Top 13 software development methodologies

Choosing a software development methodology is like choosing the blueprint for constructing a building: it sets the foundation for how a project will be executed and ensures the outcomes meet your goals.

Just as different blueprints are suited to different types of buildings, each software development methodology is tailored to specific project requirements, varying group dynamics, and unique customer requirements. Choosing the right one can help strengthen your team’s collaboration and streamline your project from start to finish.

In this post, we’ll be examining 13 of the best software development methodologies more frequently used today. We’ll look at the pros and cons of each, and then see how using the right project development platform like monday dev can help you organize your chosen model cohesively.

What is software development methodology?

Software development methodology is a structured approach that’s used to plan, manage, and control software development projects. There are many different methodologies, each one outlining a unique framework to guide teams through the entire software development life cycle, from initial requirements to design, development, testing, deployment, and more.

Different software methodologies emphasize different aspects of the development process and are built to fit various types of teams. For example, some models are more suited to flexibility while others may highlight user involvement, speed, or risk management.

Choosing the right methodology for your project allows you to streamline software development, improve collaboration and communication, and put you in a better position to ensure a high-quality final product.

Why follow a software development methodology? 

Following a software development methodology is essential to successful software development projects. It’s also not enough just to choose one and start working, it’s crucial to consider which model will best fit your team’s skills, working style, and project needs.

Software development methodologies help teams by:

• Managing changing customer requests
• Boosting productivity by setting clear plans of work to focus on
• Keeping projects on time and within budget
• Communicating consistently between team members, departments, and stakeholders
• Meeting expectations based on customer requests or business goals
• Removing inefficiencies and wasted resources to streamline operations
• Responding to roadblocks more efficiently for stronger quality control

Ultimately, following a software development methodology outlines your plan for success and the steps you need to complete to get there. Below, we’ll take a look at the most popular software development methodologies to choose from for your next project.

1. Agile development methodology

Best for: Teams who need flexibility for changing project requirements

Agile is focused on iterative development, where features and software requirements are delivered in short bursts, called sprints, and evolve through collaboration. With the Agile methodology, projects are broken into small sprints to allow for frequent adaption to changes. This also helps with the continuous delivery of features at regular intervals.

Pros of Agile development methodology

• Flexible and adaptive to change
• Encourages regular feedback and communication
• Software features are delivered frequently

Cons of Agile development methodology

• Feedback and communication can be time-consuming if not done properly
• Requires team members who can work independently
• Less emphasis on detailed documentation can slow down record-keeping

2. Lean development methodology

Best for: Software development teams who want to minimize waste while increasing productivity

Lean development focuses on delivering value by removing anything that may not directly contribute to that value. Drawing on lead manufacturing principles, it encourages teams to avoid unproductive activities and instead look at how to deliver the most quality in each task.

Pros of lean development methodology

• Eliminates wasteful practices and resources
• Promotes efficiency and streamlined procedures
• Continuous improvement is central to the methodology

Cons of lean development methodology

• Team members need to be highly skilled
• Requires a high level of discipline and commitment
• Teams too focused on lead practices can lose focus on the overall strategy

3. Scrum development methodology

Best for: Teams working on complex projects that seek incremental progress

A subset of Agile, Scrum is designed to help teams work together more efficiently by dividing development into time-boxed sprints of typically 2-4 weeks. Alongside the development team, Scrum methodology involves a Product Owner and Scrum Master, both of which facilitate workflows, communication, and collaboration. Scrum projects are often fast-paced, helping teams identify issues and solutions in short time periods.

Pros of Scrum development methodology

• Quickly resolve problems in short iterations
• Clear structure with roles and responsibilities
• All team members are on the same page with regular meetings

Cons of Scrum development methodology

• Teams need to strictly adhere to Scrum rules and timelines to succeed
• Daily Scrum meetings can be time-consuming if time isn’t properly kept
• Not ideal for large projects without set goals

4. Kanban development methodology

Best for: Teams who want a visual project management method

The Kanban methodology uses a visual layout to manage workflows and development projects. With cards representing tasks organized into columns, the Kanban methodology emphasizes simplicity, efficiency, and transparency. Columns are sorted into sections denoting which tasks are waiting to be actioned, which are in progress, stuck, or completed.

