Application Security

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Top 4 software development

methodologies
Synopsys Editorial Team

Mar 27, 2017 / 4 min read

Table of Contents

1. Agile development methodology

2. DevOps deployment methodology

3. Waterfall development method

4. Rapid application development

Which software development

methodology should I use?

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Successful projects are managed well. To manage a

project efficiently, the manager or development team
must choose the software development
methodology that will work best for the project at
hand. All methodologies have different strengths
and weaknesses and exist for different reasons.
Here’s an overview of the most commonly used
software development methodologies and why
different methodologies exist.

1. Agile development methodology

Teams use the agile development methodology to
minimize risk (such as bugs, cost overruns, and
changing requirements) when adding new
functionality. In all agile methods, teams develop the
software in iterations that contain mini-increments
of the new functionality. There are many different
forms of the agile development method, including
scrum, crystal, extreme programming (XP), and
feature-driven development (FDD).

Pros: The primary benefit of agile software

development is that it allows software to be released
in iterations. Iterative releases improve efficiency by
allowing teams to find and fix defects and align
expectation early on. They also allow users to realize
software benefits earlier, with frequent incremental
improvements.

Cons: Agile development methods rely on real-time

communication, so new users often lack the
documentation they need to get up to speed. They
require a huge time commitment from users and are
labor intensive because developers must fully
complete each feature within each iteration for user
approval.

Agile development methods are similar to rapid

application development (see below) and can be
inefficient in large organizations. Programmers,
managers, and organizations accustomed to the
waterfall method (see below) may have difficulty
adjusting to an agile SDLC. So a hybrid approach
often works well for them.

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Environment

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2. DevOps deployment methodology

DevOps is not just a development methodology but
also a set of practices that supports an
organizational culture. DevOps deployment centers
on organizational change that enhances
collaboration between the departments responsible
for different segments of the development life cycle,
such as development, quality assurance, and
operations.

Pros: DevOps is focused on improving time to

market, lowering the failure rate of new releases,
shortening the lead time between fixes, and
minimizing disruption while maximizing reliability. To
achieve this, DevOps organizations aim to
automate continuous deployment to ensure
everything happens smoothly and reliably.
Companies that use DevOps methods benefit by
significantly reducing time to market and improving
customer satisfaction, product quality, and
employee productivity and efficiency.

Cons: Even in light of its benefits, there are a

few drawbacks to DevOps:

Some customers don’t want continuous

updates to their systems.
Some industries have regulations that require
extensive testing before a project can move to
the operations phase.
If different departments use different
environments, undetected issues can slip into
production.
Some quality attributes require human
interaction, which slows down the delivery
pipeline.

3. Waterfall development method

Many consider the waterfall method to be the most
traditional software development method. The
waterfall method is a rigid linear model that consists
of sequential phases (requirements, design,
implementation, verification, maintenance) focusing
on distinct goals. Each phase must be 100%
complete before the next phase can start. There’s
usually no process for going back to modify the
project or direction.

Pros: The linear nature of the waterfall development

method makes it easy to understand and manage.
Projects with clear objectives and stable
requirements can best use the waterfall method.
Less experienced project managers and project
teams, as well as teams whose composition
changes frequently, may benefit the most from using
the waterfall development methodology.

Cons: The waterfall development method is often

slow and costly due to its rigid structure and tight
controls. These drawbacks can lead waterfall
method users to explore other software
development methodologies.

4. Rapid application development

Rapid application development (RAD) is a
condensed development process that produces a
high-quality system with low investment costs. Scott
Stiner, CEO and president of UM Technologies, said
in Forbes, “This RAD process allows our developers
to quickly adjust to shifting requirements in a fast-
paced and constantly changing market.” The ability
to quickly adjust is what allows such a low
investment cost.

The rapid application development method contains

four phases: requirements planning, user design,
construction, and cutover. The user design and
construction phases repeat until the user confirms
that the product meets all requirements.

Pros: Rapid application development is most

effective for projects with a well-defined business
objective and a clearly defined user group, but which
are not computationally complex. RAD is especially
useful for small to medium projects that are time
sensitive.

Cons: Rapid application development requires a

stable team composition with highly skilled
developers and users who are deeply knowledgeable
about the application area. Deep knowledge is
essential in a condensed development timeline that
requires approval after each construction phase.
Organizations that don’t meet these requirements
are unlikely to benefit from RAD.

Which software development

methodology should I use?
These four software development methodologies
are the most pervasive in software development.
Each one has its own strengths and weaknesses
and works effectively in different situations. When
choosing your development methodology, think
about combining the elements of each method that
work best for your team and your current project. In
this way, you can create a hybrid development
methodology that’ll get you to production securely
and efficiently.

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