Hello everyone! In today's blog, we will be discussing some of the modern software development methodologies, their pros, and cons which you should know as a developer. If you will be interning or getting a job, knowing what software methodology the company practice will make you more comfortable working and will make you figure out things easily.

There are 3 main methodologies, companies use in modern times, these are:

1. Agile Model
2. DevOps Model
3. Rapid Application Development (RAD)

1. Agile Model:

Introduction:

• This model works by decomposing client requirements into many small incremental parts that can be developed over decided timelines.
• Agile project management works off the basis that a project can be continuously improved upon throughout its life cycle, with changes being made quickly and responsively.

Methodology:

• Agile methodology is an umbrella term under which many frameworks based on Agile Model come namely:
• Extreme programming (XP)
• Scrum
• Kanban

Advantages:

• Highly flexible, dynamic, and has the ability to change as per client's feedback
• Very suitable for modern software requirements where a new version has to be released as soon as possible.

Disadvantages:

• More face-to-face communication rather than documents is preferred which in turn makes management difficult.
• Sometimes code is not of good quality as it needs to be implemented fast and hence maintenance becomes difficult.

2. DevOps Model:

Introduction:

• DevOps combines development and operations to increase the efficiency, speed, and security of software development and delivery compared to traditional processes. A more nimble software development lifecycle results in a competitive advantage for businesses and their customers.
• DevOps focuses on incremental development and rapid delivery of software. Success relies on the ability to create a culture of accountability, improved collaboration, empathy, and joint responsibility for business outcomes.

Steps:

• Plan: task management, schedules
• Code: code development and code review, source code management tools, code merging
• Build: continuous integration tools, version control tools, build status
• Test: continuous testing tools that provide feedback on business risks, determine performance
• Package: artifact repository, application pre-deployment staging
• Release: change management, release approvals, release automation
• Operate: infrastructure installation, infrastructure changes (scalability), infrastructure configuration and management, infrastructure as code tools, capacity planning, capacity & resource management, security check, service deployment, high availability (HA), data recovery, log/backup management, database management
• Monitor: service performance monitoring, log monitoring, end user experience, incident management

Advantages:

• It adaptively responds to requirement changes favorably
• Fixing errors early in the development process makes this process more cost-effective
• Improves the quality of the product and makes it highly error-free
• Allows for direct communication between people involved in software project
• Highly suitable for large & long-term projects
• Minimum resource requirements & very easy to manage

Disadvantages:

• Highly dependent on clear customer requirements
• Quite Difficult to predict time and effort for larger projects
• Not suitable for complex projects
• Lacks documentation efficiency
• Increased maintainability risks

3. Rapid Application Development (RAD):

Introduction:

• Rapid Application Development (RAD) is a development model that prioritizes rapid prototyping and quick feedback over long drawn-out development and testing cycles. With rapid application development, developers can make multiple iterations and updates to software quickly without starting from scratch each time.
• This helps ensure that the final outcome is more quality-focused and is in alignment with the end-user's requirements.

Steps:

1. Define the Client Requirements:

• Instead of writing every detailed requirement as described in traditional models, RAD focuses on specifying the broader requirements and getting into details at later stages of the cycle.

2. Prototype:

• In this stage, developers make prototypes with different features and functions as fast as they can, then client feedback is taken with these prototypes.
• These prototypes are then further refined and more till it resembles the final product

Advantages:

1. Client is actively involved and heavy feedback is taken at each stage to correct the trajectory of product development.
2. Integration and Development become easier.

Disadvantages:

1. Not suitable for large team size because very strong intercommunication is required
2. Management becomes very much difficult as there are no structured paths.

When to use RAD:

• When the system can be split into different modules so that members can rapidly develop their prototypes.
• When deadlines are shorter and the client provides reliable feedback because changes in the prototypes will be based on feedback only