Are you looking to add more structure to your software development workflow? Selecting the correct software development methodology for your product organization largely depends on your team size, goals, and other factors. Here is an outline of the most widely utilized and recognized software development methodologies to assist you in choosing what is right for your team.
When it comes to software development, Waterfall is the most traditional and sequential choice. Although it is often viewed as an “old school” or outdated method, it is helpful to know the history and structure of Waterfall to better appreciate the flexibility of more modern methodologies. First created in 1970, Waterfall was one of the most prominent methodologies for several decades due to its plan-driven approach.
Waterfall requires a lot of structure and documentation upfront. It is divided into self-contained stages or steps. The first stage is significant, requiring a full understanding by both developers and customers of the project’s demands and scope before anything begins. The stages are relatively rigid and often follow this sequence: determine the project’s requirements and scope, analyze those requirements, design, implement, test, deploy, and finally, maintain. There is an absence of flexibility with this approach, meaning what is decided by the customer and developer at the start must be seen through. Should any changes need to be made or mistakes addressed toward the end stages, the Waterfall method generally requires a full restart.
An iterative and incremental approach to software development, Feature-Driven Development (FDD) springs from the Agile methodology and is considered a way to implement it. Similar to Waterfall, FDD is often viewed as an older methodology, a precursor to modern Lean/Agile implementations. FDD still focuses on the goal of delivering working software frequently and is an especially client-centric approach, making it a good fit for smaller development teams.
Features are a foundational piece of FDD. Features are client-valued pieces of work that, according to the FDD approach, should be delivered every time period. To provide tangible software often and efficiently, FDD has five steps, the first of which is to develop an overall model. Next, build a feature list and then plan for each feature. At each step, status reporting is encouraged and helps to track progress, results, and possible errors. Although the efficient response to alteration is one of FDD’s better attributes, an understanding of the client’s requirements and the overall model at the start of the project can reduce any surprises during development.
This approach is designed to accommodate change and produce software faster.
Agile values individuals and their relationships and interactions over tools; it emphasizes customer collaboration throughout the development process; it responds to change rather than following a set-in-stone plan; and it focuses on presenting working software instead of documentation. Using the Agile approach, teams develop in brief sprints or iterations, each of which has a defined duration and list of deliverables, but in no particular order. During sprints, teams work towards the goal of delivering working software (or another tangible, testable output).
With Scrum, the software is developed using an iterative approach within which the team is front and center—experienced and disciplined workers on smaller teams might find the most success with this method because it requires self-organization and self-management.
Team members break down end goals into smaller goals at the start and work on them using fixed-length iterations, or sprints, to build software and showcase it often, which usually lasts two weeks. Meetings play a vital role within the Scrum approach, and through each sprint, daily planning meetings and demos occur to follow the progress and gather feedback. Scrum incorporates the structure and discipline of more traditional software development methodologies with the flexibility and iterative practices of contemporary Agile.
Another Agile framework, Extreme Programming (or XP), focuses on producing higher-quality software using the most effective practices in software development. In general, XP follows a collection of values, instead of steps, including simplicity (develop what’s required, nothing more), communication (teams must collaborate and work together on every bit of the software), consistent feedback, and respect.
Lean is both a workflow methodology and a mindset, incorporating principles and practices from the manufacturing space and applying them broadly to a range of industries, including software development. While Agile is a wonderful methodology for the practical application of development best practices, it does not include instructions for scaling these practices across the organization or applying them outside of development-type work.
This is why many organizations that practice Agile at the team level begin to include Lean philosophies, practices, and tools to assist in innovation at scale. Lean’s basic principles—optimize the entire, eliminate waste, build quality, create knowledge, defer commitment, deliver fast, and respect people—can help guide decision-making across the organization in a way that will help unearth potential issues and maintain a healthy organizational culture.