Top Software Development Methodologies

Software development methodologies are the building blocks of meeting key targets. They are the how behind creating successful products without overstepping budget or timeline. 

The agile method has become popular in recent years, accounting for 71% of processes at U.S. companies. But that’s far from your only option. There are countless others at your disposal. 

Overall, integrating well-defined processes can boost outcomes across the board. Doing so ensures your tech professionals are on the same page from day 1. It also helps them understand their roles in the overarching development life cycle. 

Here we’ll take a tour through the most in-demand software engineering methodologies. In this way, you can select the ideal method and implement efficient workflows ASAP.

What Are Software Development Methodologies?

(Source: Statista)

Software development methodologies are structured approaches for planning, executing and managing technology projects. 

The aim of a methodology is to organize team efforts to maximize efficiencies. At the same time, different methodologies emphasize unique core values. For example, the agile method is known for its focus on user feedback. 

Overall, having a software engineering methodology formalizes areas such as:

• Goal setting
• Workflows
• Organizational structure
• Communication practices
• … and more!

Why Are Software Development Methodologies Important?

Modern software development methodologies are vital to overcoming market challenges. Today, software is often built under intense conditions, for example, via rapid timelines, limited resources, and changing requirements. Under these conditions, the need for highly efficient and business-tailored development becomes evident. 

Remember that these methods aren’t just vital to your teams. They’re also focused on improving outcomes and rapport with clients. Key benefits for both software providers and businesses include: 

• More accurate project planning (resource requirements, timeline, budget, etc.)
• Tighter team alignment for greater productivity and collaboration
• More efficient processes for trimmed development cycles and costs 
• Clearer communication practices
• Better risk management and avoidance of expensive fixes
• Higher client and user satisfaction

Top Software Development Methodologies List

Software engineering methodologies are all about coordinating your team's efforts to meet goals. Just consider that 45% of IT projects ran over budget, and 56% delivered less value than expected. The right method will enable effective teaming and adherence to the development roadmap. In turn, this will elevate the long-term value of the product. 

1. Agile Development Methodology

The agile methodology involves iterative cycles of development and feedback. This way, the product is continually fitted to real user requirements. 

This methodology is ideal for building MVPs or projects with evolving or uncertain needs. That’s because each sprint enables teams to test the concept and change course if needed. 

Keep in mind that agile relies on clear and constant communication. It often uses daily stand-up meetings to align work across team members.

Overall, projects undertaken with agile have a 64% success rate. This is one of the highest rankings among methodologies. 

Methodology Phases

The agile method uses sprints to complete incremental milestones and incorporate feedback. 

Pros

• Tests product ideas before undergoing development.
• Continuous improvements mean a more polished final product.
• Processes incorporate ongoing user feedback.
• Making changes and sticking to the timeline/budget is easy.
• Bugs and issues are found early in the development cycle.

To see how this approach can work for your project, consider exploring Netcorp’s Agile Software Development Outsourcing Services.

Cons

• Teams can become overwhelmed by ongoing change requests.
• This method involves daily and weekly check-ins, which can take up management time.
• Agile requires experienced developers to make the most of its flexible structure.

Types of Practices

• Scrum brings together a Product Owner, Scrum Master, and Development Team. Together, they collect client input and implement it through rapid sprints. 
• Feature-Driven Development (FDD) breaks down projects into a list of key features. Developers then plan, design, and build each one in a separate sprint. 
• Extreme Programming (XP) focuses on super-fast software version releases. The idea is to meet ambitious market timelines.
• Kanban is about visualizing project stages on a board of columns (think Trello). For example, you may have columns such as “In Progress,” “Under Review,” and “Completed.”
• Test-Driven Development (TDD) involves defining unit test cases before writing any code. ‍
• Behaviour-Driven Development (BDD) centers user stories for development priorities. It analyses key scenarios to organize development into milestones.

2. Waterfall Development Methodology 

As a traditional software development methodology, waterfall may not meet today’s market. 

The waterfall method organizes the project into fixed stages that are completed sequentially. Like a waterfall, there’s no turning back.

While the waterfall method is more rigid than other models, it may be useful in certain cases. Specifically, it's ideal for when the project scope is crystal clear.

Methodology Phases

The waterfall method defines five incremental steps. (These include requirements, system design, implementation, testing, and maintenance.) The phases flow from one to the next with minimal revision. 

Pros

• The project is clearly defined in advance and easily understood by stakeholders.
• This method works well with less experienced teams.
• If you have multiple projects, a waterfall may make it easier to jog between tasks.

Cons

• Rigid processes leave little room for changes or errors.
• This method doesn’t include customer feedback or ongoing testing.
• Its emphasis on documentation can deter from its effectiveness.
• It has a high product failure rate.