Pros of Kanban development methodology

• Quick and easy to adopt for all team members
• Provides real-time visibility into tasks and progress
• Doesn’t rely on strict time constraints like in Scrum

Cons of Kanban development methodology

• Complex projects can easily become overwhelming
• Lacks strict deadlines, which can lead to delays
• No defined roles which can lead to unpredictable outcomes

5. DevOps development methodology

Best for: Teams who want to improve collaboration between operations and development

DevOps integrations development (Dev) and operations (Ops) teams with a goal of improving collaboration to improve efficiency in the development pipeline. In the DevOps methodology, both departments work together as one team during the entire project for faster and more reliable software releases.

Pros of DevOps development methodology

• Enhanced collaboration between teams
• Automates and streamlines workflows
• Developed products are more reliable and secure

Cons of DevOps development methodology

• Can be demanding for teams not used to cross-department collaboration
• Requires organizational and cultural shifts
• Upfront costs for automation structure can be high

6. Feature driven development (FDD)

Best for: Teams working on large projects that want a feature-centric approach

Feature driven development is an iterative method for building and designing software that emphasizes breaking larger projects down to their individual features. Also based on Agile approaches, FDD helps teams avoid confusion by going through time-boxed iterations for each feature.

Pros of feature driven development

• Works well for large projects and teams
• Allows for continuous progress, feature by feature
• Multiple teams can work simultaneously for quicker delivery

Cons of feature driven development

• Doesn’t fit smaller projects
• Detailed upfront planning is critical
• Can be too focused on activities instead of delivering value to the user

7. Extreme Programming (XP)

Best for: Teams that need frequent releases and regular customer involvement

Extreme Programming is another Agile software development methodology that’s often used for building software in short development cycles. One of the focuses of XP is speed and simplicity, which allows businesses to lower costs related to software requirements. This method often emphasizes customer involvement to achieve desired outcomes.

Pros of Extreme Programming

• Can save businesses a lot of money by reducing documentation
• Quality software can be produced quickly
• Problems are solved quickly within the team

Cons of Extreme Programming

• Need highly effective developments to be successful
• Cost of changing requirements can be high
• Doesn’t offer reliable estimates of work effort or timelines

8. Waterfall development methodology

Best for: Projects with clearly defined requirements

Waterfall is a classic software development methodology that helps teams follow processes in a linear flow. The Waterfall methodology takes a sequential approach where each phase, such as requirements, design, development, or testing, must be completed before moving on to the next one. This method is ideal for projects with a well-defined scope and requirements.

Pros of Waterfall methodology

• Clear and easy to manage and understand
• Can fit smaller projects with clear objectives
• Provides precise milestones with its structured approach

Cons of Waterfall methodology

• Can often be rigid leaving little room for adjustments and flexibility
• Not as much space for customer feedback after initial phases
• Documentation can be time-consuming

9. Rapid Application Development (RAD) methodology

Best for: Teams who need quick development with frequent iterations

Rapid application development emphasizes quick prototyping and feedback from users. RAD is focused on building functional prototypes in a short amount of time and then testing them on customers and applying feedback as needed.

Pros of Rapid Application Development methodology

• Encourages regular and early customer feedback
• Risk is reduced since customer input is front and center
• Highly flexible and adaptable to change

Cons of Rapid Application Development methodology

• Continuous feedback can be time-consuming
• Dependant on both skilled developers and responsive customers
• Not ideal for large projects or those with smaller budgets

10. Dynamic Systems Development Model

Best for: Teams that need a structured yet adaptable framework

The Dynamic Systems Development Model uses an iterative and incremental approach that’s focused on user involvement. The goal of this model is to deliver high-quality software on time and within budget, and user feedback is emphasized to keep the project aligned with goals.

