Software Development Methodologies: Top 12 Most Commonly Used

Software development has undergone radical changes over the years, with new approaches applied to streamline production and ensure the highest possible standards.

This has resulted in various software development methodologies for planning and creating software efficiently outlining the roles and responsibilities for each phase.

Continue reading for a complete overview of the software development methodologies used to create robust applications that deliver on their core goals.

What Are Software Development Methodologies?

The software development life cycle varies from one project to the next, with different roles and responsibilities impacting the composition of the development team.

Applying software development methodologies can organize complex projects into key phases and activities to ensure optimization.

Software development methodologies, which incorporate elements of design philosophy with pragmatic management approaches, provide the backbone for a project’s structure.

This informs everything from core project management to how team members communicate ideas and share information to improve efficiency.

Before a project begins, the team and client typically consult on expectations and other unique requirements to determine the best software development approaches.

Once these considerations have been made, a dedicated software development team can assemble for the project.

How Do Methodologies Benefit The Software Development Process?

While different software development methodologies have unique approaches, they all strive to streamline the entire software development process.

Whether you’re outsourcing software development or launching a project in-house, the benefits of applying software development methodologies include:

• Creating a clear roadmap for the project: Software development methodologies provide a transparent framework for planning, managing, and executing projects, allowing teams to organize their work and align it with the overarching goals.
• Enhancing productivity and streamlining workflows: With clear documentation and protocols in place, software development methodologies can increase productivity throughout the team and streamline processes.
• Improving communication between team members: By following a clear software development methodology, developers can clearly communicate new ideas using pre-determined terminologies to minimize confusion.
• Identifying potential risks: Most software development methodologies include processes for spotting and managing potential obstacles, with risk analysis systems embedded in their methodologies.
• Implementing metrics to measure progress: Key performance indicators and other benchmarks are a core element of software methodologies, allowing clients to assess performance and make decisions based on raw data.

Software development methodologies also bring other benefits to a project, including quality assurance, time and cost efficiency, and robust documentation protocols.

Explore MyDevTeam’s software development services.

Top 12 Software Development Methodologies

Now that we’ve covered the core advantages of choosing a methodology throughout the software development life cycle, it’s time to explore each approach in detail.

We’ve ranked these software development methodologies from the most commonly used to niche approaches for specific circumstances.

1. Agile Software Development

One of the most popular software development methodologies is agile software development methodology, which is used on a broad spectrum of application projects.

As the name implies, the agile development methodology delivers a highly adaptive approach for flexible collaboration between developers and clients.

This approach allows projects to be developed with minimal risks from bugs, cost overruns, and other factors that might otherwise impede development.

It achieves this through iterative development, regular releases, and milestones, allowing teams to fix issues and add new features throughout the life cycle.

While some critics have pointed to flaws in the agile software development methodology, these primarily center around implementation rather than inherent flaws in the approach.

They can be easily overcome by initiating robust communications between clients and developers to ensure everyone is on the same page throughout the software development process.

2. DevOps

DevOps is one of the most recent methodologies to emerge in the software development industry, which offers a transformative approach to creating applications.

Integrating development and operations teams is at the heart of DevOps, which reduces the cost of software development and allows for rapid product deployment.

This approach is designed to embody a culture of continuous integration and improvement by breaking down silos that inhibit other software development methodologies.

It begins with developing pipelines that blend continuous integration and delivery with easily manageable infrastructure through code.

This ensures code changes are sent through a centralized code repository for rapid approval, improving communication between team members at all project stages.

The DevOps methodology also centers on insights into the project’s performance and other issues, such as security and reliability.

Robust monitoring is put in place with key metrics for tracking, allowing coders to quickly fix issues through updates or revert to previous builds when necessary.

Custom software developers use powerful tools to manage projects, streamlining the software development process through automation and scalable architectures.

3. Scrum

Scrum software development methodology is a subcategory of agile methodologies, providing a lightweight framework based on distinct sprints.

As with other common types of software development, scrum takes an iterative development approach that encourages team members to self-organize.

The team then collaborates with clients and gathers customer feedback to quickly respond to changes and feature requests.

