How to Choose the Right Software Development Methodology

Software development isn’t the same as it was 20 years ago when you could build a world-class product like Facebook in your garage. Now the expectations from software are infinitely higher, and each project requires multiple specialists and parallel processes.

A methodology can make or break your project because each method prioritizes different parts of the process and requires certain team configurations, skillsets, budgets and timelines.

As building software became more complex, people came up with various methodologies that would help facilitate collaboration on a project and optimize all the processes associated with software development.

In this article, you’ll learn about the software development methodology types that are used by modern companies that provide mobile and web development services.

Here you’ll also learn how to choose a software development methodology for your project.

What is a software development methodology?

A methodology for software development is a set of rules and practices that determine the whole process of building software. A methodology gives the team a concrete algorithm that helps to manage each individual process that happens during the development.

There are many different software development methodologies, each with its own pros and cons and addresses various challenges and goals. Your choice of a software development methodology will depend on factors like:

• Team size and structure
• Technologies
• Project size
• Business goals
• Software requirements

Top common types of methodologies in software development

Agile development methodology

Agile is currently the most popular methodology among developers. Its main idea is working on a product in iterations, meaning that the process happens in small pieces.

Iterations happen after sprints — set periods of time dedicated to developing prioritized features. A sprint can last 1-4 weeks depending on the product and the team configuration.

After each sprint, a team evaluates its success and decides on what’s developed next. This allows the team to be flexible in their work process and minimize the number of errors and bugs, as each piece of code is tested immediately after its implementation.

Waterfall development methodology

Waterfall is a traditional methodology, the full opposite of Agile. It’s based on gradual processes that stick to a set plan, determined at the start of the project. It was the first methodology to appear, and it’s still used in some projects today.

A waterfall structure doesn’t suggest any unexpected changes, that’s why it’s easy to follow for less experienced teams. This, however, makes it too rigid for projects with changing requirements.

Scrum development

Scrum was developed as an extension of the Agile methodology, taking everything great about it and adding more structure to the team. As one of the most advanced software development methodologies, Scrum has three main roles:

• Product owner
• Scrum master
• The development team

The product owner makes sure the business requirements are being met by communicating with the team and making sure each feature corresponds to the business needs.

Lean development

The main idea of lean development is to cut everything that’s unnecessary or redundant, from functionality and repetitive tasks to communication. The main task for developers in lean approach is to find bottlenecks that will hinder the process.

Developers need to take all factors into account and finalize the decisions through collaboration and communication with other team members.

Prototype model

When you don’t want to invest thousands of dollars in a product that has too many unknown variables, you choose to prototype: create a piece of software that can be tested and evaluated by customers. This is similar to creating an MVP, but it has even fewer features.

Prototyping allows you to gather feedback from your customers, and then invest into a fully-fledged product, knowing what will work best.

Learn more about all the pros and cons of different software development methodologies based on their peculiarities as well as their advantages and disadvantages, and figure out how to choose a software development methodology