Types of Practices

• V-Model (Verification and Validation Model) involves a testing process after each phase. The cycle continuously verifies the product to ensure suitability.
• The incremental Waterfall Model divides the phase into smaller modules. Each stage can be iterated and improved before moving on to the next. 
• The Sashimi Waterfall Model uses the same steps but allows them to overlap. In turn, this increases flexibility and customization.‍
• Waterfall With Feedback Loops adds cycles to validate the product. For example, it handles change requests and debugging.

3. Hybrid Methodologies

As the name suggests, hybrid methodologies combine other approaches. The idea is to create a more flexible, customized model of work. This helps reduce the weak points of certain methods. Today, 42% of organizations leverage a hybrid software model.

Common combinations include waterfall and scrum, as well as Kanban and scrum. That said, a hybrid approach involves any blending of different software development methodologies.  

Methodology Phases

The phases will vary according to the combination of methodologies involved.

Pros

• You can tailor your development processes to your unique needs.
• By nature, hybrid methodologies are flexible to handle evolving requirements.
• You can set up your teams with your ideal workflows and tools according to your hybrid approach.

Cons

• You must be seasoned in multiple methodologies to blend them effectively.
• You will need to train your teams to minimize confusion and conflicts.
• You may face unique challenges when integrating a non-traditional software development methodology. Overall, you'll have to deal with less “standard” troubleshooting.

4. DevOps Development Methodologies

DevOps bridges the stages of development and operations to boost inter-departmental collaboration. The popularity of DevOps has made its practices essential to team culture. 

DevOps is great for large teams and projects where managers in both departments have a lot to juggle. DevOps puts these pros at the same table for higher efficiency and product quality. For example, DevOps proposes a unified code repository for both team sides.

Methodology Phases

DevOps encompasses a continuous cycle between development stages.  Development includes planning, coding, building, testing, and releasing. Operations phases involve deployment, operation, and monitoring.

Pros

• Greater process efficiency, team productivity, and resource optimization.
• Quicker change processes and overall time-to-market.
• Increasing user satisfaction and product quality through continuous delivery.
• Reduced product failure rate.

Cons

• Some clients may not be able to integrate ongoing operations due to industry limits. This may be the case for sectors such as health and banking.
• DevOps can be a learning curve for organizations. It requires tailoring some processes, tools, etc. 
• Setting up DevOps can take time and money to get right.

Types of Practices

• DevSecOps uses a similar method but incorporates security practices as well. 
• Continuous Integration (CI) automates updates to the codebase. This ensures one source of truth for the development team. 
• Continuous Deployment (CD) automates releases of code changes. Once it passes a series of tests, it’s sent to production.  
• Continuous Testing incorporates rigorous testing during every stage of the life cycle.
• Infrastructure as Code (IaC) consistently deploys infrastructure across multiple environments. 
• Monitoring and Logging enables you to track and measure your product in an automated way. 
• Microservices Architecture breaks down app development into independent modules that boost team agility.

To take full advantage of these DevOps practices and improve your organization’s efficiency, consider partnering with a DevOps outsourcing company like Netcorp, which specializes in delivering tailored DevOps solutions.

5. Lean Development Methodology

Lean was designed by Toyota’s manufacturing group. This method centers on the need to elevate productivity and eliminate inefficiencies. Key areas include repetition, extra features, code redundancy, and excessive documentation. 

It’s a team-focused methodology that encourages developers to stay open to new ideas. Typically, it’s best for small, tight-knit teams where it’s easier to stay nimble.

Methodology Phases

Lean is a type of agile software engineering methodology. That means it’s based mainly on milestone-related sprints. 

Pros

• This method cuts project inefficiencies and time-to-market.
• You can boost team motivation and autonomy.
• It enables you the flexibility in vision to analyze all alternatives.
• It reduces costs.

Cons

• Lean requires skilled developers to make the most of it.
• You may still need detailed documentation to avoid oversights.

Types of Practices

• Six Sigma reduces errors and enhances quality. To do this, it leverages DMAIC practices (Define, Measure, Analyze, Improve, Control).
• Lean Startup emphasizes user feedback within rapid cycles of building, measuring, and learning.

6. Spiral Development Methodology

Spiral is an iterative method that leverages four stages in a continuous “spiral.”  Each round aims to improve and refine the product until it meets the proposed objectives. 

The spiral methodology is ideal for mitigating risks. It highlights analysis in every iteration and specifically works to reduce problems. 

Methodology Phases

Spiral uses an iterative cycle of planning, risk analysis, engineering, and evaluation.

