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Software development is more prominent today than ever before. While technology is ever progressing, this doesn’t make software development any simpler. The whole team of developers put a lot of effort into it. Not only this, software development requires the team to follow a strategy. These strategies that streamline the process are known as software development methodologies.

It goes without saying that, there is no software development method that fits all the different software development needs. That is why, as time progressed and demand rose, a number of development methodologies appeared. Each of these methodologies has different applications, and custom software development companies, use them for different purposes.

In this blog, some of the top modern software development approaches will be discussed. But before that, let’s see, what these are actually:

What Are Software Development Methodologies?

Software development methodologies, as the name suggests, are the pre-defined path that is used as a guide in software development. SDLC methodologies allow developers to access information through a specific information system, applicable throughout the development cycle.

Development mythologies are based on pre-defined development phases which are consistent throughout the product development cycle.

As already known, different software development projects have different needs. Thus, they use a development methodology that fits their needs. Now, there are several factors when choosing the right software development method. For instance, this includes team structure, requirements, goals, and so on.

While it is true that these methodologies have little to do with the technical part of development, they primarily concern project management and workflow. In other words, it helps the development team set and successfully reach their goal.

Why Adopt SDLC Methodologies?

A question that might arise in my mind is why are SDLC methodologies important? Well, firstly these aren’t just important for the development team, but also for clients who want to hire software developers.

The reason behind this is that these methodologies help streamline the development process. While the technical part is important no doubt, disciplined project management is just as important. This is even more obvious considering, there are a lot of things that go into it. Plus, there are a lot of people involved in it.

So, there is a need for guidance and pre-defined methods. This is where software development methodologies come in. The different types of methodologies meet the different development demands. There are a lot of benefits associated with this too. For instance, it helps streamline the process and improves software product management.

Speaking of different methodologies, let’s see what are the top 10 software development methodologies in the next section of the blog.

Top 10 Software Development Methodologies Explained

While there are a lot of options to choose from, there are some SDLC methodologies that stand above the rest. Some of these methodologies shall be discussed turn by turn in this section. These different methodologies have different applications, as well as different advantages and drawbacks. All of this shall be discussed here.

1. Agile Software Development Methodology

The reason why Agile Software Development has the top spot as it stands as one of the most popular development methodologies. In fact, it is so popular and widely used that the Agile methodology has inspired the development of others like it.

As the name suggests, Agile development methodology is all about agility. In other words, instead of being a fixed non-flexible process, it changes and adapts to the needs. It reacts to the development needs and project specifics to help developers reduce errors, development time, as well as overrunning costs.

This is what makes it such a good choice for Custom Software Development Services. As it is all about flexibility and constantly changing work.

Disadvantages

Too many changes and high flexibility can prove to be distracting for the development team.
Constant changes demand a lot of effort from the developers’ side.
Since agile is not structured like other methodologies, only experienced developers can use its full potential.

Software Development: The Ultimate Guide

Advantages

Agile software development methodology introduces flexibility and the ability to adapt to change.
It helps the development team set short-term goals and improve development speed in general.
Agile allows effective communication between clients and developers, helping them improve product development services on the go.

Application

With high flexibility and sensitivity to change, agile is highly recommended for projects that have rapidly changing requirements. In such a scenario, agile helps the team improve its speed and efficiency. For the same reason, it is usually used in software product development.

2. Kanban Software Development Methodology

Kanban software development methodology is yet another agile framework. This specific one has the ability to provide constant improvement throughout the development process. Unlike others, there is no cyclic process or fixed time stamps in Kanban. In that way, it is flexible when it comes to task implementation.

In addition to this, it doesn’t need any specific members. This is the reason why it is widely used in SaaS Development Company. You can look at it, in a “to-do” list method.

Disadvantages

One difficult task can cause development speed to slow down.
Kanban software development methodologies put more responsibility on team members.
Developers have to put high-security plans in place along with Kanban.

Advantages

This methodology brings transparency to the development process.
It allows developers to work together, getting the work done faster.
Kanban board helps the team identify issues, bugs, and other problems.
It improves the overall development speed of a web Development Company.

Application

This is suitable for small teams and projects quite similar to Scrum methodology. Since it helps break down the project into different tasks, it is quite useful when it comes to complex projects.

3. Waterfall Software Development Methodology

Among all the different software development methodologies on this list, Waterfall is one of the most widely used ones. This methodology was first put to use back in 1970, easily making it one of the oldest.

This method helps developers divide project development into sequential and layered processes. Nevertheless, this method involves a lot of documentation and structure across the life cycle of software development. Just like a waterfall, each task flows down to the task, and so on. Thus, creating a streamlined flow of work.

