Types of Software Development Models
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September 20, 2011
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Software development teams will take different approaches when they are developing a project together. This is based on the goals and the scale that their project is going to entail and what their facilities will be able to handle. In most cases, they will choose from the software development models that will not only deliver the best outcome, but also the one that enhances the level of productivity of the software development team.
While there are a considerable number of different software development models, there are a few that tend to be more commonly used. The following five types are the most common; because they do enhance organisation and ensure that the software build remains in the budget that is presented, whilst avoiding unnecessary delays in the project development lifecycle. There are mainly five Software development models:
Waterfall Model V Shaped Model Spiral Model Iterative Model Agile Development Model
This begins with the waterfall model, which is perhaps the most common. The waterfall is the used in easy projects, which tend to be very small. This is when tasks on a project are determined and completed in a consecutive order. Each stage is tried and tested, before the next stage is worked on. With more complex software, this approach doesn’t work that well, so other forms of software development do need to be considered. One option is the v shaped model. This approach is similar to the waterfall, but it focuses on the verification stage of the development process. Testing begins with the documentation portion and then through coding and integration they are continued. That means test execution or upward direction of testing is the focus in this software development model. When companies choose to underscore the risk analysis in the development process, they are working on a spiral model. This is when a waterfall model is broken down into different iterations and each different piece faces a diverse planning and risk analysis of each piece. As the process continues, new risks are assessed and handled as they come up. While this evaluates the system on
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the go and thinks about past and future repercussions of each item, it also greatly increases the overall cost of the project. In a case where flexibility is going to be vital, the iterative model may be chosen. This is one of the software development models that does allow for an initial software version to be released after the first iteration is done. The reason is that the software development company focuses on the while lifecycle of the iterations and spot and mend problems, as they occur in earlier stages. This allows the full cycle of the software to be addressed at all times and ensures that a final product is created while minimising the errors encountered. A final approach that can be taken is the agile development. While it can be very effective, it does become impacted by the human factor that can often cause delays in software development. In it, the team provides feedback through the entire development process and this feedback is addressed and fixes are handled as they occur during the development process. This does mean that problematic sections of code may not be addressed, until there is a problem that occurs with it later on. As you can see, there are many approaches that can be taken when software is being developed. While each type will have its own unique benefits, it will be important for teams of developers to come to a group consensus on the style that will work best for their project. That will help to keep costs down and to avoid any unnecessary delays that may come up in the deployment of the finalised software. Choosing the right Software development model requires careful consideration of the project scope, the project team’s capability and clarity of the project requirement. Risk minimisation is also a very important factor in determining the Software development model as each models represents the different risk profile. http://www.shivam.com.au/
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