consisting of
elements of the process that are appropriate for their needs. four phases. These phases allow the process to be presented
RUP is a specific implementation of the Unified Process. at a high level in a similar way to how a 'waterfall'-styled
RUP is based on a set of building blocks, or content project might be presented, although in essence the key to
elements, describing what is to be produced, the necessary the process lies in the iterations of development that lie
skills required and the step-by-step explanation describing within all of the phases. Also, each phase has one key
how specific development goals are to be achieved. objective and milestone at the end that denotes the objective
being accomplished. The visualization of RUP phases and
Elab o r at io n
disciplines over time is referred to as the RUP hump chart.
[7]
Incep t io n
UP Phases
Incept ion Elaborat ion Const ruct ion Transit ion Product ion

Workflows

Requirements

Analysis

Design

Implementation
co nst r uct io n
Release Test
t r ansit io n
soft ware increment
Support

Iterations #1 #2 #n-1 #n
p r o d uct io n Fig. 7 Four phases of Rational Unified Process [7]
Fig. 6 Rational Unified Process [7] The various process models discussed above can be
summarized as follows:

TABLE 1. Comparison between different software development models

Model/Features Waterfall Incremental Spiral Agile RUP

Requirement Frequently
Beginning Beginning Beginning Beginning
Specifications changed
Cost Low Low Expensive Very High Expensive
Resource Control Yes Yes Yes No Yes
Simplicity Simple Intermediate Intermediate Complex Simple and clear
Only at No risk
Risk Analysis Yes Yes Yes
beginning analysis
Only at Only at beginning of last
User Involvement Intermediate High High
beginning phase
Highly
Flexibility Rigid Less Flexible Flexible Considerable
Flexible
Use Case Supports reusability of
Reusability Limited Yes Yes
reuse existing classes

2020 | P a g e
 Ashwini Mujumdar, Gayatri Masiwal, P. M. Chawan / International Journal of Engineering
Research and Applications (IJERA) ISSN: 2248-9622 www.ijera.com
Vol. 2, Issue 3, May-Jun 2012, pp.2015-2021

4. CONCLUSION Models, IJCST Vol. 2, Iss ue 4, Oct . - Dec.

2011
After completing this analysis, we have concluded
[3] Alan M. Davis, Edward H. Bersoff and
that there are many existing models for developing
Edward R. Comer, A Strategy for comparing
systems and project requirements. Of these, waterfall
Alternative Software Development Life Cycle
model and spiral model are more commonly used
Models, IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON
than the others. Each model has advantages and
SOFTWARE ENGINEERING, VOL. 14, NO.
disadvantages. Each model tries to eliminate the
10, OCTOBER 1988
disadvantages of the previous model.
[4] Nicholas H. Malcolm, Software Development
References Life Cycles: History and Future
[5] Jim Hurst, Comparing Software Development
[1] Nabil Mohammed Ali Munassar1 and A. Life Cycles
Govardhan, A Comparison Between Five [6] Oddur Benediktsson, Darren Dalcher and
Models Of Software Engineering, IJCSI Helgi Thorbergsson, Comparison of Software
International Journal of Computer Science Development Life Cycles: A Multiproject
Issues, Vol. 7, Issue 5, September 2010 Experiment
[2] Sanjana Taya and Shaveta Gupta, Comparative [7] Roger Pressman, Software Engineering: A
Analysis of Software Development Life Cycle Practitioner’s Approach, Sixth Edition,
McGraw-Hill Publication

2021 | P a g e

View publication stats