Disadvantages

Waterfall has a tight structure, this can lead to reduced flexibility.
This method offers quite a low scope of adjustment since each phase is pre-determined.

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Advantages

Since the approach is linear and predefined, it is easy to manage and implement.
Every phase has a different evaluation process and specific development time. This brings time efficiency to development.

Application

It is applied to small and less complex projects. However, it should be made sure that the different phases are clearly defined. The team needs to have a clear vision of the entire process. Waterfall methodologies bring predictability to projects.

4. Extreme Programming (XP)

Extreme programming is an agile framework that is mostly used by CRM development company. the name of this software development methodology, says all about it.

It is concerned with the programming part and takes it to the “extreme” level. This method encourages pairing up programmers. Plus, it also put testing throughout the different phases of development. This reduces errors and defects.

Some of the main characteristics of the XP application are:

Pair programming
Regular releases
Reviewing the source code
Unit testing
Constant Customer Interaction

Disadvantages

Extreme programming projects required face-to-face meetings, and require client presence.
This method concerns more with group discussion and more with documentation.
XP is mainly focused on code development and may neglect the design part.

Advantages

This is especially good in reducing the number of development errors.
It encourages fast development speed and thus, saves a lot of time.

Application

Extreme programming is again, suitable for the small software development team. Nevertheless, it can still be used for teams of all sizes. It is also good if the client is willing to actively be involved in the development process.

5. Scrum Software Development Methodology

Scrum software development adds another level of clarity, consistency, and structure to CMS web development. In a way, scrum is nothing but one of the many applications of Agile software development.

Nevertheless, this software development methodology is a good way to streamline the whole development team. Here, the development team is divided into three different parts, based on responsibility and task. These are namely:

Product Owner
Scrum Master
Development Team

When applied right, Scrum can take Enterprise Product Development to a whole another level. This is also the reason why the world’s largest enterprises have been using this.

Disadvantages

This methodology is recommended for small teams and small projects. Thus, it doesn’t work well for larger projects.
Continuous interaction between clients and developers can be bothersome sometimes.
Scrum can lead to inaccurate cost estimation and development time.

Key Stages Of The Software Product Development And Testing Process

Advantages

It helps improve the development speed, saving a lot of time.
It is much easier to detect bugs and other errors in scrum software development
Scrum enables good communication channels between clients and developers.

Application

The benefits and drawbacks of Scrum have already been discussed. Now, let’s look at its application. While it is usually used for smaller teams and projects, it can help the team interact better. Plus, it also helps simplify complex projects and deliver better results successfully.

6. Rapid Application Development (RAD) Methodology

Rapid Application development also known as RAD short, is one of the most fast-paced software development methodologies. Just like its name, it focuses on “Rapid” prototyping while providing feedback in a short time period. This is mainly seen in customization service app development.

As such, there are four basic principles behind this method. These are:

Requirement-Planning: here, developers, designers, and clients agree on the project specifics and overall requirements.
User Design: through prototypes of different configurations extensive testing is conducted.
Construction: This is when all the coding part is done. Developers put all of their focus on prototyping the current product.
Cutover: the last stage is mainly concerned with product testing.

Disadvantages

Rapid can only be applied with a high-level development team.
All the testing and prototyping add to the total development cost.
Due to a lack of documentation, it is difficult to track progress.

Advantages

Rapid application development improves collaboration between different entities.
Users get constantly get prototypes.
With all the prototyping and testing, the risk of error or bugs is highly reduced.

Application

While it is suitable for small teams, it needs experienced and skilled developers. This is usually applied in large-budget products.

7. Feature Driven Development (FDD) Methodology

Feature Driven Development (FDD) is yet another development methodology based on the Agile philosophy. This method mainly focused on the client’s needs and delivering software that meets them end-to-end. This is the reason why it is used in custom software development services.

Now, FDD is divided into different phases. These five phases are, as mentioned below:

Model development
Feature list creation
Feature plan
Design features
Develop features

Phases To Go For Any Software Project

Disadvantages

This isn’t suitable for small teams.
FDD is highly dependent on the head developer.

Advantages

It helps identify errors in source code, through regular updates and customer interactions.
With regular reporting throughout the different stages of development, progress is more visible.

Application

This approach is recommended for larger teams and big scale & complex projects. Feature-driven development also works well for stretched development projects. This is highly beneficial since it is structured and iterative SDLC methodologies.

8. Lean Software Development Methodology

Lean software development is one of the top software development methodologies. The software developed through lean methodology are highly flexible. This method takes a more planned-out and strategic approach.

As the name teams, the lean approach finishes the project in 1/3^rd of the time, with a limited budget.