Pros of Dynamic Systems Development Model

• Combines flexibility with structure
• Encourages user involvement to keep projects on track
• Documentation is created throughout the process

Cons of Dynamic Systems Development Model

• Involvement of users can lead to higher costs
• Can be overly complex for smaller projects
• Both users and developers need to be trained on this model

11. Spiral Model

Best for: Complex, high-risk projects that require frequent risk analysis

The Spiral Model combines iterative development with risk management. It’s focused on identifying and mitigating risks at each phase by building a plan to handle them, making it a good choice for projects with high uncertainty.

Pros of the Spiral Model

• Suitable for complex high-risk projects
• Iterative approach allows for routine refinement
• Works for larger projects

Cons of the Spiral Model

• Development can be costly and time-consuming
• Doesn’t fit smaller or low-risk projects
• The project’s success is dependent on risk analysis

12. Prototype development methodology

Best for: Projects that need frequent user feedback and testing

With the prototype development methodology, developers create a functional software prototype to gather user feedback and build future iterations based on that. This model allows teams to better understand user needs and requirements and refine a prototype throughout iterations before moving on to full-scale development.

Pros of the prototype development methodology

• Reduces misunderstanding of requirements
• Helps teams discover issues early on
• Ensures customer is satisfied with the final product

Cons of the prototype development methodology

• Scope creep can occur with changes due to prototype testing and iterations
• Reliant on high user involvement
• Customer expectations need to be managed after viewing a prototype

13. Adaptive Software Development (ASD) methodology

Best for: Teams that work in rapidly changing environments

Adaptive Software Development encourages teams to evolve their processes and designs as needed, focusing on adaptability. Through collaboration, learning, and speculation, the ASD methodology is ideal for start-ups that prioritize flexibility and quick innovation.

Pros of Adaptive Software Development methodology

• Keeps teams flexible and open to change
• Encourages continuous improvement and experimentation
• Allows for quicker product releases

Cons of Adaptive Software Development methodology

• Teams need to be disciplined and able to collaborate seamlessly
• Can be lacking in structure, leading to confusion
• Not as suitable for projects with fixed requirements

monday dev: The perfect complement to your chosen software development methodology

After selecting a software development model, putting it into action is your next challenge. With a platform like monday dev, you can make sure the principles of your chosen model are adhered to. monday dev makes it easier for teams of any size to communicate, collaborate, share updates on tasks, and automate manual workflows all from one platform. With 27+ different work views, you can also visualize software project progress in a way that fits your selected methodology.

With monday dev, software development teams can work on software flexibly with tons of features, such as:

• 27+ different work views like Agile, Kanban, Gantt, Calendar, Timeline, and more
• See project progress at a glance with customizable dashboards
• Get started quickly with templates for sprint management, feature requests, bug tracking and more
• Over 200 integrations with some of the most popular work tools like GitHub, Figma, GitLab, Asana, and others

• Build powerful no-code automations to speed up repetitive tasks
• Keep teams and departments synced on essential data in one platform
• Collaboration on project documentation within monday dev for smoother communication
• Enterprise-grade security to protect sensitive data

monday dev helps you create, monitor, and test software throughout its entire lifecycle all in one unified platform. Teams can collaborate efficiently and keep track of their assigned tasks while working within a chose framework. With monday dev, you can choose the best software development methodology and customize your platform to fit the methodology’s needs.

Choosing the right platform can help you keep track of any software development methodology

There isn’t one methodology that’s overall better than the other, each one fits different scenarios, creating multiple possibilities that depend on your project, goals, and team. That said, what can make a difference no matter which method you choose is the platform you use to track your work. Selecting a platform like monday dev can not only help you streamline your software development processes but actually help you keep your team aligned on working within the parameters of your chosen model.