Pros

• You can significantly reduce risks with this method, especially for large projects.
• It’s easy to add features or pivot the vision during any iteration.
• You can enjoy the flexibility of this model when customizing the process.

Cons

• Spiral isn’t as useful for smaller or resource-limited projects. 
• You may get stuck in a constant cycle of iterations. 
• You may need experienced developers, as this process can be complex.
• It’s hard to estimate the timeline, given the cyclical nature of the iterations.

7. Prototype Development Methodology

The prototype method highlights the creation of an ongoing version of the product. 

Every version goes through iterative cycles of feedback and testing. This way, your team can identify issues and attain high quality. 

In essence, the prototype method is perfect for large projects with unknowns. The versioning process allows for rigorous evaluation of every area. 

Methodology Phases

The prototype method uses six iterative stages to build a prototype. These are requirements gathering, design, development, evaluation, refinement, and implementation. 

Pros

• The focus on a prototype can reduce risks and harness user-specific feedback.
• The ongoing refinement of the prototype can ensure user fit.
• This method helps you build early rapport with your client.

Cons

• Excessive iterations can be both costly and delay the timeline. 
• Any gap between the prototype and the real product can cause friction.  
• Per the agreement, the costs of creating the prototype may fall to the software provider.

8. Joint Application Development (JAD)

Last but not least, joint application development (JAD) is a workshop-based approach. It brings together developers, clients, and end users. 

Stakeholders share information, give feedback, and moderate conversations during workshop sessions. It’s how they get actionable insights to develop and refine the product.  

Methodology Phases

This new software development methodology uses focused workshop sessions. All stakeholders, including developers, clients, and end users, participate. A facilitator also attends to help keep communication lines open among groups.  

Pros

• Every workshop session has a specific goal to stay organized.
• Including stakeholders early means that the product is well-aligned to user needs.
• The product quality is usually quite high and has fewer errors. 

Cons

• Workshop sessions must be well-moderated to glean useful feedback. 
• This method can be longer than others, as it requires advance workshop planning. 
• Developers must be experienced in using this method to get a high impact. 

Factors to Consider When Choosing Software Development Methodology

Consider a full range of factors to select the ideal software engineering methodology. Some high-priority areas to evaluate include:

1. Team Size

Some methods are better suited to small teams; others support complex team dynamics. For example, lean is ideal for a small-sized, nimble team. On the other hand, DevOps and Agile are useful for coordinating large-scale projects. 

2. Project Complexity

The level of complexity can also condition which method is best for your project. For instance, a clear, well-defined project scope is necessary for the waterfall methodology. In contrast, methods such as agile or spiral can organize unclear or ambitious scopes.

3. Client Requirements

Every business starts from a unique point of reference. (Such as goals, target users, current tech stack, team structure, resources, etc.) These key areas will influence how you build software. 

Take, for example, a client who needs a product tailored to their target users. In this case, methods such as agile, prototype, or JAD are great at integrating user feedback. 

4. Time Constraints

Your timeline will also play a major role in your work methods. Agile, DevOps, lean, and JAD are known to trim cycles through ongoing feedback. Generally, sprint-based or iterative types of software development methodologies will maximize the timeline.  

5. Budget Constraints

Any constraints on your resources will determine your software development processes and methodologies. Several methods are designed to be scalable, such as agile, lean, and spiral. Using one of these methods can help you keep milestones clear and affordable. 

6. Stakeholder Involvement

Your internal set-up is a factor, especially with multiple departments or stakeholders. You'll want to consider a method that incorporates these key players. DevOps, JAD, and agile are stakeholder-friendly methods that constantly incorporate feedback.

Challenges of Implementing New Software Development Methodologies

A whopping 66% of software projects fail, according to the 2020 CHAOS report. While the exact reasons will vary, your work methodology makes a huge difference.

No matter which modern software development methodology you select, you may face challenges:

• Resistance to change
• Training and skill development
• Integration with existing workflows and culture
• Establishing communication practices
• Handling scalability issues
• Complexity and customization of processes
• Maintaining consistency and quality
• Allocating resources efficiently 
• Measuring methodology success

To mitigate these challenges, lean on experts with experience in your preferred methodology. Trusting specialists will reduce the likelihood of errors or oversights in your processes.

Choose Netcorp for Modern Software Development Methodologies

Ultimately, the best software development methodology is the one that drives results. Whether a traditional method, hybrid model, or something else, choose your team wisely. Often, the most important driver of success is having experienced developers on board. 

As you create your dream team, look to top-ranked software partners like us. Our elite developers are well-versed in various methods such as agile, scrum, and beyond. Reach out to us to learn how we integrate modern software development methodologies.