PROJECT APPROACH
The success of the project at UMANG depends on the development methodology adopted by the team. We believe that to manage a project efficiently, the manager or development team must choose the software development methodology that will work best for the project at hand. All methodologies have different strengths and weaknesses and exist for different reasons. Here’s an overview of the most commonly used software development methodologies and why different methodologies exist.
Agile Development Methodology
Teams use the agile development methodology to minimize risk (such as bugs, cost overruns, and changing requirements) when adding new functionality. In all agile methods, teams develop the software in iterations that contain mini-increments of the new functionality. There are many different forms of the agile development method, including scrum, crystal, extreme programming (XP), and feature-driven development (FDD).
PROS
The primary benefit of agile software development is that it allows the software to be released in iterations. Iterative releases improve efficiency by allowing teams to find and fix defects and align expectations early on. They also allow users to realize software benefits earlier, with frequent incremental improvements.
CONS
Agile development methods rely on real-time communication, so new users often lack the documentation they need to get up to speed. They require a huge time commitment from users and are labor-intensive because developers must fully complete each feature within each iteration for user approval.
Agile development methods are similar to rapid application development (see below) and can be inefficient in large organizations. Programmers, managers, and organizations accustomed to the waterfall method (see below) may have difficulty adjusting to an agile SDLC. So a hybrid approach often works well for them.
DevOps Deployment Methodology
DevOps is not just a development methodology but also a set of practices that support organizational culture. DevOps deployment centers on organizational change that enhances collaboration between the departments responsible for different segments of the development life cycle, such as development, quality assurance, and operations.
PROS
DevOps is focused on improving time to market, lowering the failure rate of new releases, shortening the lead time between fixes, and minimizing disruption while maximizing reliability. To achieve this, DevOps organizations aim to automate continuous deployment to ensure everything happens smoothly and reliably. Companies that use DevOps methods benefit by significantly reducing time to market and improving customer satisfaction, product quality, and employee productivity and efficiency.
CONS
Even in light of its benefits, there are a few drawbacks to DevOps:
Some customers don’t want continuous updates to their systems.
Some industries have regulations that require extensive testing before a project can move to the operations phase.
If different departments use different environments, undetected issues can slip into production.
Some quality attributes require human interaction, which slows down the delivery pipeline.
Waterfall Development Methodology
Many consider the waterfall method to be the most traditional software development method. The waterfall method is a rigid linear model that consists of sequential phases (requirements, design, implementation, verification, maintenance) focusing on distinct goals. Each phase must be 100% complete before the next phase can start. There’s usually no process for going back to modify the project or direction.
PROS
The linear nature of the waterfall development method makes it easy to understand and manage. Projects with clear objectives and stable requirements can best use the waterfall method. Less experienced project managers and project teams, as well as teams whose composition changes frequently, may benefit the most from using the waterfall development methodology.
CONS
The waterfall development method is often slow and costly due to its rigid structure and tight controls. These drawbacks can lead waterfall method users to explore other software development methodologies.