Elements of the agile methodology are also common throughout the scrum approach, notably its ability to provide continuous improvement that enhances customer satisfaction.

This ability to adapt on the fly is facilitated through the following protocols:

• Sprint planning: Before each iterative development phase, the team and clients meet to discuss and prioritize the key features developed and implemented over the coming sprint.
• Daily scrum sessions: Once the core features of a sprint have been determined, the team holds daily sessions to share their progress, raise any issues, and formulate short-term plans.
• Demos for stakeholders: Following each iteration, the development team will present an updated software demo to showcase improvements and any issues that need to be addressed.
• Retrospective meetings: Based on the demo’s findings and internal discussions, the development team discusses how problems can be addressed and suggests improvements to be added to the next sprint.

These processes allow for healthy relationships between developers and clients, particularly for Minimum Viable Product development.

4. Waterfall

The waterfall development methodology represents a traditional software development method in which initial planning is emphasized over flexibility.

Once incredibly popular, the waterfall methodology is simple and easy to understand, with each phase of development completed before the next phase is initiated.

First introduced in 1970 by Winston W. Royce, the waterfall development methodology emphasizes linearity through its sequential approach to project management.

It is also highly driven by documentation that ensures the desired outcomes are well-defined from the outset, with robust quality assurance at every stage of development.

This requires rigorous planning and preparation compared to agile development, from the overall project scope and timeline to how deliverables will be managed.

The waterfall development methodology optimized the resources needed to complete the software development project by clarifying key processes and vital tasks upfront.

As such, it is best suited to software with predictable, limited project requirements and scope in which few changes are anticipated.

5. Kanban

Kanban, which takes its name from the Japanese word “visual signal,” uses a board with columns to denote the stages of the software development lifecycle.

Kanban’s simple yet effective approach makes it easy to combine with agile methodologies, with scrum and waterfall common processes that require additional transparency.

It works by establishing activities on a visual board, adding task-based cards sequentially, and updating their status as the project requirements evolve.

By identifying blockers to projects and allowing for quick updates of task prioritization, the Kanban approach makes it easy to update project planning at short notice.

Initially the dominant approach to project management in the Japanese car industry, Kanban’s adoption has broadened to include Microsoft’s engineering improvements.

6. V-Model

Whereas some software development methodologies include testing and quality assurance in the final stages, the V-Model approach includes testing throughout the life cycle.

Each phase of the software development process is complemented by a distinct testing phase that validates each related phase.

For example, the coding process can be broken down with the verification phase on the left-hand side of the V, while the right-hand side covers the verification phase:

Requirement gathering                                                                          Acceptance testing

                      System analysis                                                       System testing

                                Software design                        Integration testing

                                          Module design       Unit testing

                                                                   Coding

The V-Model is used in software development when the project’s requirements are clearly understood from the outset, and the team has a solid grasp of its goals.

7. Spiral

The spiral software development model combines the waterfall development methodology and the iterative approach to optimize risk analysis and management.

Each phase is represented by a visual loop in a diagrammatic representation that resembles a spiral from which it draws its name.

Applying the spiral model to the custom software development process varies between projects, and the number of project phases depends on their complexity.

With its emphasis on risk management through multiple iterations, the spiral model is often applied to complex projects that require adaptability to uncertainty.

The spiral model has four key phases, beginning with determining objectives by gathering customer requirements and analyzing the best course for implementation.

Next, risks are identified and resolved, leading to the development of a prototype that informs the features that will be included in the final product.

Lastly, the fourth quadrant covers reviewing and planning, coordinating with the client before refining the objectives and proceeding with the development process.

8. Rapid Application

In contrast to other approaches to software development, the rapid application development methodology emphasizes less planning and more prototyping.

This approach provides a fertile framework for software developers to create functional application models and gather client feedback quickly.

Rapid application development is a highly collaborative methodology that begins with a loose definition of the project’s requirements, from which ideas can be brainstormed.

This allows the team and clients to approach developing software flexibly, freed from the constraints associated with rigorously pre-determined requirements.

Core functionalities are worked on from the outset, lowering costs by optimizing the developers’ time use and improving overall productivity.

