WEEK 1 Discussion Questions
DQ-1- Supporting Activity: Development Methodologies
Write a 200- to 300-word short answer to the following question:
Review the agile and systems development life cycle (SDLC) software development methodologies in your readings and in the podcast for this week.
Explain the main differences between the agile and SDLC (waterfall) methodologies.
What types of software application development projects would be better suited for each methodology and why?
The main difference between agile and SDLC (waterfall) methodologies is:
SDLC is a predictive methodology which means that each phase is time consuming, because the focus on delivering a highly effective system that meets all business needs starts in the first phase where planning and selection is carried out, and continues through the last phase of implementation and operation. Much interviewing and planning is needed in order to deliver the end-product.
In agile methodologies the focus is on breaking up the development into many small portions, or iterations, where testing and software release is the end result of each iteration which provides feedback to developers and customers. Having many iterative processes as opposed to four phases like the SDLC allows for change and the lack of predictability for the system being developed.
Software application development projects best suited for the SDLC methodology are ones in which the system will operate in an environment that is stable and does not change a whole lot. As stated above, the amount of planning and development that goes into a system using SDLC methodologies, it is much more difficult to develop a system for a constantly changing environment. Using SDLC for safety critical systems has been proven successful, therefore is the best approach.
Software application development projects best suited for agile methodologies is in environments where the business conditions are frequently changing. Agile...