Software Development Methodologies

Know your developer’s process or methodology

Methodology/Software Development Life Cycle

Methodology is a word that was applied to IT software development in the 1970s. Early developers recognized that just sitting down to write code without any preliminary planning or requirements did not result in the best solution and often required a lot of time for rewrites. A methodology, as the name implies, is simply a structured, repeatable process. It may contain very specific instructions on how to develop software. Early methodologies were based on the software development life cycle, which recognized distinct phases in software development: plan, analyze, design, code, test. This fundamental structure is the foundation of every methodology, development process, and approach used in software development today. The word “methodology” has lost favor because some of the commercial methodologies sold in the 1980s and 1990s were massive, multivolume manuals which were difficult to follow. Organizations that purchased these methodologies often felt that the required deliverables took too much time. Teams began to skip steps or take shortcuts.

Over the last 30-plus years, there have been many attempts to write a cookbook approach to software development. IT managers yearn for a clear, simple process that their teams can follow to ensure success. Unfortunately, software development cannot be defined that neatly. Understanding business needs and turning them into software solutions is complex, non-linear, difficult work. It requires expert practitioners (project managers, BAs, architects, developers) and some guidelines about how the work will be done. Since every project is different, every team will work differently.

Compare an IT development project to the work of making a movie. No two movies are exactly alike; even sequels have significant differences. Each movie has a unique set of people (actors, director, editor, makeup artists, costumers, set designers) and a unique plot. Each is shot at different locations and in a different order. Movies take months and sometimes years to make and cost millions of dollars. Sometimes they are canceled in the middle of production. Sometimes they are released and then flop. There are very few blockbusters. Although movie-making sophistication has increased over the years, so has the sophistication of the audience. Expectations are higher, so doing what you did on the last movie will not be good enough. This is very similar to IT development, which faces the same challenges and odds against success. Every project is different, with different stakeholders. The technology available continues to evolve and become more complex. Users continue to increase their sophistication and expectations. Using a software development process or methodology provides guidelines for the team based on best practices both inside and outside the organization. But no matter how good the process, having competent, trained team members will always be the key to the success of a project. Blind adherence to a process will not necessarily produce the correct product. This section gives a brief overview and history of software development methodologies.