Rapid application development allows potential end users to engage with the software development process, delivering highly functional software with an impressive user experience.

Related reading: Exploring the difference between in-house and outsourced software development teams.

9. Extreme Programming

Extreme programming is a part of the agile software development framework and is often used to satisfy projects with dynamically changing requirements.

Risk management is another core element of extreme programming, with frequent iterations across time-limited cycles built around comprehensive guidelines.

This allows for software development that delivers continuous improvement through regularly updated code as part of an ongoing process.

It achieves this through robust guidelines that highly skilled developers can adhere to from the project’s launch and the technology used for automation and other functional tests.

As such, clear communication is key to extreme programming since constant feedback between team members is essential for delivering revisions and updates.

This can involve pair programming, in which one developer works on the code while another reviews it in real time, combined with continuous test-drive development processes.

The result is software development that can adapt to clients’ new requirements at a moment’s notice without compromising code quality.

10. Prototype

The prototype methodology is another iterative approach that incorporates trial and error elements and collaboration between clients and developers.

The prototype methodology has several key phases, beginning with gathering and analyzing requirements and the end user’s expectations.

This is then followed by a quick design outlining the core functionality and the main phase of building the prototype as a working model of the initial design.

Once this has been accomplished, the client evaluates the prototype and provides feedback, from which the software is further refined by the development team.

One of the main advantages of the prototype methodology is its ability to instantly change based on the ongoing evaluation throughout the process.

By developing interactive prototypes, businesses can win investor confidence in the early stages of development by presenting a tangible version of the end product.

11. Lean Development

The lean development methodology originates from the lean manufacturing principles first outlined by the Toyota car manufacturing company.

As the name suggests, this approach minimizes waste, streamlines development, and avoids non-productive processes whenever possible.

Additionally, lean development emphasizes continuous learning that empowers team members to change course when new and better approaches emerge.

The lean approach strives to optimize efficiency by encouraging a proactive approach to identifying and resolving bottlenecks that inhibit development.

This knowledge can then be shared throughout the development team, fostering a work environment that places learning front and center of the process.

As such, lean development is effective for delivering digital products promptly and on budget, and it has quality control built into its DNA.

It’s another example of how the agile development methodology has evolved to eliminate waste while amplifying learning and managing the uncertainty associated with software development.

Discover the technologies used by MyDevTeam.

12. Joint Application

Joint application development (JAD) is the process in which the client and users are actively involved in the design and development of an application.

This is established in the beginning stages of the project, with regular meetings between all parties to discuss the software’s intended functionality and end-user model.

Clients and developers attend workshop sessions to determine these goals, with facilitators also in attendance to moderate discussions and keep them on track.

Based on the findings of these meetings, comprehensive documentation is compiled, which can then be used to guide the entire development process.

This allows all parties invested in the project’s success to clearly understand its objectives and limitations in the early stages of development.

By hosting frequent roundtable discussions, a team-oriented approach to development can be implemented, allowing instant problem-solving and communication.

This emphasis on collaboration makes the joint application model a compelling option for custom software development for startups and critical business applications.

Learn More About MyDevTeam’s Development Methodologies

MyDevTeam draws on extensive experience developing software for all industries, applying the best software development methodologies to projects.

Additional benefits of outsourcing software development to MyDevTeam include:

• Accessing the latest technology stack to ensure software is developed in line with the industry’s best practices, from robust security to full technical support.
• Harnessing the power of artificial intelligence to deliver smart solutions for businesses that provide real-time insights and automation.
• Accelerated software delivery that meets the client’s timeline, utilizing DevOps services that speed up the deployment cycle.
• Visually striking software and application designs by professionals, creating a seamless user experience through intuitive and attractive interfaces.

MyDevTeam’s highly skilled developers deliver fully customizable applications, blending creativity and innovation for digital products.

Summary

Whether creating an application for a retail company or initiating multiple complex projects, choosing the right software development methodology is vital for success.

The popular software development methodologies covered in this article can be applied to all project types to streamline the development process and ensure success.

Before beginning a project, research custom software development methodologies teams to determine which delivers the best approach for your requirements.