4 Best Software Development Methodologies With Pros & Cons

December 4th, 2018 | Updated on January 17th, 2023

Developers should examine different software development methodologies in order to find which one works best for them.

Why is that so?

You probably know that all software development methodologies are used for different reasons and each methodology has its specifics.

To make it clear, we will give you an overview of the three most popular software development methodologies.

First Thing, What Are Software Development Methodologies?

Within the development process that transportation software development implies, the combination of planning, structuring, and control is considered to be a software development methodology.

Today innovative ideas are more concerned with the applications of different software development methodologies which really doesn’t require a deep technical aspect. The main thing to consider is proper planning.

In other words, the utmost use of these methods implies providing customized software based on the available business requirements.

1. The Agile Development Methodology

When we talk about Agile methodology, we should remember that we mean a whole class of different approaches.

Crystal, Extreme Programming (XP), Scrum and Future-Driven Development (FDD) can be considered different types of Agile.

Let’s look at their common pros and cons.

Pros

As Agile implies, using small iterations for the attachment of new product functionality, developing software using the Agile approach make it easier to reduce the risk of implementing new features.

After each iteration, you are able to find defects and expectation mismatches and then fix them recently. Thus, developers can quickly correct downsides and save time.

Some of the downsides fixed during the Agile-based development process may be changing requirements, bugs, and cost overruns.

Cons

With the agile development method, it may be really hard to gain high speed of work since the whole process fully depends on real-time communications.

Another factor that may discourage some developers from the Agile development methodology is that it can be quite grueling.

The thing is that each implementation of product features must be fully completed by the developer, otherwise, the project does not budge.

After looking at the pros and the cons of Agile Development Methodology, it’s clear that its advantages weigh way more than its disadvantages.

This is the reason why most of the organizations today use Agile Development methods in their business processes.

With more companies adopting Agile methodologies, the need for professionals well-versed in Agile is increasing as well.

If you want to make a career in Agile, why wait then? Choose a good scrum master certification online and aim for a great career.

2. The Waterfall Development Methodology

The Waterfall Development approach is one of the basic and traditional methodologies of software development.

A developer can only use the Waterfall Development methodology via a compilation of sequences usually designed in rigid linear models.

Some of the sequential phases required for the Waterfall Development methodology are requirements gathering, designing, implementation, verification, and maintenance.

When engineers develop software using the Waterfall approach, each sequence must be 100% complete. Only after this, developers can move to the next sequence.

Also, we should note that a sequence cannot be redone when completed.

Pros

Since the Waterfall model is based on linear development, the development process can be very clear and descriptive.

If you plan on projects that have fixed requirements and clear objectives, using the Waterfall Development methodology may be the best option for your team.

Cons

The Waterfall Development methodology implies the use of the rigid structure. Combined with the need for strict control, Waterfall may make the work of developers too slow and costly.

3. The Joint Application Development Methodology

The Joint Application Development approach is achieved through a series of collective work from different areas. These series of work are often known as Joint Application Development sessions.

The Joint Application Development methodology was first used in 1970 by Chuck Morris and Tony Crawford who were employees at IBM. Only in the 1980s this approach was presented to other people.

You can think of the Joint Application Development methodology as the strict requirements that exist for developers whereby they attempt to design and also develop an app.

4. Wrapup

One thing to put in mind is that writing of code is and bringing it to real form for sure requires hard work and its thoughtful organization.

Making the most methodologies work requires a cooperation between team members. Even if only one person has the necessary knowledge, there have to be some kind of management to organize the process.

So, instead of trying to cover up all the methodologies available, it is better to focus on a few of them which can improve your software development knowledge and skills.