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Development Methodologies

Methodologies provide a structured approach to software development, ensuring consistency, predictability, and quality. They help teams manage complexity, facilitate communication, and improve efficiency by setting clear guidelines and processes.

Software Development Life Cycle​

SDLC (Software Development Life Cycle) refers to the process of planning, creating, testing, and deploying an information system.

Participants​

Participants typically include product owner, project manager, business analysts, developers, testers, and operations staff.

Stages​

The main stages include:

  • Planning: Defining objectives, scope, and feasibility.
  • Requirements Analysis: Gathering and documenting requirements.
  • Design: Creating architecture and detailed design.
  • Implementation: Writing the actual code.
  • Testing: Verifying that the software meets requirements.
  • Deployment: Releasing the product to users.
  • Maintenance: Ongoing support and enhancement.

Basic Models​

Choosing a model depends on project requirements and team dynamics.

Waterfall​

It is one of the earliest SDLC approaches. Each stage must be completed before the next one begins, and there is typically no overlap between the phases.

Strengths: Simple, easy to understand and manage, suitable for projects with well-defined requirements.

Weaknesses: Inflexible, difficult to accommodate changes, testing phase comes late in the cycle.

Agile​

Agile is iterative and incremental, allowing for changes and improvements throughout the development process.

Strengths: Flexible, adaptive to changes, continuous feedback and improvement, early detection of issues through iterative cycles.

Concept of Shift-Left Testing

Shift-left testing involves integrating testing activities earlier in the SDLC. It aims to identify and address defects sooner, improving quality and reducing time and cost associated with later-stage fixes.

Weaknesses: Can be challenging to manage scope, requires a high level of collaboration and commitment.

Agile Methodologies​

Agile principles can be applied through regular iterations, continuous feedback, and adaptive planning.

Kanban​

Kanban is a visual management method for workflow, emphasizing continuous delivery, flexibility, and efficiency by using a Kanban board to visualize tasks and their progress.

Scrum​

Scrum is a framework within Agile, focusing on fixed-length iterations (sprints), with defined roles (Scrum Master, Product Owner, Development Team) and ceremonies.

Ceremonies are related to sprint stages:

  • Sprint planning,
  • Daily stand-ups during sprint execution,
  • Sprint review,
  • Retrospective.

Accurate effort estimating helps in planning sprints and allocating resources effectively. In Scrum, story points or hours might be used to estimate the effort for user stories in the backlog.

What is the Difference

Agile is a broad philosophy with various methodologies like Scrum and Kanban.

Kanban is a method within Agile that focuses on continuous delivery without fixed iterations.

Scrum is a specific Agile framework with fixed iterations and roles.

Project Management Tools​

Jira is a project management tool widely used in Agile development. It helps teams plan, track, and manage software development projects by providing features like backlog management, sprint planning, and real-time collaboration. Jira's integration capabilities and customizable workflows make it a versatile tool for managing complex projects.