How To Choose Correct Software Methodology For My Startup?

Throughout the years, various software development methodologies have been developed, and it has always been a big question for startups which software development method they should use for their project? 

If you use a proper software development methodology in your startup, your projects will have a consistent framework and strategy. 

By defining the procedures involved in bringing a breakthrough vision to market, your team may get a leg up on the competition and inspire investor confidence by working smarter rather than harder.

If you work in a software company, you should know the most common methodologies and how they're applied so you can choose which to utilize. This article will explain common software development approaches with their benefits and weaknesses and recommend selecting one for your project.

What do we mean by Software Development Methodologies?

A software development method is a structured process for a software design project. Applicable methodologies usually combine well-defined stages with a design or procedure ideology. 

Choosing the correct methodology for your project may benefit the customer and the development team by ensuring a precise project timeline, increasing efficiency, and producing higher-quality outputs that meet deadlines.

Why Should you Pick Software Development Methodology? 

We cannot overstate the importance of picking a software development approach and sticking to it throughout the project. When you take the software development process for granted, you run several risks like time waste, money waste, and efforts with the threat of making a lousy application.

Choosing the suitable software development process ensures that your project’s discussions are going on the right track and decisions conclude after evaluating all factors.

Also, a software development method allows your team to reduce inefficiency and give a more precise delivery timeline. It controls the team from responding to every unnecessary input and concentrates on dealing with spontaneous instabilities. 

Some Standard Software Development Methodologies

Look at these software development methods and pick the best fit for your startup and project. 

1. Agile

The Agile Development process breaks your projects down into shorter and more effortless development cycles known as iterations. Every iteration can have multiple activities like necessities gathering, calculation, planning, creation, development, testing, or documenting.

Benefits 

• This method enables face-to-face communication, and lets development teams demand clarification and underrate misconceptions.
• You can process testings during each iteration and get results in a final product with fewer bugs or strategy flaws.

Weaknesses

• In Agile methodology, resource planning becomes challenging since each iteration might need different skills.
• Documentation is essential, although it is frequently completed "just in time," referring just to the current feature provided during an iteration and not to the entire project.
• Since development actions can start parallel to requirements collecting for future iterations, it becomes tough to track improvement and execute an exact project endpoint.

When you should Use Agile 

• You can use agile when your development team intercommunicates nicely and works jointly.
• Your project efficiently split into more undersized modules.
• Your team contains members with robust project management talents, so development isn’t getting interrupted by appeals for surprising features.

2. Spiral

You can employ spiral when your project needs to prioritize mitigating trouble. This strategy provides a systematic approach that always starts with inquiry and investigation.

Benefits 

• It supports the development of significant and complicated projects using prototyping and estimation during each phase.
• The spiral process adjusts the ongoing improvement and correction of project conditions according to decision-making and approval.

Weaknesses

• It is overwhelming for minimal-risk projects.
• It needs the extensive use of prototypes, which raises complexity and cost.

When you should Use Spiral 

• You should use spiral when security is a substantial circumstance.
• Also, when auxiliary systems or regulatory restrictions beyond your control may have an impact on your project.

3. DevOps

DevOps methodology can continually enable cooperation while often supplying new and updated projects by unifying your development teams and IT functions.

Benefits 

• DevOps lets your teams constantly communicate so that you can focus on rapid development, quality security, and deployment.
• You can acquire the advantage of automatic testing.
• You can make changes to the software with centralized code storage and make them easy to deploy or roll back.

Weaknesses

• This approach demands multiple teams to work jointly with tenderness for each other’s difficulties and goals.
• It might have less structured development actions.

When you should Use DevOps 

• DevOps is the perfect option for your project if you need to manage complicated situations requiring reliability and regular uptime.
• It works ideal for steady maintenance jobs and provides short, iterative modifications to existing software applications.

4. Lean

Intending to do the least amount of work possible in the shortest amount of time, Lean is a methodology that thrives in a fast-paced atmosphere.

Benefits 

• With Lean, you can eliminate functionalities that are not necessary so that you can develop projects quickly.
• With a concentration on repeatable procedures, you can reuse code. 
• Your team's specialists are empowered and trusted to get the job done simply.

Weaknesses

• When you create software using this methodology, it commonly lacks the scalability needed to add features in the future easily.
• Lean has few provisions for integrating the operations of various development teams, making it unsuitable for more extensive projects or those requiring collaboration with other systems.

When you Should Use Lean 

• You can utilize Lean for solid evidence projects by giving users a bare-bones product with only the most crucial features, allowing them to provide feedback and drive subsequent iterations and upgrades.
• It might work as a lifesaving tool when dealing with stakeholders who cannot settle on project necessities.

5. Pair Programming

As the name suggests, Pair Programming allows two developers to work together at a single workstation. Utilizing this software development procedure, While one programmer is at the keyboard, the other acts as an investigator, pointer, or navigator.

Benefits 

• With pair programming, each developer can concentrate on a particular aspect of work, like reducing code and meeting project criteria.
• It helps to decrease testing time and cost by recognizing potential issues. 

Weaknesses

• Numerous developers see it discouraging or irritating to be monitored while they work.
• It performs effectively only when the pair is expert-expert, ensuring that productivity and skill sets are evenly balanced. However, there are times when pair programming can be considered a good education and knowledge transfer experience.

When you Should Use Pair Programming

• This approach is a good fit for you if you have small development teams and are well-acquainted. 
• When your project necessitates continuous discussing or strategizing, pair programming is the right pick for you. 

6. Waterfall

If your projects favorably clarify with a string of sequential stages, you can thrive with the Waterfall method. The waterfall technique is a widely employed design methodology that works on the ideas of identifying requirements and delivering solutions.

Benefits 

• Since project needs are recognized at the beginning of a project in this method, you can plan other phases like design, evolution, performance, testing, and supervision. 
• With Waterfall, you will need fewer technical team members to plan upfront work. 
• It allows you to fix deadlines for your project completion.

Weaknesses

• Project phases do not coincide, and the only direction is ahead, so modifications to items completed in earlier stages are considered new projects.
• You cannot produce any operating software until the end of a life cycle.
• With the Waterfall methodology, the victory of each project is decided by the grade of the essentials.

When you Should Use Waterfall

• You can use Waterfall when your budget is fixed and not easily adjusted.
• Because of stakeholder or regulatory obligations, you can restrain your scope.
• You have rigid command over your environment.

Steps to Choose a Methodology

1. Know your stakeholders: Determine whether your stakeholders prefer to be more hands-on, review improvement frequently, or prefer to stay and notice how it all comes out.

2. Check the flexibility of project necessities: Make sure you use a methodology that includes regular safeguards to ensure that modifications to project requirements are within your budget.

3. Recognize your end-users: You should identify your end-users across the globe. For this, you can ask questions about their demographics, education, skills, and needs as they might involve in your project.

4. Understand your budget: It's a cruel reality, but your budget often limits the development of the project's requirements. So choose methodology wisely in your budget. 

5. Decide project completion timeline: You should pick a methodology according to your project's completion deadline. Whether your project is long-term or short term decide on a deadline and select a method accordingly. 

6. Know your development team’s expertise: You should be aware of your entire team’s skills so that they can work faster to complete your project. If you know where your squad requires assistance, you can support them.

Bottom Line 

Choosing the suitable software design methodology is a crucial decision that sets your project up for victory. Studying each method from the perspective of your project's specifications is worthwhile.

Additionally, we hope the knowledge shared in this guide about various software development methods will help you to decide which one to pick that fits your project best. Leave a comment if you have more questions regarding this context.